A helpful few words from Matthew Powell our Employment Law expert…
“One of the most common enquiries we are receiving at the moment is from businesses about how to implement furlough leave in order to recover 80% of the wage costs (or up to £2,500 per calendar month) from HMRC. The government hasn’t published much written guidance yet, and we advise our Clients to regularly visit the new website www.businesssupport.gov.uk. In most cases it will be simple to implement furlough leave.
To place staff on furlough leave, you will need agree the change with the employee, but faced with the alternatives (unpaid leave, lay off, or redundancy) employees are likely to agree. Once agreement has been reached, the new status should be confirmed in writing, including how long it will last. In most cases this will be for an initial period, subject to review.
If you have any questions about furlough leave, or other options open to you as a business employing staff, then please contact us and our employment law specialist will discuss matters with you further.”