Don’t wait for details of the furlough scheme – Get it Done!
Furlough payments will not last forever. For many, perhaps most businesses, the obvious commercial decision must be to lay off work as many employees as practicable as soon as possible.
Why wait?
Perhaps your clients/customers/suppliers are still running and still need you; you may be breaching contracts with them and/or they will go elsewhere if you suspend business.
Why don’t wait?
If orders for work can be left on the shelf to be picked up at later date, you have an opportunity. When furlough payments are reduced or stopped completely, the economy will still be in a poor state. You may face a shortage of custom and income combined with increased expenditure of the need to make redundancy payments (not to mention cost of advice in dealing with the issues that arise). That is precisely the time the work you squirrel away now may provide essential cash flow.
The government has been very clear in outline and, although details of the scheme are awaited, there no indications of any benefit in waiting or disadvantage in getting ahead.
What do to now
If the decision is to lay off, do it now but we strongly recommend you take expert employment law advice first.
Laying Off staff presents significant employment law risks that could present an expensive claim and costly advice some months or even years down the line. Those may be not only for 20% top up, but potentially also the 80% furlough payments for all staff, in addition to unfair dismissal and even discrimination claims.
Let us help and relieve your burden.
Fixed fee – Get it Done!
“If we’d known how effective your [coronavirus] fixed fee help was going to be, we’d have paid you 10 times your fee. Thanks for sorting us out so quickly!” Lauren Evans, Director, Evabuild Ltd
We have been proactive. We have put resources into drafting documents that can be provided very quickly and that easy to read, understand and implement. And while providing support to staff will be top of your agenda, there may be some individuals where you may be wondering if other action needs to be taken. Choosing to lay off instead of dismiss may also create unexpected problems and costs at the end of lay off. For those reasons, and to help ensure you have confidence in dealing with your staff, we need to be able to speak to an expert directly, to ask questions and get answers.
“… an oasis of clarity and efficiency during this crisis, saving us time and money and headaches” Shane Watson, Managing Director, TRT Welding Service Ltd
More complicated problems are going to arise when the return to work starts, but for today let’s keep it simple:
Services:
- Documents suitable for immediate or planned Lay Off of your employees, whether together or in stages
- Up to 1 hour telephone advice, directly with Stephen Jackson, specialist employment solicitor and principal at Jackson Osborne, to consider any issues of particular concern or particular to your business
- Fees waived for new subscribers to our Employment Support Retainer
Costs:
- Discounted for authorised referral or from first 10 businesses to take it up: £290 + VAT
- Without discount: £450 + VAT
- free to new subscribers to our monthly Employment Support Retainer
Call us, and we will help you:
- save you money and improve cash flow
- lay off staff now (or be prepared to do so when you think the time is right)
- reduce or completely remove any prospect of future claims
- understand the difference between ‘lay off’ and ‘furlough’
- remove confusion and uncertainty for you and your employees
- save you several hours if not days of time, worry and stress
Links to main government websites
gov.uk: guidance to employers and businesses about covid-19
gov.uk: support for businesses
Disclaimer: The content of this webpage is for information only and is not intended to be construed as legal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice. Jackson Osborne accepts no responsibility for the content of any third party website to which this webpage refers.