These FAQs are now out of date! Please refer to: 

'Issues for employers following the lifting of Covid-19 Restrictions on 19 July'

for the latest HR advise for employers

Managing employees during the pandemic

Last updated: 21/06/2021

1. Are there particular issues an employer should consider in relation to employees who are temporarily working from home due to Covid-19? 
2. What are the requirements where an employee returns/travels to England from overseas?
3. How should we manage employees who are subject to the 10 day quarantine rules, or who have booked or wish to book a personal trip overseas bearing in mind the 10 day quarantine rules?
4. What are the employment implications of the requirement for passengers returning to/travelling to England to present evidence of a negative Covid-19 test result before they travel?
5. Can we prevent employees from taking holiday, e.g. because we need all hands on deck during a business recovery period, or because we don’t want them travelling for safety reasons?
6. What if employees want to cancel their booked annual leave?
7. If we need to implement a longer than usual annual shutdown because of reduced demand or supply chain disruption due to the pandemic, can we require employees to take additional holiday to cover this?
8. If an employee has to self-isolate during or shortly before a period of booked annual leave, can they reclassify the annual leave as sick leave?
9. Can we continue with disciplinary and grievance processes during the Covid-19 crisis?
10. We’re due to on-board some new employees next week. What should we do about carrying out right-to-work checks given that we may not be able to meet the employees in person?
11. Will Covid-19 impact on a migrant employee’s application for indefinite leave to remain (ILR)?
12. What legal obligations should employers keep in mind when making decisions relating to Covid-19?

1. Are there particular issues an employer should consider in relation to employees who are temporarily working from home due to Covid-19? (Last updated 15/06/2021)

Although lockdown restrictions are being eased in accordance with the Government’s roadmap, the instruction that everyone should work from home where possible currently remains in place – it may be lifted at the next stage of the roadmap, if the Government’s review of social distancing and other measures concludes that this is appropriate, although that stage, which was originally expected to be implemented on 21 June, has now been postponed until19 July due to concerns about the Delta variant of Covid-19. However, the guidance acknowledges that working from home may not always be possible in all sectors – including manufacturing – and specifies that employees who cannot work from home can attend the workplace. (Note that this includes the clinically extremely vulnerable, as the shielding guidance was relaxed with effect from 1 April – see question 2 of our FAQs on ‘Health and safety measures’ for further information).

It is important for employers to consider the health and safety implications of home-working; employers have the same health and safety responsibilities for home-workers as for any other employees. The Health and Safety Executive guidance notes that when someone is working from home, whether permanently or temporarily, their employer should consider: 

• How to keep in touch with them 
• What work they will be doing and for how long 
• Whether that work can be done safely 
• Whether any control measures need to be put in place to protect them 

From an employee wellbeing perspective, it is important to have regular communications with those who are working from home, to make sure they are healthy and safe and that they do not feel disconnected or isolated. 

There are also potential data protection risks to consider, as the home working environment may present challenges regarding data security. To help address these issues, employees should be reminded of the importance of: ensuring proper password protection on any home-based devices; ensuring secure access to the internet from home; allowing security software and firewall updates to install regularly (e.g. overnight); not opening suspicious emails; and ensuring documents are stored and disposed of safely. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has produced guidance on the data security issues that employers and employees should consider in relation to home working, with tips on areas such as cloud storage, remote applications and email. 

As employers will remain the data controller of any personal data their employees process in the course of their employment, employees should also be reminded how to deal with any personal data breach they might experience while working from home. The 72-hour timeframe for notifying the ICO of personal data breaches remains in force during the Covid-19 crisis, and the ICO’s publication on its regulatory approach, updated on 24 September 2020, no longer includes the acknowledgment (that appeared in the previous version) that the pandemic “may impact” on organisations’ ability to meet this deadline. It is therefore important to have a solid incident response plan in place so that everyone knows what a data breach looks like and who they should report it to. (For further information on data protection considerations, see the FAQs on ‘Data protection during the pandemic’.)

2. What are the requirements where an employee returns/travels to England from overseas? (Last updated 15/06/2021)

From 17 May 2021, the lockdown restrictions that prohibited international travel other than for a legally permitted reason, such as where travel was necessary for work, were lifted in England. Leisure travel abroad is therefore now permitted from England, although the Government advises against travel to so-called 'amber list' and ‘red list’ countries (see below) for leisure purposes and people are advised to follow guidance from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding which countries are safe to visit. In addition, some countries may still be imposing entry restrictions or keeping their borders closed. 

While international travel is now permitted from England, individuals travelling to and arriving in England are subject to quarantine and other requirements, which are summarised below. The Government has classified countries according to their Covid-19 risk level (based on rates of transmission and the progress of the country’s vaccination programme) and placed them on either the ‘red’, ‘amber’, or ‘green’ list. The applicable rules depend on which category of country the individual has been in during the 10 days prior to their arrival in England.  

(Note that the devolved administrations have separate powers over the lockdown and travel quarantine measures in their respective countries, so the position in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland may differ.) 

Pre-travel testing

Subject to limited exceptions (see below), everyone arriving in England, including British nationals and UK residents, must present evidence of a negative Covid-19 test result before they travel here, regardless of where they are travelling from (i.e. all green, amber, or red list countries are covered). The test must have been taken in the three days before they depart for England. A person arriving in England without proof of a negative test could face a £500 fine. A person who tests positive must not travel and must follow local rules and guidance for positive coronavirus cases. The Government guidance sets out further details, including information on the types of tests that are considered acceptable. See question 4, below, for further information on the employment implications of the pre-travel testing requirement.

Passenger locator form

Providing false or deliberately misleading information when filling out a passenger locator form is an offence, punishable by a fine of up to £10,000, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.

Travel from a ‘green’ list country – no general requirement to quarantine

People entering England from a country on the Government’s ‘green’ list, who have not been in or through an amber or red list country (see below) in the previous 10 days, are not required to quarantine on arrival. 

However, subject to limited exceptions (see below), before they travel to England they are required to take a pre-travel test and complete a passenger locator form (see above) and book and pay for a post-travel test.

The post-travel test must be taken on or before day 2 after the individual’s arrival in England. If the test result is positive, the individual will be required to self-isolate at home for 10 days.

3. How should we manage employees who are subject to the 10 day quarantine rules, or who have booked or wish to book a personal trip overseas bearing in mind the 10 day quarantine rules? (Last updated 15/06/2021)

As noted at question 2, above, employees who travel to countries on the Government’s green list are not required to self-isolate on their return. The below considerations apply where employees travel to countries on the amber or red lists (although note that Government guidance advises people against travelling to amber or red list countries for leisure purposes).

If an employee who has to quarantine on return from overseas travel can work remotely (i.e. from home or from a managed quarantine hotel), then they can continue to work from home during the quarantine period and should be paid their normal pay. The possibility of remote working is reflected in the Government guidance on self-isolation during quarantine and employment rights, which recommends that employees speak to their employer about working from home before they travel.

If working remotely is not possible, the employee will not be able to work. This raises the question of how employers manage employees who take a personal trip overseas and are required to enter a 10 day quarantine period on their return. The ‘Test to Release for International Travel’ scheme, may allow individuals arriving in England to end their self-isolation early if they test negative for Covid-19, provided they had not been in or through a country that is on the red list (see question 2 above, for further details). However, such tests are only available five full days after an individual returns to England, so the individual will still have to quarantine for an initial period and while they wait for their test result. In addition, only tests conducted by approved private providers can be considered and the cost of such tests means that not all employees will be willing or able to obtain one. 

The Government guidance on self-isolation during quarantine and employment rights does not mention sick pay as a possibility. Indeed, the Government’s guidance on SSP makes clear that employees cannot get SSP if they are self-isolating after entering or returning to the UK and they do not need to self-isolate for any other reason. This is helpful confirmation for employers, as it gives a good justification for not paying company sick pay during employee quarantine either.

Since SSP is not payable to facilitate the taking of quarantine leave, you could provide that employees must book additional holiday to cover this extra time off. If employees do not have enough holiday to take to cover the quarantine period, you could allow them to take unpaid ‘quarantine leave’ instead. 

Some employers may wonder whether they can place employees on furlough under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (‘the Extended CJRS’) during their holiday and/or any subsequent quarantine period. However, the Government guidance on furlough warns that employees should not be placed on furlough for a period “just because” they are on holiday for that period. We assume that this is intended to prevent employers from using the Extended CJRS where they do not otherwise need it, simply to subsidise the cost of employees’ holiday pay. See questions 14 to 17 of our FAQs on the Extended CJRS for further information.

For personal overseas travel that is arranged after you have communicated your approach to the quarantine period, you could also provide that if an employee has not agreed with you before they travel overseas that they can be absent for the quarantine period, you can treat the absence as unauthorised and take disciplinary action.

Note, though, that we do not recommend that you instruct employees not to make personal trips overseas. Instead, it is important that you communicate clearly to employees what your policy on quarantine periods is, and that it may change depending on any future Government guidance on how employers should treat them. In addition, we would suggest that you explain to employees the Government rules on contact forms, pre- and post-travel testing and quarantine periods for returning travellers (see question 2, above). You may want to reiterate processes for booking holiday, restating your right to refuse holiday requests and the requirement for employees to get their holiday request approved before booking any travel. Knowing what absence is permitted, the status of that absence and whether or how much they will be paid may influence employees’ behaviour when they consider where they wish to travel for their holidays, e.g. it could dissuade someone from booking a long weekend trip abroad, to a country that is not on the green list. We also suggest that you make clear to employees that any breach of the quarantine rules will be treated as gross misconduct. 

You could highlight to employees the availability of the ‘Test to Release for International Travel’ scheme (see above), which might enable them to end their self-isolation early. However, given the cost of such tests, we would not recommend that you require or pressure employees to take part in the scheme. It is also worth bearing in mind that employees might ask if you would fund such tests for them. If you are considering this, you will need to ensure that whatever approach you take is fair and consistent and avoids discrimination and we recommend that you seek advice on your particular circumstances.

If an employee has complied with quarantine requirements, then unless they have developed Covid-19 symptoms or are otherwise required to self-isolate under another aspect of the Government guidance, from a health and safety perspective it should be safe for you to allow them to re-enter the workplace at the end of the quarantine period despite their travel.

It is worth noting that, as the list of countries on the green, amber and red lists is to be kept under constant review, an employee may book a holiday to a country that is on the green list and therefore exempt from the 10 day self-isolation requirement at the time of booking, but which is moved to the amber (or even red) list shortly before the employee departs for their holiday or while the employee is away, meaning that the employee will then be required to quarantine on their return. In these circumstances, employers will need to take a flexible approach to managing the employee’s quarantine on their return. 

Employers could, for example, decide that in these circumstances employees will usually either be allowed to take additional holiday, or be granted unpaid leave to cover the quarantine period. However, if the country is moved to the amber or red list sufficiently far in advance of an employee’s departure and their extended absence due to quarantine would cause operational difficulties, the employer might wish to discuss with the employee the possibility of cancelling the holiday. Employers should be careful how they handle any such requests for employees to cancel booked holidays – see further question 5, below. It is important for employers to communicate clearly the approach that they will take in such situations so that employees understand the possible implications if the green list is amended at short notice. (Note that countries that the Government considers likely to be moved from one list to another due to changing conditions will normally be flagged in a ‘watchlist’ in the online guidance. However, if there is a sudden change in conditions, a country may be moved between lists without warning.)  

Finally, it is worth noting that the Government guidance on self-isolation during quarantine and employment rights identifies dismissal as a “last resort” for dealing with employees who have to quarantine on return from overseas travel. The guidance flags the need for employers to have a fair reason for dismissal and follow a fair process in order to avoid the risk of an unfair dismissal claim. Notwithstanding the fact that the Government guidance refers to dismissal as a possibility, we would strongly caution employers against dismissing employees simply because they have to quarantine on return from overseas travel as this is likely to be unfair in most cases. If you are considering taking disciplinary action or dismissing an employee in relation to post-travel quarantine, we suggest that you take advice on your particular circumstances. 

4. What are the employment implications of the requirement for passengers returning to/travelling to England to present evidence of a negative Covid-19 test result before they travel? (Last updated 17/05/2021)

Passengers arriving in England from abroad must present proof of a negative Covid-19 test result. (Similar pre-travel testing requirements apply for passengers arriving in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.) 

The Government guidance on pre-travel testing specifies that this requirement applies to all passengers arriving in England, even if they are UK citizens and/or they are travelling from a country on the green list (see question 2, above). 

The test must be taken in the three days before travel – e.g. if an individual travels on a Friday, the earliest they can take their test is Tuesday. 

There are a limited number of exemptions, e.g. for children under 11; people travelling here for urgent medical treatment where it is not reasonably practicable for them to obtain a test in the three days before they travel; and people in certain specified jobs such as hauliers, transport crew, etc. 

Passengers who are not exempt may be denied boarding for their booked transport if they fail to present the required proof.  

If a passenger receives a positive test result, they will not be permitted to travel and will be required to follow local rules and guidance for positive Coronavirus cases in the country they are in. 

Employers will therefore need to consider how to manage an employee who is unable to return from annual leave on time because they tested positive for Covid-19 when they took their pre-travel test:

• It is likely that local rules will require the employee to self-isolate for at least some time following the positive test result. 
• If the employee is well enough and is able effectively to carry out their work remotely from abroad, the simplest course of action would be to allow them to work remotely and pay them as normal while they are self-isolating.
• If the employee is sufficiently unwell that they would not be capable of work in any event, they should be treated as on sick leave and would be entitled to SSP (and company sick pay, if applicable). 
• If the employee is asymptomatic or has only mild symptoms, but due to the self-isolation requirement is unable to work, they would be deemed incapable of work and entitled to SSP under the applicable UK regulations. These regulations provide for SSP entitlement during self-isolation following a positive Covid-19 test result to continue for 11 days starting on the earlier of the date the employee started showing symptoms or the date the test was taken. If Coronavirus symptoms continue beyond those 11 days, SSP entitlement is extended accordingly. (The employee may potentially also be entitled to company sick pay, if applicable.)

Since a pre-travel test can be taken up to 72 hours before travel, it is worth noting that employees may receive a positive test result and have to begin self-isolating several days before they are actually due to return to work. In these circumstances, employees may seek to reclassify affected days of their annual leave as sickness absence – see further question 8, below, for discussion of employees’ entitlement to reclassify holiday in this way. 

5. Can we prevent employees from taking holiday, e.g. because we need all hands on deck during a business recovery period, or because we don’t want them travelling for safety reasons? (Last updated 17/05/2021) 

If an employer wishes to prevent employees from taking holiday on particular dates, for example because it needs all employees at work during a business recovery period, it can do so by giving notice in accordance with the Working Time Regulations (WTR), which require the employer to give as many days’ notice as the period of holiday to which the notice relates.

Generally, an employer should exercise caution if it wishes to cancel a period of annual leave which it had previously agreed an employee could take. Cancelling holiday at short notice will be unpopular and may damage employee relations. In addition, if an employee had made plans, e.g. to travel, they may seek compensation from the employer in respect of any cancellation charges that they incur. It is also worth noting that if you act unreasonably in cancelling an employee’s holiday plans, there is a risk that this could amount to a breach of the implied duty of mutual trust and confidence. This may be a particular issue where an employee had booked a holiday to a country that was on the Government’s green list and therefore exempt from the quarantine self-isolation requirement at the time of booking but has since been moved to the amber or red list and become subject to a quarantine self-isolation requirement, and their employer wishes to cancel that agreed annual leave because it cannot accommodate the employee being absent from work for an additional ten days of quarantine – see questions 2 and 3, above.

If you don’t want employees to travel for safety reasons, you should bear in mind that, as noted at question 3, above, if an employee has complied with quarantine requirements, then unless they have developed Covid-19 symptoms or are otherwise required to self-isolate under another aspect of the Government guidance, from a health and safety perspective it should be safe for you to allow them to re-enter the workplace at the end of the quarantine period despite their overseas travel. Accordingly, it may not be reasonable for you to seek to restrict employees’ travel plans for this reason.

Employers that prevent employees from taking holiday on particular dates should also be aware of their obligation to enable all employees to take their annual leave. Usually, this must be during the relevant holiday year. However, on 27 March 2020, the Government introduced regulations allowing workers to carry forward up to four weeks’ annual leave into the next two leave years, if they have been unable to take it due to Covid-19 (four weeks being the minimum annual leave under the EU Working Time Directive). 

The Government press release explaining the changes to the rules on carry forward of annual leave stated that they are intended to give employers the flexibility to allow workers to carry over leave at a time when granting annual leave could leave them short-staffed and enable workers to continue working in the national effort against Covid-19 without losing out on their holiday entitlement.

Employers that require employees not to take holiday at a particular time should therefore consider whether this will mean employees have holiday to carry forward under these regulations. Government guidance on holiday entitlement and pay during coronavirus notes that employers should do everything reasonably practicable to ensure that employees can take as much of their leave as possible in the holiday year to which it relates. They should consider various factors when determining whether an employee must be permitted to carry holiday forward under the regulations, such as:

• whether the business has faced a significant increase in demand due to coronavirus that would reasonably require the worker to continue to be at work and cannot be met through alternative practical measures;
• the extent to which the business’ workforce is disrupted by the coronavirus and the practical options available to the business to provide temporary cover of essential activities;
• the health of the worker and how soon they need to take a period of rest and relaxation;
• the length of time remaining in the worker’s leave year, to enable the worker to take holiday at a later date within the leave year;
• the extent to which the worker taking leave would impact on wider society’s response to, and recovery from, the coronavirus situation; and
• the ability of the remainder of the available workforce to provide cover for the worker going on leave.

Where holiday is carried forward, the guidance emphasises that it is best practice to give employees the opportunity to take it at the earliest practicable opportunity. Members can access further guidance on how to handle holiday that has been carried forward in the HR & Legal Resources section of our website.

6. If we need to implement a longer than usual annual shutdown because of reduced demand or supply chain disruption due to the pandemic, can we require employees to take additional holiday to cover this? (Last updated 15/06/2021)

It is standard practice for employees to be required to take holiday during a planned annual shutdown. An employer that is implementing a longer shutdown than usual will need to consider whether it will also require employees to take holiday during the extension to the shutdown. 

If it does so, the employer will of course have to ensure that it pays employees in full for the extended shutdown period in order to comply with the law on holiday pay. 

However, requiring employees to use their holiday entitlement during an extended shutdown is likely to give rise to practical and employee relations issues. For example, some employees may not have enough holiday left to cover an extension to a planned annual shutdown that occurs towards the end of the company’s holiday year. Alternatively, if an annual shutdown takes place early on in the company’s holiday year, employees may be unhappy about being required to use additional holiday to cover an extension to that shutdown, as they may prefer to save their holiday for later in the year.

Employers might wish to furlough their employees during an extended shutdown period, either instead of or in addition to requiring them to take holiday. The guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ('Extended CJRS') specifies that employees should not be placed on furlough “just because” they are going to be on holiday for a period. As discussed at question 17 of our FAQs on the 'Extended CJRS', we think that this is intended to prevent employers from using the Extended CJRS where they do not otherwise need it, simply to subsidise the cost of employees’ holiday pay. However, where an extended shutdown is required as a result of the pandemic, this is unlikely to be the case.  

7. What if employees want to cancel their booked annual leave? (Last updated 17/05/2021)

Although the rules applicable in England now permit domestic and international travel, many countries may still be keeping their borders closed, or have local restrictions in place that visitors are required to follow and the 10 day self-isolation quarantine requirement on return to England applies in respect of travel to countries on the amber or the red list, with the result that some employees may still have their holidays cancelled, or wish to cancel them.

This may result in employees asking to cancel pre-booked periods of annual leave. Employers should be flexible in this regard, but should monitor the situation carefully. There are no statutory rules governing whether an employee can cancel the annual leave that they have booked off work and most holiday policies do not cover this. Therefore, so long as employers take a reasonable and consistent approach, they do not necessarily have to agree to an employee cancelling annual leave that they have booked if it would be helpful to the employer operationally for the employee to take the leave as planned, even if their trip has been cancelled or they no longer wish to travel.

If lots of employees cancel their annual leave because of Covid-19, employers may face high levels of demand for annual leave later in the holiday year, which they may not be able to accommodate. In those circumstances, employers may find that they need to refuse some holiday requests in order to meet staffing needs, which could be problematic, and of course employers need to be mindful of their obligation to enable all employees to take their annual leave. (Note this should be during the relevant holiday year, but (as discussed at question 5, above), regulations introduced on 27 March 2020 allow workers to carry forward up to four weeks’ annual leave into the next two leave years, if they have been unable to take it due to Covid-19.)

During the pandemic, some employers have been encouraging employees to take a pro-rata amount of annual leave by certain points in the holiday year rather than storing it up. Even though holiday travel to certain countries may not have been possible and this may have impacted the plans of some employees, there would still have been a benefit to them in having a period of relaxation away from work, especially as certain lockdown restrictions had eased over last summer and employees were able to enjoy leisure activities. Similarly, the current easing of lockdown means that employees may be able to enjoy a period of holiday even if they do not yet feel able to travel internationally due to restrictions in their preferred destination, or post-travel quarantine requirements. In this regard, it is worth noting that the Government guidance on holiday entitlement and pay during coronavirus makes clear that employers can still require employees to take holiday on specified dates, notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic, by giving notice in accordance with the WTR. The required notice is double the number of days’ holiday you want the employee to take. (Note, this guidance also applies where employees are on furlough, although certain additional issues may need to be considered – see question 16 of the FAQs on the Extended CJRS for details.) 

Employers should also take note that the ACAS guidance on coronavirus and using holiday encourages employers and employees, as a matter of best practice, to be as flexible as they can about holiday during the coronavirus pandemic. In particular, the guidance recommends: talking about plans to use or cancel holiday as soon as possible; discussing the reasons why holiday might need to be taken or cancelled; listening to each other’s concerns and welcoming ideas for alternatives; considering everyone’s physical and mental wellbeing; and being aware that it’s a difficult time for both employers and staff. 

8. If an employee has to self-isolate during or shortly before a period of booked annual leave, can they reclassify the annual leave as sick leave? (Last updated 15/06/2021)

Employees are legally entitled to reclassify holiday/the balance of a holiday during which they become ill as sick leave, and are also entitled to do so where they become ill before a period of booked holiday so that their sick leave would coincide with their holiday. (This is based on case law which establishes that the purpose of annual leave (rest and relaxation) is different from and incompatible with the purpose of sick leave (recovery from illness).) This entitlement applies only to holiday that is part of the 4 weeks minimum annual leave under the Working Time Directive. However, it can be difficult to distinguish the Working Time Directive part of an employee’s holiday, and there can be other administrative difficulties, so employers often apply these and other principles relating to the interaction of holiday and sickness to all of an employee’s holiday entitlement.

Make UK members can access further information on employees’ entitlement to reclassify holiday as sickness absence here. These HRL Resources also consider what a company’s holiday and absence management policies may say about requests to reclassify holiday in this way, e.g. what evidence the company may require and whether any other conditions may be imposed.

In current circumstances, employers may face large numbers of employees having to self-isolate – whether because they have tested positive/developed symptoms, or because they are in the same household / support bubble as someone who has, or because they have otherwise been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive. If such periods of self-isolation coincide with employees’ booked annual leave, many employees may ask to reclassify that leave as sick leave, particularly if the employer pays company sick pay.  You would then have to consider, as set out above, the legal position and what your company policies say to ensure that you respond appropriately. 

In the context of the pandemic, it is worth noting that there is a potential distinction to be drawn between employees who are actually ill with Covid-19 and those who are asymptomatic or who do not have Covid-19 themselves but are self-isolating as a household member or close contact of someone who does. 

Where the employee is actually unwell with Covid-19, they should have the same right to reclassify holiday as sickness as other ill employees would have. (And note that under the law relating to sickness and holiday there is no need for an employee to demonstrate that they are physically unable to take the holiday for the right to reclassify it as sick leave to apply; the key issue would seem to be whether they would have been fit to attend work in light of their sickness.) 

Under the applicable regulations, an employee who is subject to a self-isolation requirement where they are not actually unwell will, assuming they will be unable to work remotely from the place where they are self-isolating, be deemed to be entitled to SSP. However, it is less clear whether they would fall within the scope of the case law on reclassifying holiday as sickness absence. The purpose of a period of self-isolation where the employee is not actually unwell is to prevent the spread of Covid-19, rather than to allow the employee to recover from illness. However, the employee would argue that a requirement not to leave the place where they are self-isolating is equally incompatible with the rest and relaxation purpose of annual leave. This is a question that may need to be determined by employment tribunals going forwards. For now, however, if you are faced with such an issue, you may want to take advice on your particular circumstances. 

9. Can we continue with disciplinary and grievance processes during the Covid-19 crisis? (Last updated 07/12/2020)

Employers may be unsure whether they can progress a disciplinary or grievance process, e.g. by conducting investigations while home-working, and holding hearings remotely via Skype or Zoom, where key employees are working from home or are furloughed. Here, we consider the potential issues such action could raise. 

HR and line managers who are working from home should, we think, be able to conduct investigations into grievances or alleged misconduct remotely, provided they have access to relevant technology and materials. For example, if an investigating manager needed to review social media posts or emails they could presumably do this from home. On the other hand, inspecting the site of an alleged act of misconduct could not be done remotely. Employers will therefore need to consider whether a reasonably thorough investigation has been completed in each individual case and decide on that basis whether it would be appropriate to hold the disciplinary/grievance hearing, or suspend the process until further investigation is possible. 

Note that the ACAS guidance on disciplinary and grievance processes during coronavirus specifies that disciplinary and grievance procedures must always be fair and reasonable and, during the pandemic, must be carried out in a way that follows public health guidelines around social distancing and the closure or partial closure of certain workplaces. However, the guidance also emphasises that procedures should be taken forward without unreasonable delay. It flags the importance of considering the individual circumstances of each case, highlighting that matters such as gross misconduct allegations or grievances about unlawful harassment may need to be dealt with more urgently than minor disciplinary issues which it might be reasonable to postpone to a later date. The guidance suggests that employers discuss with everyone involved (including the employee, their companion, the manager chairing the hearing, any witnesses, etc.) whether to suspend or proceed with the process and recommends that any decision to suspend a process is kept under regular review. 

Where the employer decides that an investigation can be progressed or that a hearing can be held, there may be particular concerns around doing so remotely where an employee is accused of gross misconduct and the likely outcome of the disciplinary hearing would be dismissal. If the workplace is open, it may be possible to hold a hearing face-to-face. However, as flagged in the ACAS guidance, the employer would have to follow the applicable guidelines on working safely and carry out an appropriate risk assessment. It would also be important to ensure that the employee’s chosen companion is able to attend the meeting in person if the employee wishes. If a face-to-face meeting is not possible, the ACAS guidance acknowledges the possibility of holding a hearing remotely provided this can be done fairly.

With regard to grievance proceedings, we doubt that holding a hearing remotely would, of itself, amount to a fundamental breach of the implied term of trust and confidence giving an aggrieved employee grounds to resign and claim constructive (unfair) dismissal. That said, assuming it has been possible to complete a proper grievance investigation and all that is left to do is hold the hearing, the most practical approach may be to discuss the situation with the aggrieved employee and ask whether they would prefer to have their grievance dealt with via a remote hearing, or face-to-face provided that appropriate safety measures can be put in place. 

The situation will be more complex if some/all of the employees that need to be involved in the process are on furlough leave (see question 19 of the FAQs on the Extended CJRS for details). 

Note also that an employee’s right of appeal continues to apply as normal. Employers must follow a fair appeals procedure taking into account the same considerations as for carrying out a disciplinary or grievance procedure during the pandemic.

10. We’re due to on-board some new employees next week. What should we do about carrying out right-to-work checks given that we may not be able to meet the employees in person? (Last updated 21/06/2021)

The usual right-to-work check process requires an employer to physically inspect an employee’s original right-to-work documents before the employee starts work. So under the normal rules it would be necessary for you to take a copy of the employee’s original right-to-work documents (e.g. passport), and sign and date the copy for your records. 

However, during the Covid-19 outbreak the enhanced stay at home guidance made it exceedingly difficult for employers to carry out a normal valid right-to-work check. Helpfully, on 30 March 2020 the Home Office released temporary right-to-work check guidance, to take into account Covid-19. This temporary guidance allows right-to-work checks to be completed over video call without the employer having the original documents. 

Employers whose workplaces are open may be able to conduct in-person right-to-work checks for new starters. However, although lockdown restrictions are being eased in accordance with the Government’s roadmap, the instruction that everyone should work from home where possible remains in place – it may be lifted at the next stage of the roadmap, if the Government’s review of social distancing and other measures concludes that this is appropriate, although that stage, which was originally expected to be implemented on 21 June, has now been postponed until 19 July due to concerns about the Delta variant of Covid-19. Accordingly, some new starters may commence their role remotely at this time even if their workplace is open. The Home Office has therefore updated its guidance to confirm that the temporary measures will remain in place until 31 August so employers can continue to rely on it until that date if they are taking on someone new who will begin as a remote worker.

If you are carrying out a right-to-work check for a new starter whom you cannot meet in person, it is important to read the Home Office's temporary guidance carefully to make sure that you follow the process precisely. 

The temporary guidance initially stated that there would be a requirement for employers to carry out a retrospective check of the original documents within eight weeks of the end of the temporary measures. However, in view of the length of time that the adjusted temporary process has been in place, the Home Office has now decided not to require such retrospective checks to be carried out. Employers will maintain a defence against a civil penalty if they have conducted checks during this period in accordance with the temporary guidance.  

As noted above, the guidance currently states that the last day on which these temporary measures will apply is 31 August 2021. Accordingly, from 1 September 2021, you will have to follow the usual right-to-work check process. The guidance flags that due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, some individuals may struggle to show evidence of their right to work in the UK. As a result, employers are being urged to take extra care to ensure that they do not discriminate against a job applicant / employee because they are unable to show their documents. The Home Office code of practice on avoiding discrimination in the context of right to work checks provides further guidance on this issue.

11. Will Covid-19 impact on a migrant employee’s application for indefinite leave to remain (ILR)? (Last updated 07/12/2020)

In addition, a migrant applying for ILR must provide evidence that they have not been absent from the UK for more than 180 days in a 12 month period. If a migrant has gone to their country of origin due to the Covid-19 crisis, they and their employer should provide evidence of any disruption and absence within the ILR application. The Home Office will take into account 'compelling reasons' as to why there has been an extended absence. With sufficient evidence (e.g. travel tickets showing the dates of travel) the migrant should be able to prove that their extended absence was due to Covid-19 related disruption.

12. What legal obligations should employers keep in mind when making decisions relating to Covid-19?

• To protect the health, safety and welfare at work of the workforce and others who might be affected such as customers, suppliers and visitors (under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 as amended and related legislation). There is also a common law obligation to take reasonable care of the health and safety of their workforce. For further details, see our FAQs on ‘Health and safety measures’.

• Not to discriminate against staff with protected characteristics, and to make reasonable adjustments for those with disabilities (under the Equality Act 2010). 

Employers should also be aware of their obligations under data protection law. Some of the issues that might arise when processing personal data relating to Covid-19 are discussed in the FAQs on ‘Data protection during the pandemic’.