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With a vaccination against coronavirus in sight, many employers will understandably be eager to have their employees vaccinated in hope of their workplace finally returning to some form of normality. This article explores some of the legal issues. Can employers provide the vaccination to their employees? The government’s medical experts have published an outline of how any vaccine will be rolled out. It is clear…
This article looks at the increasing popularity of agency workers in light of coronavirus and the main points that businesses in the UK should consider when seeking to engage them. Agency workers form a growing part of the UK workforce, with many businesses viewing them as a key part of their workforce strategy, particularly as a route to recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19…
Regulations underpinning the 3-tier lockdown system are now in force in England, as part of the government’s efforts to step up its response to the pandemic. This article considers if the new regulations demand a stricter approach to office work and meetings. The current work from home guidance On 22 September, the government changed its guidance on office workers in England and advised that they…
Employers in the Netherlands suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 crisis are entitled to assistance in managing their pension liabilities. This article provides details. At the very beginning of the COVID crisis in March, it was announced that pension providers would accommodate employers facing financial problems due to the COVID crisis as much as possible. The Dutch Labour Foundation, the Pension Federation and the…
A new Bill in California confirms and extends the presumption that illness or death related to COVID-19 is an occupational illness. This article examines the conditions for the presumption to apply and the circumstances in which employers will be able to dispute it. On 17 September 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill (Senate Bill 1159, the ‘Bill’) which modifies and extends…
On 28 August, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate announced that the NOW job retention scheme will be extended for three three-month periods starting from 1 October. The temporary emergency scheme for job retention (NOW) in the Netherlands provides compensation for the wage costs of employers who expect a significant loss of turnover due to the Covid-19 crisis. NOW 3.0 represents the second extension and…
Die COVID-19-Pandemie ist weiterhin allgegenwärtig. Während der Arbeitgeber aufgrund seines Weisungsrechts im Betrieb die Hygienebestimmungen vorgeben kann, entscheiden die Arbeitnehmer in ihrer Freizeit selbst, ob sie die empfohlenen Corona-Schutzmaßnahmen einhalten oder nicht. Hier stellt sich die Frage, welche Auswirkungen eine Nichtbeachtung von Corona-Schutzmaßnahmen während der Freizeit durch Corona-skeptische Arbeitnehmer auf das Arbeitsverhältnis haben kann. Fallbeispiele im Zusammenhang mit Anti-Corona-Demonstrationen Vor kurzem häuften sich Medienberichte, wonach…
The UK Government and the Pensions Regulator have been very active over the past few months, introducing financial assistance, regulatory flexibilities and guidance aimed at helping employers and pension schemes to deal with the impact of COVID-19. This article provides details, followed by a comparison with other jurisdictions. Delaying or reducing pension scheme contributions To try and help employers to ease cash flow problems caused…
Das Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS) hat am 10.8.2020 neue SARS-CoV-2-Arbeitsschutzregeln („Arbeitsschutzregel“) bekanntgegeben. Die Arbeitsschutzregel ergänzt den bereits im April veröffentlichten SARS – CoV2 Arbeitsschutzstandard („Arbeitsschutzstandard“, vgl. hierzu den Beitrag von Ferdinand Gross in unserem Blog vom 17.4.2020). Zweck der neuen Arbeitsschutzregel ist es, den Unternehmen einen „Stand der Technik“ an die Hand zu geben: Wenn die Unternehmen die in der Arbeitsschutzregel vorgeschlagenen technischen,…
The coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdown caused millions to work from home for the first time, an experience likely to cause a surge in requests for flexible working arrangements once most employees are asked to return to the workplace. This article considers the legal position and the practicalities for employers in dealing with flexible working requests. A huge number of employees have been experiencing the…