Some bosses ‘offer extra pay’ to workers disgruntled at going in throughout Covid crisis
BOSSES have been giving extra pay and holiday days to disgruntled staff who’ve had to go in during the coronavirus crisis.
According to HR professionals, the extra perks have been dished out after some employees said they were annoyed about their colleagues working from home.
Some staff have even resorted to launching official complaints through so-called grievance procedures, says professional body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
As well as offering extra pay and holiday, some bosses are also allowing workers to carry over holiday leave into next year.
The CIPD says it's seen examples of these perks being given to "frontline" workers, including people working on manufacturing sites, in care homes and in retail.
Supermarkets such as Aldi, Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose, for example, have all paid out bonuses to staff working throughout the crisis.
The new findings from the CIPD comes after Boris Johnson urged Brits to get back to work from August 1.
Do you have to return to work? Your rights explained
IF you’re worried about going back to work, you should speak to your boss straight away to discuss your options.
Employers should ultimately support your decision to work from home if you can continue to do so - but they don't have to do this.
This is because businesses have the right to tell you where they'd like you to work.
You may also be asked to explain why you don't want to go back to the office.
If you ultimately decide not to go in and your boss fires you, you may have grounds to bring an unfair dismissal claim to an employment tribunal, according to Michael Newman, partner at law firm Leigh Day.
Is anyone exempt from returning to work?
You won't be expected to go back to the office if you're showing symptoms of coronavirus.
This is because you'll need to self-isolate for at least ten days, meaning you can't go to work or even leave your home.
See the for more on what to do in this situation.
There are also some scenarios where your boss will be required to take extra precautionary measures to keep you safe at work.
For example, if you're pregnant, Citizens Advice says your employer has a responsibility to make changes to your job so it’s safe for you to keep working.
It's also worth raising your concerns to your boss if you have a health condition or you're over 70.
Instead of all employees being encouraged to work from home, the Prime Minister says it's now down to bosses to decide if they want staff back in the office.
And some bosses have been asking furloughed workers to return early to help maintain good working relationships, the HR body says.
But the CIPD adds that some staff are refusing to go back because they're too anxious, with some not wanting to come off furlough at all.
Mr Johnson has previously said working from home should still be an option.
Companies also need to ensure their workplaces are Covid-secure before staff can return.
Katie Jacobs, a senior stakeholder lead at the CIPD, told : "At the beginning, the attitude was 'we are all in this together' but as time goes on that has dissipated.
"Some employers have paid bonuses or been given extra perks such as a few days' holiday to differentiate those still going into work."
Ms Jacobs estimates that only 20 per cent to 30 per cent of office workers will be expected to return to work before the autumn or year end.
The CIPD previously told that bosses shouldn't rush to bring staff back and urged employers to be "flexible" with workers.
At the moment, the HR body says it hasn't seen examples of bosses using extra pay or holiday days to entice staff to come back to the office.
Throughout the coronavirus crisis, some 9.5million people have been furloughed by their boss.
But the scheme, which launched in April 2020, is winding down this month before it ends completely in October.
From this month, employers will have to contribute national insurance and pension contributions rather than the government picking up this bill.
Then in September, they'll have to pay 10 per cent of salaries as well, before this increases to 20 per cent of salaries from October.
Experts from economic thinktank National Institute of Economic and Social Research have warned the end of the scheme could result in 1.2million Brits being made redundant by Christmas.
Unemployment has already shot up by 649,000 workers since lockdown with the Covid-19 crisis claiming an 74,000 extra jobs last month, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
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Meanwhile, Martin Lewis has helped to launch a campaign aimed at raising awareness for the millions of people excluded from coronavirus financial support.
And unemployment in the UK could TREBLE this year to 3million, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has predicted.