A Belfast employment lawyer has warned Northern Ireland businesses to follow local guidelines, not those of Great Britain, when considering a return to office.
July 19 marked the date on which employees in England were no longer told they have to work from home, with legal requirements on mask-wearing and social distancing also changing.
However, Belfast based commercial and employment lawyer Seamus McGranaghan from O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors has said firms here will need to abide by local Covid legislation or risk facing legal action from employees.
Seamus said: “Northern Ireland’s guidelines will be different than those in England from July 19, and appropriate steps should be taken in advance of the return to offices, be it a phased return or a hybrid model. While the implications will not be relevant to all sectors, risk assessments will inform company policies around social distancing and mask wearing, with procedures in place in the event of a positive test.”
With a return to office also comes the issue of compulsory vaccinations with Covid jabs set to become mandatory for care home staff in England, and while Health Minister Robin Swann had said there are no such plans in Northern Ireland, there are cases of employers outside of health and social care imposing strict rules on staff.
“We have seen cases in England where only those employees who have been vaccinated can return to the office. Careful consideration is therefore needed around staff inoculations and the equality issues that may arise. These include sex discrimination for pregnant employees, disability discrimination for someone unable to take a vaccine due to medical reasons and religious or philosophical belief due to contents of vaccines,” added Seamus.
In June 2021, O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors and Legal Island conducted a survey of HR professionals revealing the percentage of firms who have consulted on a hybrid working model. Of those polled, 42% have begun consulting on a permanent hybrid model, while 48% have plans to consult but have not yet started. The remaining 12% said hybrid is not feasible for their sector, indicating the different implications for different sectors.
For more advice and information visit 14% Keep up to date with the latest news and views on the NI job market and more by following the nijobfinder blog.
Follow nijobfinder on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to see the latest jobs and to ensure your dream job won’t pass you by.