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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…
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…
In a last-minute update on 29 July 2020, the UK Home Office pivoted towards a return to business as usual on immigration policy. Some significant concessions remain available until at least 31 August 2020, however there are a number of potential pitfalls for employers and individuals to be aware of. The Home Office’s Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for UK visa applicants and temporary UK residents contains…
Luxembourg has introduced free Covid-19 testing for businesses who need to send employees abroad for urgent business reasons. This article provides details. In a press release dated 23 July 2020, the General Directorate responsible for small and medium-sized businesses (the ‘Direction générale des classes moyennes’) recommended that Luxembourg companies whose employees need to travel abroad for urgent professional reasons should provide their travelling employees with…
As the furlough scheme starts to wind down and redundancies become more commonplace, employers in the UK may face a host of pay-related queries, grievances or claims from employees arising from the workplace upheaval caused by coronavirus. This article discusses some of the main issues concerning pay that employees could raise. Pay reductions Many employers reduced pay and hours in direct response to the decline…
