WORK IT OUT
Who do the new work from home lockdown rules apply to and is anyone exempt?
BRITS are being urged to work from home if they can again in a bid to slow down the spread of coronavirus.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined tougher lockdown restrictions in the Commons today as UK infections soar.
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He said: "We are asking office workers who can work from home to do so.
"But people should continue to attend their workplaces if necessary in a Covid secure way."
Michael Gove confirmed this morning (September 22) the government was ditching its "back to work" slogan after weeks of telling staff to return to offices.
He told Sky News: "If it is possible for people to work from home then we would encourage them to do so."
Today's fresh plan from Boris includes:
- A 10pm curfew for all pubs
- A significant cap on the number of guests allowed at weddings.
- Businesses and schools will be able to stay open as No10 attempts to stave off a second lockdown.
- A dramatic increase in enforcement measures to make sure people are obeying the Rule of Six.
- More fines to be slapped on those flouting the rules with on-the-spot closures for venues that fail to follow the rules.
The PM will address the nation in a pre-recorded speech this evening (September 22) at 8pm.
The news comes just three weeks after all civil servants were ordered to come back into the office to help restart the economy.
Two thirds of people came into their offices at least some of the time during the last week, ONS stats showed, after the government warned they risk losing their jobs if they didn't.
The government is yet to share details of exactly who this will affect but for now, here's everything we know so far about the new work from home rules.
Can my boss sack me if I don't got back to work?
IF you can't work from home and refuse to go back to your job without reasonable grounds for doing so, such as a health reason, your employer can sack you.
But if you've worked for your employer for two years or more you may, however, have grounds to take your company to an employment tribunal if you think you've been unfairly dismissed.
Equally, if you think you've been dismissed because of discriminatory reasons, such as your age, race, gender or because of a disability, then you may have grounds for a discrimination claim.
It is automatically unfair to be dismissed because you took action about a health and safety issue.
It's worth pointing out that being dismissed is different to being made redundant. You can be sacked or made redundant even while on furlough.
See or speak to your trade union representative for more information.
Who needs to work from home?
For the second time this year, the government is telling Brits that anyone who can work from home should.
This will mainly affect office workers who are able to log into the company network from home.
Telling Brits to work from home if they can was the first sign of the impending national lockdown back in March.
Many haven't returned to the office at all since then, due to childcare issues or because their place of work hasn't reopened.
This time around though, workers and businesses are more prepared for call to action, with many investing in home office equipment to make it easier.
Parents won't have to juggle looking after their children either while they work either, after Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed on September 21 that households will be able to mix for the purpose of formal and informal childcare.
What do employers need to do to keep workers safe?
Employers are required by law to ensure they do whatever possible to keep workers safe from Covid-19 and to minimise the risk of contracting the infection.
Charity Citizens Advice explains that this means reducing how much face-to-face contact you have with the public, as well as ensuring staff can safely social distance while at work.
Michael Newman, partner at law firm Leigh Day, adds that employers should also have conducted a risk assessment, as well as looked at whether to introduce one-way systems, and provide PPE where necessary.
But experts have warned parents who continue to work from home when they don't need to could actually leave physical and mental scars that last a lifetime.
We take a look at the best ways to deal with the challenges and how you should get through your day while working from home.
Are there any exemptions?
The work from home rules aren't as likely to be as strict as they were in March when almost everyone was ordered to stay at home.
For now, businesses and schools are allowed to stay open meaning if you have to leave your home to do your job then you can.
This includes retail workers, restaurant staff, hairdressers and warehouse employees.
After speaking to Sky News, Mr Gove later told the BBC that office staff could stay in the office if they thought it was a "safe, covid-secure" workplace, and "you should be there if your job requires it".
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Key workers, such as emergency services staff, supermarket employees, delivery drivers and journalists will also be expected to continue to go to work if necessary.
Last time, staff who couldn't work from home or whose employer had been forced to close could rely on the government's furlough scheme.
But it's due to end on October 31 and there are no signs that the support will be continued.
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