When Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (known to most as furlough leave) on 20th March 2020, it came as a significant relief to many anxious employers and employees who may otherwise have faced a redundancy situation at that time.
In many businesses, particularly those that remained open but facing a dramatic drop in revenue, quick decisions had to be taken about who would go on furlough leave, and who would continue working. Some business decisions about who should be furloughed were driven by employees with caring responsibilities or were based on health-related issues. Some employers were able to alternate staff, subject to the minimum three-week furlough leave periods (removed 1st July 2020), but in other cases, it was simply down to those employees with “business-essential skills and knowledge” that were required to continue working throughout.
According to recent reports, divisions within the workplace have begun to emerge as a result, with employees who have taken on extra work during lockdown resenting their counterparts who have been on furlough leave. Conversely, employees on furlough leave may have struggled with feeling anxious about whether or not they will have a job to return to and may have been missing the purpose and routine of work. Divisions may also have arisen between employees who need to attend the workplace to do their work, and those who have been able to work from home.
So how can employers manage their teams to prevent or heal any divisions?