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Family values

As we continue to adapt to a changed way of living and working, some employers have HR questions in relation to managing working parents, writes The HR Company’s Linda Ward

With the return of schools, we have received several HR queries in relation to managing working parents whose children become unwell, and cannot attend school or creche, or whose children attend a school with a confirmed outbreak of Covid-19. Depending on the circumstances, as an employer you must consider alternative arrangements that you can implement when employees are not able to work from home, and cannot attend work due to childcare responsibilities. There are several nonstatutory arrangements that you may wish to consider and discuss with employees, including:

1. Allowing employees to bring forward their annual leave entitlements that have not yet been accrued

2. Swapping shifts with colleagues

3. Altering shift patterns within the workplace

4. Giving employees temporary reassignment of duties, which they can conduct from home

5. Taking a period of unpaid leave

Not all the options above will be equally applicable to all employees, and it is therefore advisable for employers to view each circumstance on a case-by-case basis.

We've been asked if employers are obligated to accommodate parents with their school run or home schooling during Covid-19. Employers are not obligated to accommodate parents, but it is strongly recommended that they co-operate with parents during these uncertain times. As an employer, you must understand that an employee's priority during this time is the health, safety, and well-being of their children. But these accommodations should be reasonable and proportionate, and should not be at the expense of the employer.

We've also been asked how to respond to an employee’s request to care for a child if there is a potential Covid-19 outbreak in their school. In this case, an employee should restrict their movements until it is confirmed that they are not at risk of contracting or transmitting Covid-19. Alternative work arrangements should be agreed with the employee, and these arrangements should stay in place until such time that their child can return to school. These arrangements include:

1. Remote working where possible

2. Flexible working (compressed hours, job sharing, part-time hours)

3. Availing of annual leave entitlements

4. Work back the time at a future date

5. Swapping shifts

6. Family/parental leave

If you, as an employer, authorise your employees to work remotely, you should establish or amend your remote working policy, which sets out guidelines and requirements for those who have requested to work from home. This policy needs to be conveyed to employees with as much notice as possible, so that employees have time to adjust when necessary.

There are situations that occur where normal working is no longer possible, such as a reduction in business trade. Therefore, as an employer, you are faced with the issue of reducing working hours. If an employee's contract contains a lay-off or short-time clause, then you can avail of this option.

By accommodating working parents, employers can send out a positive message that they are flexible and understanding of their employees’ needs. This can be a powerful tool in boosting employee morale and creating strong employer/employee relationships.

It is important for employers to have clear and regular communication with their employees regarding their childcare/ child's school, and try to understand what obstacles, if any, they would face if schools reverted to home schooling, or if there was a potential Covid-19 case. Employers should encourage employees to discuss these types of scheduling issues, and work with employees to set expectations around availability. 

For more information contact business development manager Linda Ward on tel: 01 291 1877 or email: linda.ward@thehrcompany.ie.

This article appears in the November 2020 Issue of Professional Beauty & HJ Ireland

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This article appears in the November 2020 Issue of Professional Beauty & HJ Ireland