It was announced on 31 October 2020 that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, better known as furlough leave, would be extended into December 2020 and that the Job Retention Scheme would be postponed pending the further lockdown starting in November 2020.

The Scheme was first announced by the government on 20 March 2020 and it is important to note that HMRC has the power to ask you to provide such information as it requires to prove that you have claimed the furlough leave grant for the right reasons.

Alongside considering whether furlough leave is the right way forward for your business, it is important to be certain that you are furloughing employees for the right reasons and achieved this in the right way.

We have acted for employers who sought to place their employees or PAYE workers on furlough leave to take advantage of the grant that was offered by the government and, in doing so, we have explored the reasons why they felt that they should access the grant, as well as the process for agreeing this with their employees. It is important that you have the paperwork available to prove not only your thought processes in placing an employee on furlough leave, but also that you have achieved this in a legal manner with the employee’s agreement.

If you are an employer who has suffered the effects of the isolation measures taken by the government to save lives from Covid-19, we are here to assist you during these troubling times.

Advice

We can offer employment law advice to mitigate the chances of employment law claims being raised following your decision to place staff on furlough leave. Make no mistake: you will have left yourself exposed to claims if you have sought to impose a furlough arrangement on an employee or worker without their consent.

We can draft your letters to your staff varying their contracts of employment to incorporate furlough leave. However, if you have already drafted these letters, we can review the arrangements that you have put in place and advise both on their viability to your business and on the next steps that you may wish to consider to limit the risk to you and your business.

Bespoke letters can be drafted

We act for employers seeking to place their employees or PAYE workers on furlough leave to take advantage of the furlough leave scheme.

If you are an employer looking to protect your business and need stringent legal advice and assistance at a fair price please contact us today by emailing enquiries@tplegal-ltd.com

Our fees are fixed and competitive.