As the death rate hopefully continues to fall and the curves make their way downwards, we await the details of the government’s exit plan.

With Rishi Sunak making it clear that the furlough scheme is likely to be wound down gradually (it currently runs until the end of June) as the cost is unsustainable (taxpayers are currently covering 80% of the wages of 6.3 million people) , employers are beginning to plan for some kind of return to work focusing on social distancing and basic hygiene measures such as provision of soap gel and increased cleaning.

It is likely that employers will be asked to stagger arrival times where employees use public transport with staggered break times to help social distancing.

The message to “work from home where possible” is likely to continue.  There has been some discussion as to where the ‘2 metre rule came from’ and whether this will be reduced to 1 m in order to help businesses restart with the 2 metre rule not being practicable in some workplaces.

Whilst there is some unrest and threats of strikes if employees do not feel protected, employers need to be aware that they are responsible for creating a safe work environment for their employees and so should do everything they can (within reason) to ensure that the work place is as safe as it can be.

As employers are being asked to stagger their hours of operation to avoid peak travel and the risk of community transmission, PJH Law has taken this on board. When lockdown is lifted PJH Law’s offices will be staffed by a small team with the rest of the team working from home.

Once lockdown is lifted in order to assist those who may be unable to make appointments during normal office hours PJH will be open for appointments between 8.30 am to 7.00 pm Monday to Friday and from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm on a Saturday.