Over the last couple of weeks a wave of public disturbances and violent protests have spread across the country.  In some town and city centres, businesses have taken the decision to close rather than be exposed to potential damage and injury.

But what does that mean for employees?

If a business decides to close its doors and send staff home – or tells them to stay away – they must continue to pay them.  So what can business owners do to minimise the impact on staff and their business?

  • Consider whether your staff can work from home. If so, it may be a good idea to ask them to work from home or alter their normal working hours if there is a threat that violence may impact your business.
  • If you cannot run your business remotely, conduct a risk assessment to identify the possible dangers. Consider what steps you might take to minimise risks, such as securing the premises or nominating safe areas, such as a back room or upstairs.
  • Inform employees what they should do if there are signs of a disturbance so that they are ready to act quickly should the need arise.
  • Be flexible if staff members are unable to get to work because of protests or police action. You are not obliged to pay someone if they can’t work but you may choose to, or you could allow them to make up the time.

 

So what if an employee is implicated in a protest that turns violent?

  • You should first consider whether their actions impact on their employment – for example, bringing the company into disrepute or being unable to work due to arrest.
  • If so, you should carry out a thorough investigation to establish the facts.  Bear in mind that action by the police does not automatically trigger disciplinary action (unless specified in your disciplinary policy).  On the other hand, you do not have to wait for the outcome of any police investigation to conduct your own internal investigation and disciplinary process.
  • If your investigation points to disciplinary action, you should follow your formal disciplinary process before making a decision to issue a warning or to dismiss for gross misconduct.

 

As always, we are on hand to help and advice with this and other HR matters.  Call us on 01484 841776 to speak to a member of our team or email [email protected]