PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Employment: Coronavirus (7 December 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that employers are maintaining a duty of care when deciding which of their employees to put on furlough during the covid-19 outbreak.

Asked by:
Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat)

In relation to mental health and preventing work-related stress, we would encourage employers to talk to their employees to identify issues that may impact on their wellbeing and to jointly agree steps to mitigate them.

Employers have a duty of care when considering how decisions can impact on their employees’ health and wellbeing. Although placing employees on the CJRS remains a business decision, the Government has enabled employers to furlough staff in certain situations, such as the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable.

Answered by:
Paul Scully (Conservative)
10 December 2020