NJC Circ Coronavirus and Working at Home 17Mar20
Please see the attached guidance.
On 17 March, the NJC Joint Secretaries agreed and issued a joint circular on COVID-19, with a particular focus on provisions for working from home.
The joint circular covers:
• Guidance on ensuring staff well-being is safeguarded during periods of home working
• The potential for flexibility including staff being moved to other duties – but stressing that this must only be done in consultation with unions and without any detriment to staff. It should be done on a volunteer basis as far as possible. Risk assessments will be essential and training must be provided where needed
• Staff who are vulnerable due to health conditions
• Guidance relating to staff who cannot work from home
With regard to the point about staff who cannot work from home, I would draw your attention to this passage from the circular: “Ultimately, in many cases employers will have no option other than to accept that some employees can neither work at home nor be redeployed / seconded etc and will therefore be staying at home on full pay for the duration of this emergency.”