Allow responsible businesses to manage their own return to work and on their own timescales..
Allow businesses to manage their own return to work and on their own timescales.
Every business and director has a duty of care to their workforce. There are legal responsibilities. Criteria should be set to allow directors to consider whether a return is feasible for their business e.g.
- Amount of interaction their business has with the wider public.
The more they have, the harder it will be for them to mitigate the risks (and/or the more factors they will have to consider and deal with). The less interaction they have, the easier it will be.
- The nature of their premises and density of occupation / nature of work.
An office services business with open plan office and ability to maintain sensible social distancing within the office can be considered very low risk. A manufacturing business with a production line and a need to transfer product from hand to hand or a retail business is clearly higher risk. Ultimately many risks can be mitigated and the onus should be on allowing directors to find solutions for their business within a framework.
- The ability to allow workforce to continue to WFH if preferred.
Where businesses can allow a large element of choice for their staff on whether they wish to continue to WFH if preferred or required due to commuting, health or childcare issues, then those business are better placed to return to work than those that can't.
Other criteria should be set, but allow directors to assess and make their own decisions.
Every business and director has a duty of care to their workforce. There are legal responsibilities. Criteria should be set to allow directors to consider whether a return is feasible for their business e.g.
- Amount of interaction their business has with the wider public.
The more they have, the harder it will be for them to mitigate the risks (and/or the more factors they will have to consider and deal with). The less interaction they have, the easier it will be.
- The nature of their premises and density of occupation / nature of work.
An office services business with open plan office and ability to maintain sensible social distancing within the office can be considered very low risk. A manufacturing business with a production line and a need to transfer product from hand to hand or a retail business is clearly higher risk. Ultimately many risks can be mitigated and the onus should be on allowing directors to find solutions for their business within a framework.
- The ability to allow workforce to continue to WFH if preferred.
Where businesses can allow a large element of choice for their staff on whether they wish to continue to WFH if preferred or required due to commuting, health or childcare issues, then those business are better placed to return to work than those that can't.
Other criteria should be set, but allow directors to assess and make their own decisions.
Why the contribution is important
Business and employee taxes go a very long way to paying for the NHS, Government and Public Services. Businesses are being destroyed systematically by this lockdown. Jobs are being lost already and many many more are at risk. The focus now needs to become a dual one, with equal attention given to saving lives and saving livelihoods. Otherwise the cure will undoubtedly end up far worse than the disease.
Scotland needs to be leading from the front to get the economy functioning again and quickly. Our lower density of population should help to facilitate a quicker/ approach than the rest of the UK, not a slower one.
Scotland needs to be leading from the front to get the economy functioning again and quickly. Our lower density of population should help to facilitate a quicker/ approach than the rest of the UK, not a slower one.
by iwhelan on May 05, 2020 at 01:23PM
Posted by paratus809 May 05, 2020 at 17:32
I agree with everything else in your note, Business is critical to the tax take, critical to the SNHS, Welfare, basically everything Government spends.
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Posted by paratus809 May 05, 2020 at 17:33
I'm not so sure about this. As a Manufacturing business owner, I think we need clarity and a target date set to get as much of business going as possible. When we re-open (all set with new socially distancing and COVID measures) we ALL need customers and suppliers to be open and available. Every business is perched in the middle of a see saw and its precarious. If the return to a 'new normal' fails then even more good businesses will fail.
I agree with everything else in your note, Business is critical to the tax take, critical to the SNHS, Welfare, basically everything Government spends.
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