Back stronger after COVID-19

We believe in the small business community. And we will weather this storm. Here's the current advice and government relief available for UK SMEs during COVID-19:

• Budget 2021: new support measures announced for UK SMEs  We look at the £65bn package announced to help businesses and stimulate the economy.
• Flexible working, equality and shared parental responsibilities Businesses need to do more to close the gender-gap as more parents work from home.
• Furlough-fraud and HMRC inspections HMRC have begun investigating suspected cases of fraudulent claims for furlough payments. Here is what we know so far.  
• Redundancies: how to identify & manage employee survivor syndrome Why supporting team members who remain in your employment after redundancies have been made is important.
• COVID-19: the importance of Occupational Health (OH) for SMEs & their people OH is key to ensuring the well-being of a company’s team members and helps employers reduce risks and protect themselves.
• Outplacement Support Services – what are they and why do you need them? Managing redundancies sensitively and responsibly is part of every employer’s duty of care.
• COVID-19: what lockdown has taught us about flexible working Flexible working and productivity go hand-in-hand. We look at the evidence.
• How can I manage redundancy positively? Redundancies are stressful for employees and employers but managed properly, there can be positive outcomes.
  
• Government unveils Winter Economy Plan. New measures to support businesses and employees. 
• How to manage staggered shift patterns. How to keep your people safe when returning to work.
• SSP and absence. Understand how to record and pay SSP as an employer.
• How to develop an effective phased back to work plan. Tips from HR expert Rebecca Woolmington and Jonathan Richards.
• 12 ways Breathe can help. How to make the most out of our software and return to work safely. 
• COVID-19 and holiday carry over. New government guidance for employers.

We're people people. And believe in putting them first. That means walking a mile in their shoes, choosing curiosity over judgment and learning how to work smart together. 

• How to manage annual leave backlogs and bottlenecks. With lockdown restrictions being lifted, more people will be booking time off.
• HR must implement better mental health policies. HR Magazine articles explaining the importance of providing ongoing mental health support to employees.
• Why communication matters in redundancies. People Management article written by Jonathan Richards. 
• Webinar. Is homeworking causing a productivity crisis? Jonathan Richards and a panel of HR experts debate the subject.
• Webinar. The importance of feedback in the workplace. Steve Stark from Then Somehow and Jonathan Richards discuss ways to gather feedback effectively. 
• 8 things that make people happy at work.  We talked to the team at Breathe and this is what they told us. 
• How Breathe's company culture has helped us keep going this year. Our Head of People  - Suzie Hunter  - tells the story of how we have coped throughout this strange year. 
• The office is dead. Long live the office. Jonathan explains why he believes the office remains essential in terms of suppoting company culture. 
• How to communicate company culture Making sure your team members understand your company culture is essential. We share our tips for effective communications.
• Employee satisfaction survey: 10 questions you need to ask Employee satisfaction surveys are a great way to discover whether your company culture is thriving or merely surviving.
• Hold onto your culture. Sage advice for managing and nurturing culture online.
• IT'S HERE | Culture Economy Report 2020. How to adapt culture in UK SMEs. 
• Online health and wellbeing. Why it's still people first and how you can help.
• Paternity leave in lockdown. We find out from Ewan about newborn life and paternity rules. 
• Organisational culture. Join over 500 SMEs and pledge to put your people first.

And they were all told to work from home. From flexible working tips with kids to online agility, we hope this information helps. 

• How to implement a work from home policy permanently. Tips for creating an effective policy for long-term homeworkers.
• What are the legal requirements of working from home? Employment law applies as much to homeworkers as it does to people in the office.
• Setting up your workspace. We speak to Posture People for top tips and advice.
• How to protect you're employees' wellbeing when they're working from home. We look at the structures that can be implemented to safeguard people.
• Online meetings. We share 8 top tips for how to hold virtual meetings.
• How to WFH with kids. We chat boundaries, tantrums and teaching tips.
• Stay calm and WFH. Perry Timms joins Jonathan Richards for an agile 'chatinar'. 
• IT Pro article by Jonathan. COVID-19, cybersecurity and data management.

Hats off to technology for keeping us working and connected online. Here's how Breathe can help with day-to-day management:

• Video | how Breathe can help you cut through HR admin. 
• Safeguard your team. Store documents and files safely in the cloud. 
• Healthy people updates. Quickly track and record sickness and absence.
• Encourage holidays. Understand and manage holiday requests online.
• People first. Manage morale and culture with kudos, reviews and online 1:1s. 
• Online location management. Keep track of who's in the office and when.