Extended furlough scheme – updated documents and information

Further to our previous update, we have had some additional guidance and have therefore updated the letter for you to send to employees you wish to furlough for the first time or for whom you wish to extend an existing furlough agreement.
 
You can find this letter in our Dropbox folder of resources, available for Advice Line subscribers.
 
We hope that by consolidating the letters previously drafted we simplify the process for you.
 
Once you have made the specific changes to the agreement according to what you are proposing, you should send this letter/agreement to all employees whom you wish to be included or whom you may wish to be included in the coming months.
 

Re-engaging redundant employees

If your employees were on the HMRC RTI submission on 23^rd September 2020 and stopped working for you after that date, you could, if you wished, re-engage them and place them on furlough. There are some things to consider in doing this and we suggest that you discuss with us before doing so.
 
We have been advised that full guidance will be published on 10^th November 2020 and we will bring you further details then.
 

What about the Job Retention Bonus?

The Government had announced that if employees who were previously furloughed were brought back to work and continued to be employed on 1^st February (and had met the minimum earnings criteria) the employer would receive a £1k “bonus” for each employee. This has been put on hold.
 

Actions – what do I do now?

• Issue the extension letter to your employees
• Look out for further updates
• Contact your enlightenHR advisor with any queries
• Ask for our support if you need it.

You can find further detailed guidance at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extension-to-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme/extension-of-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
 
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS UPDATE AND THE INFORMATION/ADVICE PROVIDED IS BASED ON THE LIMITED INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME AND MAY CHANGE AS MORE DETAIL IS PUBLISHED

Guidance and support

We are constantly updating and adding to our Coronavirus Dropbox.  Support for getting your business going is available for Advice Line subscribers.
 
We are here to support you with all employee issues to minimise the risks of not following the correct procedures.  Please do call or email us for advice and support on this or any other matter.