HR Related COVID19 Information
The HR Suite endeavour to bring you HR related COVID news in the Republic of Ireland on a timely
basis. We aim to keep the below information concise and clear for your information.
Employer Obligations
You as an employer/manager have an obligation to provide a safe and healthy place of work under
Section 8 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (the “2005 Act”). This obligation
obliges employers to take reasonable steps to address any health and safety risks.
EWSS
The EWSS replaced the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) from 1 of September 2020. It is
expected to continue until 31 March 2021. This is an economy-wide enterprise support that focuses
primarily on business eligibility. The scheme provides a flat-rate subsidy to qualifying employers
based on the numbers of eligible employees on the employer’s payroll and gross pay to employees.
Facemasks
On 10 August 2020, public health laws made face coverings mandatory for customers in certain
settings and in workplaces where 2 metres distance cannot be guaranteed. How are you monitoring
this in your workplace? Have you amended policies to state your employee requirements? How
should employees address this with customers/suppliers? Contact The HR Suite to implement a Face
Covering Policy and have a standardised approach within your business.
Government travel Greenlist
The Government travel Greenlist was published on 21 July 2020 and allowed travel to specific countries, without the need for a two week quarantine period on return. This list is now redundant as the Government has implemented the new ‘traffic lights’ approach to travel, which applies to countries in the European Union/European Economic Area and to the UK. The Government’s current advice for travel to these countries is to “exercise a high degree of caution”. Its general advice for any other overseas travel remains to “avoid non-essential travel”. Within the ‘traffic lights’ system, regions across the EU, EEA and the UK are categorised as green, orange, red or grey, on the basis of the risk levels associated with COVID-19. A map showing the designation of each regions is published each week by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), based on agreed criteria, including the 14-day cumulative incidence rate, testing rate and testing positivity rates.
Illness Benefit
The COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit of €350 per week was introduced to deal with COVID19
illness where told to self- isolate or restrict movements. This scheme is extended until 31 March
2021.
Link between PUP and EWSS
The EWSS is being amended to align with the amendment to PUP. This means here will be 5
payment rates/bands as follows: €0, €203, €250, €300, €350 in line with earnings. The main aim of
this scheme is to ensure where possible employees retain their link with their employer rather than
become unemployed. This revised scheme will run to end January 2021.
PUP
Pandemic Unemployment Payment to be returned to €350 for workers previously earning over €400
a week from Tuesday 27 October 2020. There will now be four different rates of payment depending
on previous earnings: €203, €250, €300, €350.
Reinforcement in the Workplace
It is critically important to engage in ongoing communication to reinforce training of the return to
work protocols to ensure you remain proactive in ensuring the health and safety of your team as we
progress in our understanding and workplace management of COVID19.
Return to Work Safely Protocol
The Government published the Return to Work Safely Protocol on 9 May 2020 designed to support
employers and workers to put measures in place that will prevent the spread of COVID19 in the
workplace when the economy begins to slowly open up, following the temporary closure of most
businesses during the worst phases of the current pandemic. In principle, you as an
employer/manager must take all necessary and appropriate measures to protect the health of your
workers.
Click here for more information on how The HR Suite can assist your organisation.
Suspension of the Right to Redundancy
The suspension of redundancy provisions relating to temporary lay-off and short-time work, which arose as a result of COVID-19, is now continuing until 31 March 2021.