Rohan MathawanWith the UK struggling to get through the pandemic, they have officially done all that they could to assist the economy through schemes and the national lockdowns which is where they were drawing the fine line between public health and building the economy. The furlough scheme running in the UK throughout the pandemic and backing up more than 80% of the businesses will be called off in October, and the Government is aware of the damage it could cause.
The chancellor in an interview stated that there is nothing that any country can do to assist all companies, and some of them have to begin fending for themselves. Knowing the effects of cancelling the furlough schemes, many have started petitioning for new ones since it could cause job losses. In response, the Government mentioned that they were creating a new scheme to benefit companies directly connected to the pandemic and assisting in the causes, in one way or another.
Additionally, to assist the rest of the companies and businesses in the UK, the Government mentioned that they were considering opening markets and the economy. They were planning on a phased opening where they were encouraging people to visit smaller restaurants, cafes and bars since the circulation of money would be beneficial.
They did not receive the turnout that they were expecting but in time the UK started seeing a positive response with people being open to coming out and taking the necessary precautions. Over a month and a half, the UK began receiving an increased number of cases, and it seemed like the country was going through the second wave of the pandemic. The Government was better prepared this time around and were not planning on following the same protocol they did in the past. They did not push for a national lockdown, but they did make changes to the rules around interactions which limited the chances of people interacting with one another.
Companies were facing similar issues with their employees, and most of them were remote working to stay safe, which meant implementing a few changes. Not all companies were sure about how they were going to get through with them. With a large number of the people working from home, companies did see a fall in productivity but did not have a choice since companies were not allowed to maintain the same number of employees to maintain the right social distancing within their offices.
Employers were not having in-person conversations with their staff anymore, and a lot of their meetings were taking place online. While they were not used to this approach, it was the best one they had since the alternative meant shutting shop and waiting for the situation to get better. Employers started conducting background checks on the people who were working for them, and their prospective hires to make sure they were a good fit for the team.
One of the best parts about background checks was that the UK Government, through the Home Office, put a system together some time back and people did not use it until now. The DBS check could be used by employers to get this information, and they can always review the DBS certificate online at their convenience. People can also go through the platform and update their information whenever they want to make sure they are getting the best outcome.