What does the end of furlough mean?

1. How much notice did my employer need to give me to return to the office?

The end date for the furlough scheme (30th September) has been known for some time now, and therefore we would've expected your employer to have notified you of this. However, there was no minimum deadline that an employer had to give; the UK Government just recommended providing as much notice as possible.

2. What working hours will I do when I return to work?

Your employer should have discussed this with you before your return. When a furlough agreement ends, the employer and employee return to their earlier contractual arrangements unless a change is agreed with a prior notice such as redundancy or a change in working contract.

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3. I've been furloughed for almost 18 months, and I'm worried about returning. What should my return look like?

Given the length of time, some furloughed employees may have been away from work, employers may want to consider what can be put in place to support their wellbeing as they return. They should consider:

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• Employee wellbeing, including mental health
• Giving employees time to adjust to being back at work
• Offering training or refresher courses
• If an employee has any concerns about returning to work, they should raise them with their line manager or employer

4. My employer is looking at making redundancies to cut costs. Are there any other suggestions I can put forward?

The furlough scheme has helped support millions of businesses with their staff costs, and now that it's coming to an end after 18 months, we understand some firms cannot justify the wage bills they had before Covid-19.

There are several different options an employer seeking to reduce payroll costs without making redundancies can look into. However, it is worth noting that most of these will involve at least a temporary change to terms and conditions of employment, for which you will need your fellow employees' written consent (to avoid breach of contract claims).

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• Ending furlough and bringing staff back to work on reduced hours and pay
• Ending furlough and bringing staff back to work on the same hours but reduced pay
• Ending furlough and asking staff to take unpaid or part-paid leave
• Extending furlough without the government grant

5. I've been made redundant; will future employers use the fact I was furloughed against me?

UK redundancies rose to a record high during the Coronavirus pandemic. Now that the furlough scheme has ended, competition within the jobs market is also at an all-time high.

The furlough scheme was implemented to aid employers to save cash during the most challenging economic times since the 2008 recession, therefore, should not be detrimental to the success in your future employability.

Now that you've seen an insight as to how we can help and support our candidates, get in touch with our team at info@brsjobs.co.uk for any other questions you may have.