Manchester, UK.
Employers across the UK are preparing for a state of emergency and seeking expert HR advice on workplace safety amidst riots and disorder, data from BrightHR shows.
BrightHR’s team of HR advisors and its AI advice tool, Bright BrAInbox, have received a significant increase in questions from employers relating to the riots in the UK, how to keep staff safe form disruption, and how to protect employees from third-party harassment.
There has also been an influx in the number of staff requesting last-minute annual leave since the riots began, with individuals citing “safety concerns”, “car damage”, and difficulties accessing public transportation as reasons why they cannot attend work.
Other key findings:
Data from the BrightHR platform shows a significant increase in the number of businesses downloading HR and H&S documents since the riots began, including:
- A 121% increase in downloads of BrightHR’s Employee Safety Handbook, and
- A 118% increase in downloads of BrightHR’s Fire and Emergency Evacuation Record
Commenting on the data, Lucy Cobb, Advice Operations Manager at BrightHR, says, “It’s clear from the questions we are receiving, as well as the increase in downloads of key health & safety documents from our platform, that employers are increasingly concerned about the impact of the riots in the UK on the safety and wellbeing of their staff.
“With further unrest expected in towns and cities this week, business owners are looking for expert guidance on how they can protect their workforce from harm and maintain a productive operation. It seems they are also putting emergency procedures in place to deal with potential attacks on their own businesses, with a 118% increase since the riots began in the number of employers who have downloaded our Fire and Emergency Evacuation Record.”
*How employers should respond *
Sharing her advice on how employers should deal with the disruption, she adds,“There are several steps business owners can take to fulfil their duty of care and ensure the safety of their employees during this period of unrest. For example, they could consider:
- Adjusting working hours and temporarily expanding flexible working options so that employees are not walking through hotspots of unrest to get to work or get home
- Cancelling or rescheduling non-essential business travel in affected areas
- Providing employees with information about surrounding areas to help them plan a safe route to and from work and checking local police websites for updates
- Designating a single source of communication about safety – a senior manager, for example – within the workplace, who is responsible for updating and advising staff on safety protocols as and when the situation changes
- Securing entry points if they are normally open during working hours
- Agreeing safe place sharing systems with business neighbours in the event of unrest occurring
- If faced with unrest outside the workplace, remaining in the building/location and requesting emergency service support”
ENDS.