Redundancy and considering the alternatives

The news that all private and NHS dental practices in England were permitted to reopen from Monday, June 8, understandably got a lot of press attention and it was greeted as a sign that we are returning to normality out of lockdown. However, for employers across the UK the tentative reopening of workplaces is unlikely to mean that there is an immediate return to pre-lockdown ways of working. The BDA has predicted that due to potential difficulties with the availability of PPE it is likely to take time for practices to be in a position to deliver a full dental care offering.

Unfortunately, Covid-19 is going to affect the way that we are able to work for the foreseeable future and this is probably going to force employers to consider making some difficult decisions on whether their current staffing levels/costs are sustainable when facing-up to unprecedented challenges.

The government’s furlough scheme has been a welcome intervention in the hope of trying to avoid redundancies, but with the changes to the scheme coming into force throughout the summer (with employers required to contribute to it) coupled with a predicted slow return to pre-lockdown levels of work, it is likely that many employers will consider that they have no alternative but to consider redundancies in order to secure the future of their businesses. A recent joint survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and People Management magazine showed that one in four employers expect permanent redundancies arising out of the coronavirus crisis.