From today (1 July 2020), it is possible for employees on furlough leave to be brought back to work on a part-time basis, even when they are normally contracted to work full-time, subject to their agreement.
Employers are able to decide the days and hours for such staff to work, depending on the needs of the business, and there is now no minimum period of time that they must be on furlough leave. Staff can be brought back for any amount of time and their pattern of work can be varied as may be required.
Employers will be responsible for paying the wages of staff for the time they are working. When they are not required to work, they may remain on furlough leave and salary costs can be claimed from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) in the same way as before, subject to the cap of £2,500 or 80% of the employee’s usual salary.
From 1 August 2020 the CJRS changes and employers will need to start contributing to the wage costs of furloughed staff. For further details see our original blog on the furlough scheme.
It is not compulsory to offer flexible furlough and employees can still remain fully furloughed or rotated on and off furlough if that better suits the employer’s business. It remains the cases that employees who are fully furloughed are not allowed to do any work for their employer.
The furlough scheme remains open until the end of October in order to support businesses and help protect jobs. However, it can now only be used for employees who have previously been furloughed for at least three consecutive weeks between 1 March and 30 June 2020. No new employees can be furloughed, as of 10 June 2020, save for those returning from statutory parental leave (maternity/paternity leave etc.)
Calculating flexible furlough pay and navigating the government guidance on the CJRS is complicated and if you need any advice or assistance please contact a member of our Employment Team on 0345 646 0406 or fill in our online enquiry form.