How to deal with business impact of recent social unrest

Peninsula HR expert Kate Palmer provides tips and advice for companies and management in the wake of the riots

Following last week’s attack in Southport that left three children dead and others injured, violent protests have broken out across the country. With hundreds arrested and community leaders and politicians calling for calm, what is the impact on businesses of this type of social unrest?

Kate Palmer, employment services director at Peninsula, says: ‘With the headlines and social media feeds full of violent imagery, this can be a distressing and unsettling time for many, including businesses.

‘Whether it’s wondering how to keep employees safe, or navigating discord in the workplace, there are many HR issues in play here.

‘Some businesses such as hotels, shops, bars and restaurants, and – of course – the emergency services are directly impacted. They may have been targeted by protesters, suffered damage or loss, or had employees caught up in the riots either inadvertently or deliberately.

‘Where there are concerns over whether a business can safely open, for example, if it has been targeted by rioters and suffered damage, then employers may need to look at what their contractual position is with employees.

‘Employers have a duty of care to employees, which includes providing a safe place to work. Temporary closures may require temporary layoff of employees, other businesses may choose to ask employees to take unpaid leave or annual leave while they ensure that it is safe to reopen.

‘Where protests are impacting on your employees’ commute, there are various options that employers can take. Look at whether it’s possible to move start or finish times to avoid employees having to leave or arrive at work during times when protests are happening, ensure that nobody is leaving the workplace alone – or working alone if you believe your business may become a target for violence.

‘If a risk can be anticipated, then employers need to take all reasonable steps to reduce or remove that risk. Employers need to keep a continual eye on developments and may need to make some swift decisions based on level of risk.'

Some adjustments could include:

·       Adjusting working hours or location of work so employees are not walking/travelling through any hotspots of unrest to get to work or get home

·       Closing the workplace early/opening later

·       Allowing employees to work from home temporarily

·       Securing your premises as much as possible

·       Re-arranging meetings that would bring more of the workforce to the workplace or holding them via Zoom, Teams, etc

·       Ensuring employees who are due to visit clients or other premises phone ahead to confirm whether any risk is posed at that location, rearranging visits where necessary

·       Reminding employees how to deal with a disturbance at work, how to keep themselves safe and how to report instances of confrontation or harassment

·       Providing employees with information about surrounding areas to help them plan a safe route to and from work

·       Reminding employees of any emotional support facilities you have, like an employee assistance programme.

Remember that employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and consider any extra measures that need to be taken for employees because of their individual circumstances, for example, pregnant employees.

Employee involvement

‘If an employee doesn’t turn up for work because they have been arrested, then it’s likely that this will be treated as an unauthorised absence. How that progresses will depend on when they get in contact and their circumstances.

‘Another thing to think about is the impact on the organisation if an employee is involved in the riots. It can be a very complicated situation and will depend on a number of factors so employers will need to navigate this carefully.

‘Some of the areas to consider include the impact on the wider workforce and clients, as well as reputational damage.

‘It’s likely that having an employee who’s been arrested for potentially racially motivated violence will present challenges amongst colleagues. Employers will need to consider not only how they manage the individual who was arrested but also how they deal with any conflict between employees who have different political views but also how they support anyone affected by what’s going on.

‘Having a policy in place to set out the rules on acceptable behaviour in the workplace makes sure that employees know expected behaviour in the workplace when it comes to political talk.’

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