We've created the following FAQs to help you during the transition phase of returning to work.
Please follow Government Guidance in conjunction with these FAQs as guidance on coronavirus (COVID-19) changes regularly.
Read more information regarding COVID-19 in our dedicated COVID-19 Hub. This includes information on the Government Job Retention Scheme and Furlough, Getting Tested and Remote Working.
I have been on furlough. If a client wants to end my furlough period to restart my assignment, what will happen?
You will be given written notice of the client’s wish to recommence your assignment by your Rullion Recruitment Consultant. We will try to ensure you have at least a week’s notice of the new assignment start date but cannot guarantee this. You will be sent a new assignment schedule detailing your start date, the role, the location of the client’s workplace and all other relevant assignment information including the necessary health and safety information and the measures the client has in place to follow the Government’s COVID-19 guidance.
If the client or a representative of the client contacts you directly regarding returning to work, please let your Recruitment Consultant know so we can make sure all the necessary arrangements are in place.
Will I be able to work from home?
Whether you can work from home or not will depend on the assignment, type of work and whether the client determines homeworking is possible. Your Recruitment Consultant will be able to confirm all of this with you.
If I am starting a new assignment or resuming an old assignment during the transition phase, how will I know if the client is following the Government health and safety guidelines?
When taking instructions from a client on an assignment post lockdown, Rullion will work with the client to understand their COVID-19 health and safety preparedness and will share all the necessary health and safety information relating to that assignment with you. This includes, who the health and safety officer at the client site is, who or where you should report to for your initial health and safety induction and whether you will need any specific personal protective equipment (PPE) and who is responsible for providing it.
When any assignment first starts, the client will conduct a health and safety induction. Post COVID-19, we expect an induction to include all business as usual health and safety guidance and processes as well as any new requirements in line with the Government COVID-19 health and safety guidance. This includes guidance on social distancing, personal protective equipment (PPE), moving around the work place, hand-washing and sanitiser facilities as well as all relevant hygiene guidance and the procedures for reporting any concerns you might have.
What do I do if I have concerns regarding the client’s COVID-19 working practices on site or in their offices, such as safe social distancing, hygiene arrangements, PPE, or the rules around remaining away from work if unwell?
In the first instance you should contact your Rullion Recruitment Consultant to discuss any concerns you have. Your Recruitment Consultant can then raise these with your Line Manager at the client’s workplace and work with both you and the client to resolve any concerns.
If you are concerned about having to use public transport and want to know about parking facilities for a car or bicycle, please let us know as the relevant arrangements may already be in place.
Do I have to attend an assignment if I do not feel it is safe to do so?
The majority of Rullion temporary workers and contractors are engaged by Rullion under contracts for services. Temporary workers and contractors are not employees of either Rullion or the client and are at liberty to end an assignment under the terms of their contact for any reason. You are under no legal obligation to remain in an assignment if you do not wish to do so.
If you do not feel the client is operating a safe system of work in line with government guidance on COVID-19 health and safety practices, please raise your concerns with your Rullion Recruitment Consultant first and they will work with you and the client to resolve any issues insofar as it is possible to do so.
In the past, I have needed to stay away from home in a hotel or B&B when on assignment; is this possible while COVID-19 restrictions are in place?
Current government guidance is that businesses providing alternative accommodation (including hotels, hostels, B&Bs, campsites, caravan parks, boarding houses and short term lets) should be closed for commercial use.
Whilst these restrictions are in place, it will not be possible for you to stay in a hotel or B&B. If a situation arises where some/all of your assignment duties mean you are required to stay away from home, please speak with your Recruitment Consultant.
I have been told by the NHS to shield for 12 weeks because I am a vulnerable person/caring for a vulnerable person. What should I do in these circumstances?
As a temporary worker who is engaged by Rullion under a contract for services, you cannot be required to work if you choose not to.
As a person who is shielding you are advised not to work outside your home. In circumstances where you are shielding and the client would like you to recommence your assignment, we will make enquiries with the client as to whether you could undertake the work from home. We would also look into whether equipment could be provided to help you do so.
Like employers, Rullion and others who supply and hire temporary workers have a duty to protect the health and safety of those workers. It is also worth remembering that temporary workers themselves are responsible for ensuring they employ a safe system of work. Under sections 44 and 100 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 a worker can refuse to come into work if they reasonably believe there is a serious and imminent danger (in this case, of catching coronavirus).
There are also protections under the Equality Act 2010 which prevent any worker with a disability from being discriminated against and subjected to a detriment. As a shielding worker you may have a disability and if this is the case it would be the responsibility of both the client and Rullion not to subject you to a detriment because you were unable to attend the workplace. This would mean, as stated above, investigating whether it was possible for you to work from home but in circumstances where you could not, you may be eligible for furlough or to remain on furlough. If none of these options are possible you could be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay, currently paid at £95.85 a week.
I have been told to self-isolate due to having been notified via the Track and Trace system that I have had contact with an individual who has coronavirus. Am I entitled to SSP?
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is payable for those notified via ‘track and trace’ to self-isolate at home. This has been made law under the Statutory Sick Pay (General) (coronavirus Amendment) (No 4) Regulations 2020 which have been brought into force to protect individuals who have been told, by a relevant notification, i.e. via ‘track and trace’, that they have had contact with an individual who has coronavirus, and that they should stay at home and self-isolate as a result. A person identified in this way is deemed to be incapable of work, and therefore entitled to Statutory Sick Pay.
What do I do if I have to self-isolate, either because I am unwell, or a member of my family is unwell as a result of COVID-19?
Please let us know as soon as possible if you become unwell or have been told to self- isolate; we will let the client know.
If you work via a PAYE contract, we will pay you Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from day one for the period of self-isolation up to 14 days. We do not require a doctor’s certificate.
If you are deemed to be in the vulnerable category and are advised to self-isolate for 12 weeks, then we will require a doctor’s certificate but will pay SSP for the period of self- isolation up to 28 weeks.
Government guidelines currently state the following regarding self-isolation:
- If you live alone and you have symptoms of the coronavirus illness (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms
- If you live with others and you or one of them have symptoms of coronavirus, then all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became
- It is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already. Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the
- For anyone in the household who starts displaying symptoms, they need to stay at home for 7 days from when the symptoms appeared, regardless of what day they are on in the original 14-day isolation
What if I am hospitalised or unwell for longer than 14 days due to COVID-19?
Currently, in line with government guidelines, SSP is payable up to a maximum of 28 weeks; we will continue to pay SSP in line with the guidelines and your current assignment dates.
In this circumstance you may need to provide information or a sick note for SSP to continue for longer than 14 days (although this guidance may change over the coming days/weeks as government guidelines are updated).
What if I am paid via an Umbrella Company?
The Umbrella Company will pay you SSP in the same way, i.e. from day one and in line with Government guidelines. You will need to get in touch with your Umbrella Company regarding any specific procedures.
What if I am a CIS worker who is contracted as a self-employed worker?
There is no entitlement to SSP for CIS workers, although they may be able to claim on their insurance (they would need to check their own policy), or in line with Government announcements in relation to COVID-19, they may be able to claim for Universal Credit or Employment Support Allowance (workers would need to claim this directly themselves).
What about Limited Company workers?
There is no entitlement to SSP for Ltd Company workers, although they may be able to claim on their insurance (they would need to check their own policy), or in line with Government announcements in relation to COVID-19 they may be able to claim for Universal Credit or Employment Support Allowance (workers would need to claim this directly themselves).