Recruitment resources
REED and other organisations have a variety of tools and resources to help Keep Britain Working.
Recruitment resources
REED and other organisations have a variety of tools and resources to help Keep Britain Working.
Connect the workforce
Workforce challenges?
We are looking to connect businesses with a growing demand for workers with those considering furlough, redundancies or reduced hours. Together, we can look at temporary redeployment opportunities.
Recruit with REED
We’ve fast tracked our processes to help both public and private sector employers recruit permanent and temporary workers at speed during this challenging time.
Look for jobs in demand
From NHS workers and call centres to delivery drivers and home working vacancies, browse the jobs in highest demand at the moment or search across 42 sectors to find the right opportunity for you.
Tools & resources
Business in the community
Looking for non-recruitment related business support? Or looking to offer your support to help others? Business in the Community is looking to connect businesses to help support each other during this challenging time.
Business in the community
Looking for non-recruitment related business support? Or looking to offer your support to help others? Business in the Community is looking to connect businesses to help support each other during this challenging time.
Covid-19 Frequently Asked Questions
We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions for employers, self-employed and employees, based on information we have collated across government websites – with lots of useful links for you to find out more information. We will be updating this page regularly, so if there a question you would like us to include, please email us at keepbritainworking@reed.com and we will do our best to answer it for you.
FAQs for employers
What is the process to furlough my employees?
Employers can use a portal to claim for 80% of furloughed employees’ (employees on a leave of absence) usual monthly salary costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contributions on that wage. Employers can use this scheme anytime during this period. Organisations must be audited by HMRC and so must have a clear business case to show the employee was furloughed due to Covid-19 and also a signed agreement to show the employee’s agreement.
The scheme is open to all UK employers that had created and started a PAYE payroll scheme on 19 March 2020. However, it is possible for employers to rehire people they had made redundant should they wish to do so.
From 1 August employers will be able tobring furloughed employees back part-time and the Government subsidy will be reduced. Full details of how this will work have not yet been released.
Full details of the scheme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
Is my business eligible for a government grant?
Under the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) all businesses in England in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) and Rural Rates Relief (RRR) in the business rates system will be eligible for a payment of £10,000. Under the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant (RHLG) businesses in England in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure) with a rateable value of less than £51,000 will be eligible for cash grants.
Full details of these schemes can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding
What other government help is available for my business during the Covid-19 outbreak?
- Deferring VAT payments – details here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deferral-of-vat-payments-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19
- Business rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses- full details here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-rates-retail-discount-guidance
- Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme supports SMEs with access to loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance of up to £5 million and for up to 6 years – full details here: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils-2/current-accredited-lenders-and-partners/
- Other government schemes can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses
- For businesses in Scotland, visit the government’s website here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-individuals-and-businesses-in-scotland
- For businesses in Wales, visit the government’s website here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-individuals-and-businesses-in-wales#business-support-helplines
- For businesses in Northern Ireland, visit the government’s website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-guidance-information-for-ni-businesses-employers#businesses
How do I best manage my employees remotely?
REED has produced a guide for managers and employees who are remote working for the first time, which you can find here: https://oliver-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/03/20/11/33/23/154/Guide%20To%20Remote%20Working%20-%20REED.pdf
The Harvard Business Review has also published some useful advice for businesses which you can read here: https://hbr.org/2020/03/a-guide-to-managing-your-newly-remote-workers
FAQs for self-employed
Can I claim a grant?
You can claim a taxable grant worth 80% of your trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for the next 3 months if you’re a self-employed individual or a member of a partnership and you:
- have submitted your Income Tax Self Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19
- traded in the tax year 2019-20
- are trading when you apply, or would be except for COVID-19
- intend to continue to trade in the tax year 2020-21
- have lost trading/partnership trading profits due to COVID-19
Your self-employed trading profits must also be less than £50,000 and more than half of your income come from self-employment.
If you are eligible, you should have already been contacted by HMRC and given a time to apply. If you have not heard from HMRC, you may still be eligible – use their checker tool to find out.
Full details of the scheme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme
FAQs for employees
I am being furloughed. Can I work for anyone else while I’m furloughed?
Only if your contractual terms with your employer allow it, or your employer grants permission. You can do voluntary work or training. If you were working more than one job, part-time, you may be furloughed from one role while continuing to work the other.
From 1st August the furloughing scheme is changing to allow you to work part-time for your employer, but details of this change have not yet been released.
How does my furlough end and what happens when my furlough stops?
Either your company will decide that the conditions have changed sufficiently for you to resume your role and recall you or the Government will announce that the scheme is ending. In the latter case, your company may decide, if trading remains poor, that they cannot continue to employ you, in which case you will have the same rights to redundancy as you had before your furlough started.
Why is my employer making me redundant instead of furloughing me?
The furlough scheme is designed to protect jobs that would otherwise be lost due to the short-term effects of Covid-19. Your employer may believe that even after the current crisis is over, they still need to cut your job. This may be because trading was not going well even before the virus struck or because they want to reorganise the business.
The furlough scheme is paying 80% of my salary, will my company pay the rest?
Your company can opt to top up the furlough payments but does not have to.
Thank you for letting us know, we will do our best to help.
