In the midst of a pandemic, nothing is more important than accurate and up-to-date information and trustworthy communication. Quality data, robust analysis and reputable guidance are the cornerstones of every good planning effort and should be at the heart of all your Covid-19 response measures.
As a business owner, you may be lucky enough to have full-time HR professionals on staff providing you with sage advice during these difficult times. However, if you are like many SMEs – with fewer than 250 employees but collectively creating 16.6 million private sector jobs in the UK – you may not have ready access to such support. That’s why we’ve gathered together these top resources so you can better understand how to action:
- Advice from the Government
- Policies, Practices & Statutory Protections
- Workforce Planning, Furlough, Redundancy
- Operational Risk, Systems & Continuity
- Remote Working & Virtual Teams
- Crisis Communications
Now more than ever, employers must act with clarity of purpose, transparency in communication and urgency in their actions to successfully navigate the every-changing landscapes of public health, financial stability and operational safety.
At Wonderland Digital, we deliver projects across four key sectors – B2B services, techno-industrial, consumer retail and charitable/nonprofit. We use business analysis and data insights to help clients execute mission-critical digital transformation.
As a result, we are in a unique position to understand how strategy, technology, process, data and communications will intersect at the heart of your Covid-19 response planning. That’s why we are keen to share our deep expertise, as well as the following resources with you. #InThisTogether
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1| Gov.uk – The best place to find government services and information
The websites of all government departments and many other agencies and public bodies have been merged into GOV.UK. There you can see all news and communications, statistics and consultations. Find out how government services are performing and how satisfied users are. You can also find information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in the UK, along with guidance for what to do if you think you’re at risk.
- Keeping your business safe
- Financial support programmes
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
- Grants if you’re self-employed
Advice Hub: Coronavirus: latest information and advice | gov.uk | @GOVUK
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2| CIPD – Championing better work and working lives
The CIPD is the professional body for experts in people at work. For more than 100 years, they have been championing better work and working lives by setting professional standards for HR and people development, as well as driving positive change in the world of work.
Organisations should focus on planning and prevention with both urgency and calm
With hubs in the UK, Ireland, Middle East and Asia, CIPD is the career partner of choice for more than 150,000 members around the world. They are the only body in the world that can award Chartered status to individual HR and L&D professionals, and their independent research and insights make us trusted advisers to governments and employers.
Advice Hub: Corona Advice for Employers | cipd.co.uk | @CIPD
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3| People Management – the UK’s leading HR media brand
People Management covers all the latest news, opinions and insight from the HR world across a variety of channels.
Helping managers understand how different generations like to work and how this translates into the virtual space, including the management of remote teams
The award-winning print edition is published 10 times a year with an audience of 142,000, and is an insightful and invigorating look at the world of business. Meanwhile, the daily newsletter – which collects the news, opinion and legal articles published on our website – is read by almost 200,000 people.
Advice Hub: Coronavirus Resources | peoplemanagement.co.uk | @PeopleMgt
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4| HR Magazine – Business advice, practice and dialogue
HR magazine is for people-focused, forward-thinking, business leaders who want insight into and examples of business-contextualised HR in order to develop high-performing organisations. Its circulation is 8,050 HR decision makers and its daily bulletin goes to 23,215 registered users.
Employers should be assessing how best to phase returns to work. A starting point is to identify essential workers and those less able to work remotely and to compile a risk list of the most vulnerable to continue to shield these people.
Advice Hub: HR Magazine Home | hrmagazine.co.uk | @HRMagazine
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5| Personnel Today – the UK’s leading free-access HR website
Personnel Today attracts 300,000 unique visitors every month, continuing the former weekly magazine’s rich heritage in independent coverage of the HR sector. It provides HR professionals with easy-to-read, timely and relevant content and, working in association with XpertHR, bring you high-quality, accurate information on employment law and best HR practice.
A survey by Visier found that many workers are not so confident that they will continue to be able to work from home once the pandemic has passed. Almost half of respondents said they expected a return to limited flexible working policies once the coronavirus lockdown ends.
Advice Hub: Covid-19 coronavirus | personneltoday.com | @PersonnelToday
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6| The Recruitment & Employment Confederation – Jobs transform lives
The REC is all about brilliant recruitment, which drives our economy and delivers opportunity to millions. As the voice of the recruitment industry, the REC champions high standards, speaks up for great recruiters, and helps them grow. Recruitment is a powerful tool for companies and candidates to build better futures for themselves and a strong economy for the UK.
Although the impact on the jobs market is a cause for concern with four in five (84%) saying they are now postponing hiring plans for permanent roles, there’s no template for what it’s happening. But it’s a disruption and we will return to a new norm.
Advice Hub: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance | rec.uk.com | @RECPress
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7| Investors in People – Make Work Better
Investors in People started out 29 years ago as a government project. Now it’s a not-for-profit that makes work better. Their framework introduces continuous improvement and employee recognition. Millions of people are working in organisations accredited by IIP. Their belief – “Those who just came through the door are your future. Understand their needs, and they will help with yours.”
While many businesses have already dipped or taken the plunge with remote working, for some organisations and their managers, this will be an entirely new experience. One thing we all have in common is the challenge of keeping sight of the day to day when so much of the wider landscape is changing by the hour.
Advice Hub: Investors in People Knowledge | investorsinpeople.com | @IIP
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8| HR Review – Leading independent news, information, opinion and analysis
HR Review brings together some of the industry’s key thought leaders and experienced practitioners to give you the best insight into the world of HR through their regular columns. It offers a range of HR resources and downloads through its HR Shop and provides reviews from its writers and readers on the best HR books. Updated news items are posted daily and there are regular updates to the features and analysis section, looking in depth at the latest HR issues and trends.
Advice Hub: Covid-19 Archives | hrreview.co.uk | @HRReview
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BONUS GUIDANCE – For enterprises with colleagues and operations in the United States
9| SHRM – Our vision is to build a world of work that works for all
SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, creates better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together. As the voice of all things work, workers and the workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today’s evolving workplaces. With 300,000+ HR and business executive members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 115 million workers and families globally.
Advice Hub: Navigating Covid-19 | shrm.org | @SHRM
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10| WorldatWork – A world of productive, committed, and inspired workforces
WorldatWork is the leading global nonprofit organization for professionals who are engaged in the critically important practice of Total Rewards. WorldatWork serve those who are responsible for cultivating inspired, engaged, productive, and committed workers in effective and rewarding workplaces. WorldatWork serves Total Rewards professionals throughout the world working in organizations of all sizes and every industry.
Advice Hub: Response to Coronavirus | worldatwork.org | @WorldatWork
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11| ATD – Together We Create a World That Works Better
ATD members and customers are professionals who help others achieve their full potential by improving their knowledge, skills, and abilities in the workplace. They go by many titles: talent development managers, trainers, instructional designers, performance consultants, frontline managers, workplace learning professionals, and more. ATD’s members come from more than 120 countries and work in organizations of all sizes and in all industry sectors.