Stormont met on 7 October 2021 to review the remaining restrictions in place and agreed several relaxations across various areas such as hospitality, entertainment etc.

However, the ‘work from home’ message remains in place, with no firm indication of when it might be lifted. The wording in the updated guidance, specifically for business is:

• You should continue to work from home where you can. 

• Employers are encouraged to consider the risk within their workplace and begin planning a gradual return to the office, or other place of work, for employees. 

• Where appropriate, following engagement with staff and trade unions, consideration should be given to the development of flexible working practices. 

• Employers should take every possible step to facilitate their employees working from home. 

• Employers that require staff to come into the workplace must complete a mandatory risk assessment. Some employers may have introduced regular COVID-19 testing for employees as part of these measures.”

Comment

The updated guidance has not given the green light yet allowing employees back to the workplace. We appreciate this may be frustrating for businesses that have already completed robust risk assessments and have mitigations in place.

The updated guidance can be read HERE