The events of the last few weeks have helped drive home that when it comes to the immense challenges faced by employers across the UK over the past year: we are not out of the woods yet.
Following the government’s relaxation of the nation-wide COVID-19 restrictions, the country’s employers were faced with a new challenge in the form of the “Pingdemic”. The Pingdemic refers to the exponential rise in those people being alerted (“pinged”) by the NHS app that they have been in close contact with someone who has reported as having tested positive for the virus. The rise in such notifications reached a staggering 618,903 in the week between 8 and 15 July. Recipients of the notifications are advised to isolate for ten days from receipt of the notification.
Unsurprisingly, this wreaked havoc for the UK’s employers who found themselves short of much-needed staff during a period, in the lead up to which, had been widely hailed as the return to normal. Looking ahead, in light of the unpredictability caused by the virus and the ongoing UK/EU negotiations, the Thrive Group considers similarly unpredictable and disruptive events to be highly likely.
Creating contingency plans for situations where employees may be temporarily restricted from attending work is one way employers are able to insulate their businesses from future pingdemic-style events. As the workforce recruitment, management and planning experts, the Thrive Group look forward to helping their clients put together and implement procedures which smooth out the effects of such squeezes on the workforce. One way the Thrive Group helps its clients to do this is by providing companies with a better backstop of available workers. These workers are made available through the Thrive Group’s network of available and suitable employees in tandem with the Thrive Group assisting its clients with the implementation of better employment planning processes and resources. Having a backstop of employees to hand can assist employers in ensuring that they have the smooth supply of talent needed to run businesses up and down the country.
If you would like to find out how Thrive Group can help you with your workforce planning and recruitment, get in touch today on +44 1793 488057 or enquiries@thrivegroup.co.uk.
