Train furloughed staff, Government tells employers

More than 140,000 UK businesses have applied to furlough a total of one million employees this week, in a bid to avoid COVID-19-related redundancies.

The Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme opened on Monday, with a reported 67,000 requests in the first 30 minutes.

Furloughing means jobs are effectively frozen for a set period – meaning staff are not allowed to do any work for their employers.

Can training can go on, despite job freezes?

Whilst lots has been written about furlough you may have missed one, perhaps surprising, key point.

Furloughed staff are still permitted to undertake training. In fact, the Government is encouraging it.

Rather than furlough proving to be time wasted, your employees could be gaining new skills, ready to use when they return to work. That means staff offering even better value in the long run.

A good time perhaps therefore to sign up to IRIS Training Centre. You can do so for free here.

What does the Government say?

It states: “Furloughed employees should be encouraged to undertake training. Furloughed employees can engage in training, as long as in undertaking the training the employee does not provide services to, or generate revenue for, or on behalf of their organisation or a linked or associated organisation.”

It's worth noting guidance here about minimum pay for this training time.

Can active staff still benefit from training now?

Yes, they can. Some employees who are still working may not be able to do all of their regular tasks –  meaning more time than usual to train.

Could they learn how to use your business software more effectively? Or gain new skills that enable your organisation to become more efficient?

In normal times, staff may find it hard to dedicate sufficient time to train. So, why not take advantage of the current gaps in their diaries?

What can they learn?

There is a huge amount of online learning resources, with videos teaching many different skills and subjects.

We’ve recently launched IRIS Training Centre, offering a multitude of video courses, covering an array of skills for accountancy, payroll, and HR professionals.

Designed to ensure you get the maximum value from our software, you can discover great new ways to improve efficiency and save time. Courses pertain to our full product range, including accountancy, payroll, and HR.

They’re an easy way to introduce staff to IRIS software and to ensure they have the essential knowledge to use our tools well.

What next?

Want to find out what your staff could learn on IRIS Training Centre? Visit this page. It’s easy to register – just fill out a simple form.

Looking for more support for your business to get you through the COVID-19 pandemic? IRIS is here to help. Check out our hub for useful guides, articles, and more insight.