Furlough – making the ‘pandemic pause’ productive

The recent Spring budget reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the Job Retention Scheme (JRS) by extending it through to September 2021, news which will no doubt be welcomed by many employers.

Since Covid-19 hit last year, the JRS put in place by the government has been a lifeline to many businesses of all shapes and sizes and their employees many who may have otherwise faced job losses. More than 11 million jobs have been protected by the scheme since its inception. 

The extension of the scheme may mean some employees have been furloughed now for over 12 months and there is no doubt that many will have made productive use of this period. For others, it may have led to increasing feelings of isolation and disengagement from their working lives.

Are my furloughed staff still engaged?

For employers, the financial relief that this has brought is immense but when the scheme comes to an end in September how long could it take to reintegrate members of staff? Will employers look back on this period knowing that the time has been used productively?

Although the furlough scheme prohibits employees from completing work for their employer, many are not aware that this time of furlough can be used to undertake training. From working with businesses for many years, I regularly ask, “What is the main barrier to training your staff?” and one of the most popular answers is quite simply “time”.

Training opportunities for furloughed staff

There is no getting away from the fact that training your staff involves time away from the workplace, but in a country where we are faced with significant skills gaps and shortages businesses could be taking this opportunity to offer training to staff currently on furlough.

This is a time when businesses should be assessing their workforce and identifying areas where new skills could be learnt, existing skills enhanced, and personal development opportunities given.

Along with the benefits of having a highly skilled and productive workforce, training can help to keep furloughed staff engaged, feel valued by their employer and make the return to the workplace easier.

And with business finances and cashflow still a major concern in the current economic climate, it's important to recognise that not all training carries a high financial cost.

Within the West of England and the wider South West region there are many funded programmes that can be used to support staff training and skills development. There are hundreds of free resources that can be accessed online and through social media platforms.

So, ask yourself, are my furloughed staff still engaged? Am I making my furloughed staff feel involved and valued? And am I using this time to develop my workforce and close any current or future skills gaps?

If the answer to any of these questions is 'no', please contact a member of the skills team at skills@businesswest.co.uk and we can work with you to ensure that your workforce emerges from this furlough period feeling motivated, valued and ready to resume their role as a productive member of your team.