Employment law calls from concerned employers surge 55%

The employment team at Cheshire law firm, SAS Daniels, has seen a large increase in enquiries from businesses in the North West.

Since Monday, SAS Daniels, which has offices in Chester, Congleton, Macclesfield, and Stockport, has seen a 55% increase in calls for advice from business owners. Of the calls taken by the Employment and HR teams, the main topics of concern for business owners in the North West are:

• Furlough leave queries relating to the Job Retention Scheme
• Payment rules surrounding isolation periods
• Redundancy

The Cheshire firm says businesses appear to still be unsure about what new support measures mean for them.

On Friday 20 March the Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a range of government support measures to help keep businesses operating in the face of the global economic emergency brought on by coronavirus. More than £330bn of loans and grants have been set aside to help firms.

Karen Barker from the Stockport branch and Head of the Employment and HR Team at the firm said:

These are unchartered waters with the news updating by the hour so it’s no wonder business owners have lots of questions.  All businesses are having to adapt to survive and are looking for advice on the best way to do this. We have taken calls from employers who want to do everything they can to mitigate risk, limit the loss of business they’re facing and support their staff and customers.

“The support packages announced by the Chancellor really are a lifeline for employers but we still need a great deal more clarity so everyone understands the support available to help get them through the challenging months ahead.”

SAS Daniels offers fixed price employment law and HR support under its SAS Protect package.