Reopening Retail

Last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that non-essential retail in England will be permitted to reopen from 12 April, much to the relief of business owners up and down the country.

Sadly, with many familiar brands having gone into administration, we can expect a much altered high street when non-essential stores begin to trade again. However, some independent store owners are predicting a retail revival and have spent the latest lockdown investing in revamped premises and larger stores.

But each day that a shop remains closed increases the chances that it will never open again, costing jobs and damaging local communities. It is therefore critical that you are prepared to reopen smoothly, safely and without delay.

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COVID-19 | FREE expert guidance for employers, including sample policies, template risk assessments and more

Watch On-Demand

In this recent live webinar, co-hosted by Ellis Whittam’s Director of Employment Law, James Tamm, and Director of Health & Safety, Nick Wilson, alongside special guest, BIRA CEO Andrew Goodacre, the trio covered important topics such as:

Agenda:

Preparing to reopen safely for your staff and customers;
Making sure your premises are consistent with the relevant guidance;
The employment legalities surrounding vaccination;
Utilising flexible furlough to accommodate safety measures and respond to fluctuations in demand;
What to do about holiday accrual;
The key risk control measures that need to be in place;
The importance of reassuring customers about safety;
Face coverings and the challenges experienced by shops that have stayed open; and
A recap of what has happened previously when operating with COVID restrictions in place, such as working with local authorities regarding road closures and footfall figures.

Resources from the webinar

Reoccupation Checklist

Use this template to record important checks of your retail premises before returning to work after lockdown. Stay alert to government announcements on return to work and complete before reoccupation.

Download

Empty Building Checklist

This health and safety checklist should be completed on a weekly basis or more frequently if required. Where the response is that action is needed, this should be noted on the Action Log at the back of this checklist and allocated to a named person for action. When the task is completed, details will be recorded for future reference.

Download

Extended Furlough FAQ

Common questions about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

On 3 March 2021, the Chancellor announced that the scheme would be extended again, this time until the end of September 2021. Up until the end of June 2021, the government contribution remains at 80%. In July, employers will have to make a 10% contribution to furlough pay increasing to 20% for August and September 2021.

Download

Reopening Retail Webinar FAQs

During, before and after the Reopening Retail webinar, we were inundated with questions.

Our expert Employment Law and Health & Safety teams have answered all of them in this handy PDF which you can download below.

Download

Related resources

Vaccination FAQ (England & Wales)

Should we force employees to be vaccinated? What’s the position regarding pay? And should we update our risk assessment? Find out in this England & Wales-specific FAQ.

Vaccination FAQ (Northern Ireland)

Should we force employees to be vaccinated? What’s the position regarding pay? And should we update our risk assessment? Find out in this Northern Ireland-specific FAQ.

Vaccination FAQ (Scotland)

Should we force employees to be vaccinated? What’s the position regarding pay? And should we update our risk assessment? Find out in this Scotland-specific FAQ.

Risk Assessment Template (Shops & Branches)

This template risk assessment is intended to help you document the risk control measures you have introduced within the workplace to control the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). It is not a Business Continuity Plan.

You must modify this risk assessment to ensure it reflects your business activities and the specific risks and controls you have in place.

Vaccination & Testing Guide

Vaccination has many employment law implications. This guide covers making vaccination mandatory, what happens if employees refuse, and the legal risks.

Immunisation & Testing Policy

This template policy will help you to communicate your stance on vaccination and testing to your employees and make your position clear.

Back to Business Hub

Throughout the pandemic, our Employment Law and Health & Safety specialists have continued to produce free, practical guidance and templates for employers.

To access all these resources, plus be notified when new resources are added in relation to COVID-19, register for free now.

Experts in Employment Law, HR, and Health & Safety

Why choose us?

What makes us unique is that we combine the service quality of a law firm with the certainty of fixed-fee services to provide expert, solutions-focused Employment Law, HR and Health & Safety support tailored to your organisation.

Our people are the basis of our service. They are the reason why we have a 95% client satisfaction rate and an annual client retention rate of 97%.

Our professional services experts help business leaders like you to:

Proactively solve problems;
Ensure regulatory compliance; and
Achieve commercial objectives.

Who you'll be working with

James Tamm

Director of Legal Services

Colleague Spotlight

Laura Chalkley

Head of Team

Nick Wilson

Director of H&S Services

Colleague Spotlight

Oli Williams

Regional H&S Manager

Colleague Spotlight

Adele Blinkhorn

HR Consultancy Manager

Colleague Spotlight

Derick Maclean

Head of Team

Charles Spencer

Principal H&S Consultant

Colleague Spotlight

Gail Dyer

Health & Safety Consultant

Google Rating

4.8

Based on 152 reviews

WorkNest

4.8

Interlink RCT

14:07 27 Jun 23

The worst company ever - worse service I have come across in over 30 years of receiving HR support. Do not use this company.

Mark P

15:06 28 Mar 23

We would not recommend WorkNest. The advice is professional but eliciting a response or trying to get through to anyone simply takes days. Our business cant wait this long.

Heather Peel

10:12 16 Feb 23

Collete did a really thorough review of a new premises, her comments were practical, reasonable and very informative. There was no feeling of judgement on the visit, she was purely there to support us in our health and safety practices.

mathew wistanley

14:32 01 Feb 23

Fantastic experience here at Worknest had a fantastic tutor who was active in the field honestly feel so comfortable with recruitment now after the day of training. Truly an asset to the place well done.

lee Woodward

17:01 28 Nov 22

I find WorkNest a very easy H&S auditor to work with, they offer us great support, keep us up to date with the latest changes.

Carole Giles

10:37 23 Nov 22

my request was dealt with very quickly and efficiently , the issue was resolved immediately.

m g

21:51 22 Nov 22

Stuart was extremely thorough and patient. He spent time discussing health and safety information that I wanted further understanding on.His manner is approachable and transparent. His approach is helpful, considerate and very supportive.Stuart doesn't dictate and is happy to highlight the areas that you have done well in & not just point out the areas that require improving.Trusting and knowledgeable - very happy to have Stuart supporting our venue and team.

Jenny Atkin

17:26 21 Nov 22

I have had dealings with a number of representatives from Worknest. They have all been polite,friendly & knowledgeable.

Gilbert Kamgang

09:26 11 Nov 22

Quick and clear response .

Tony Partridge

11:18 07 Nov 22

A very professional approach - Easy to deal with.Peace of mind with their guidance.

Teresa Kalista

10:21 04 Nov 22

Karl Offord

09:07 20 Oct 22

Colin is always very informative & knowledgeable......donuts are great too!!

Mummy Moore

11:50 06 Oct 22

Very helpful every time i phone, good advice and support

Petra Berry Frankova

13:44 28 Sep 22

Elaine Priest

13:42 19 Jul 22

Very professional, helpful & friendly. Easy to talk to and get the correct information required.

Stef Thomas

09:31 18 Jul 22

Fantastic seminar and very informative 👏

Sharron Brown

09:23 13 Jul 22

Great service, very knowledgeable and helpful.

EA-RS Group

09:24 16 Jun 22

Mark Hendry

10:07 31 May 22

Taylor Road Primary School has just had it's first H&S Audit with WorkNest. Andy Hooke is our H&S consultant. Andy was very professional, knowledgeable and fair in all aspects of the Audit and spent two days at the school working with me and talking to all staff. I look forward to working with Andy and WorkNest in the future to help improve Health, Safety and Wellbeing in our school. Mark Hendry, Site Manager

iain fleming

22:34 16 May 22

Paul Wetherfield

09:08 11 May 22

Lisa Parry

08:09 09 May 22

What a productive meeting with Kelvin. Very knowledgeable and a big help. A pleasure to work with

Nikki Knapp

14:19 29 Mar 22

Wojtek Z

17:58 15 Mar 22

Really rustic place. I love it.

Peter Trenholme

10:05 03 Mar 22

Great service and very thorough. The Worknest team are quick to respond and make our day to day so much more efficient. Thoroughly recomend.

Steve Brooks

21:24 30 Jan 22

WorkNest have done more than it said on the can. They have been very responsive and provided outstanding specialist advice in relation to our school H&S policy review and legionella action plan,

David Johnston

19:10 28 Jan 22

Thank you Helen - 5.55pm you took my call on a Friday and gave over and above - you all work such long hours!

Bridget MacPherson

13:23 28 Jan 22

A relatively new customer to WorkNest, but very soon became invaluable for support in both HR and H&S. We receive fantastic, personalised help at point of contact. Never a delay on our request for information and help. The online resource centre and live access to the HR and H&S portals have made our work lives so much easier and gives us the confidence in our day to day. WorkNest our 'trusted' go-to!

Dave Pascoe

11:38 27 Jan 22

A very easy site to navigate and very informative

John Delahunty

09:06 27 Jan 22

Very timely and progressed without fuss.

Lee Price

15:18 26 Jan 22

As always Simon demonstrated excellent knowledge and provided us with excellent service & professional standards.

Kevin Bowers

14:31 26 Jan 22

Great service & attention to detail

Beverley Trow

13:03 26 Jan 22

WorkNest is a professional company, a good work ethic, with friendly and knowledgeable staff

Helen Hampton Trust

13:00 26 Jan 22

Michelle is very helpful and always happy to share new ways to maximise health and safety within our Charity. A safe pair of hands to assist us. Thank you.

St Winefrides

11:21 26 Jan 22

Robert west

11:18 26 Jan 22

Ref. Jan Hallas Excellent, helpful, patient, friendly etc. etc. Always has time to hear the full extent of the issue and then offer pragmatic and sensible solutions. Thanks, Rob West, MD - Benchmark Scaffolding Ltd

ST WX

10:29 26 Jan 22

Prompt and helpful response

Nicol Nightingale

10:28 26 Jan 22

Really helpful staff and always able to find the information and answers we need with their help and support.

Lisa Brewer

10:25 26 Jan 22

I have worked with WorkNest for a number of years and consider them an extension to our own People Services team; providing supportive, detailed and expert advice on all employment law matters and would highly recommend their services to both small and large businesses.

Gary Carvosso

10:19 26 Jan 22

David's guidance has been essential in bringing resolution to complex HR issues and ultimately peace of mind.

Stephen Brooks

10:08 21 May 21

We have received a very professional service , in a timely manner. The personal consultant assigned to our school has given great support and detailed responses to Health and Safety/Compliant issues.

CityStore Self Storage

11:11 19 May 21

We have used Ellis Whitham for well over 20+ years, 12 years with "CityStore Self Storage" as well as many years before with our previous business "KeepSafe Self Storage". Primarily we use Ellis Whittam for our HR support as well as our annual H&S compliance reviews at each of our self storage sites. We have recommended them to many others and they are widely known and used within the Self Storage industry. Their online portals makes accessing, updating or sharing any reports or data very easy. The HR teams are especially good at what they do and really do help and offer great advice.

Josh B

06:46 19 May 21

Rob was professional but friendly during his visit and was able to point me in the right directions about certain health and safety matters that I was not sure about. Compared with another H&S Auditor from a different company, Rob took a more relaxed approach which works better for me personally. Recommended.

Elisabeth Greensmith

14:52 18 May 21

Very helpful and always explain information well .

Alison John

12:20 18 May 21

Excellent service; would certainly recommend.

Matt Berry

12:18 18 May 21

Call answered quickly even in these challenging times. Advice from Nick was clear and he was also quick to provide further details via email.

Laura Walker

12:13 18 May 21

Visibility Scotland always receive 100% excellent services from Ellis Whittam. We cannot praise this service enough. Our staff have also enjoyed the on-line training, too.

Boatlane Court

11:17 18 May 21

Stuart was helpful and supportive during his visit. This helps the Court and myself make continual improvements.

Ashley Morris

10:19 18 May 21

Ellis Whittam looks after our Employment Law, HR and our Health & Safety Support.We continue to be impressed with their professional service, knowledge of the changes in the UK law and the accuracy in the information supplied.

Ian Roper

09:49 18 May 21

Helen Cleary

09:33 18 May 21

Good quality advice and service. Friendly and Helpful assistance covering HR and H & S issues. The response to emailed enquiries is timely and it is unusual for there not to be anyone available to talk through issues on the telephone. In comparison to previous HR support, though this is not a cheap option it is a huge improvement.

duncanfergusson mcneil

11:49 01 Feb 21

Very efficent and advice excellent. Return calls and 'e' mail response exceptional.

Anita Crossley

11:07 01 Feb 21

Phil Barr

22:48 21 Jan 21

Excellent support always.

Boston Mwense

12:40 21 Jan 21

Excellent service!

Tina Howard

12:30 21 Jan 21

Great service. Very prompt to respond to client requests.

Annette Bird

12:24 21 Jan 21

professional and experienced.

John Davey

12:14 21 Jan 21

Great Team, friendly, supportive, effective and will hold your hand through what is a stressful and difficult process in your business

School Office

12:13 21 Jan 21

Simon's support has been invaluable in dealing with this matter, he has guided and advised us, and has responded to all our concerns and queries on the matter, both efficiently and promptly.

Kate Bell

20:59 23 Nov 20

Ellis Whittam are an asset to this one-man team and have won the trust of the wider organisation. We work with Jim Stowe who has a great approach and is a trusted partner.

Flip Edwards

08:52 23 Nov 20

Our contact is always at the end of the phone, easy to talk to and fast response to problems. He is our "go to" as soon as we have an employment problem. Thank you Richard

IAN HABBEN

17:20 22 Nov 20

Great service, help and advice fro Helen Woodward. Thank you Helen

Monica Hardman

10:28 21 Nov 20

Great service as always when I recently rang in with a problem.....

Kate Voyce

17:31 19 Nov 20

Supreme are an excellent IT support company providing up to date and reliable IT back up services.

ADONIS FARANTOURIS

12:51 19 Nov 20

Age UK Redbridge, Barking & Havering

12:49 19 Nov 20

Deinmar has been very supportive and got back to me straight away with the guidance I asked for. We now feel confident that we have a secure centre to allow our clients to return.

Sylvia Simpson

11:44 19 Nov 20

Angela Cholet

11:37 19 Nov 20

Responded promptly and identified what was needed

Sarah Hashmi

11:28 19 Nov 20

Ross Macdonald

11:21 19 Nov 20

We use the services of Ellis Whittam for our HR issues and find the service to be excellent. During the current pandemic it has been crucial to keep abreast of employment requirements and for us David Eastwood has been critical in our attempts to steer a path through the legal minefield that has developed.

Lorraine Bremner McBride

11:20 19 Nov 20

Professional, helpful and so quick to get back to queries. Would highly recommend for HR and H&S requirements whatever the size of business. Gail was excellent and a great ambassador for EW.

chris c

11:18 19 Nov 20

I can recommend Ellis Whittam for all HR related needs, always great to work with, responce times are exceptionally fast with expert advise.They are certainely professional in all aspects

Care Afloat

11:17 19 Nov 20

We have used Ellis Whittam for legal and H&S advice for some considerable time now. We have always found them to be extremely helpful, understanding of our business needs as well as very personal and responsive and consistent. We highly recommend them to other companies in need of such services.

Barry Fox

11:17 19 Nov 20

As always Gary Stoker is so supportive, even in these difficult times...thanks Gary appreciate it. lets not forget the other level of superb services offered by Ellis Whittam.

Mat Mellor

11:11 19 Nov 20

Celia Yeates

11:07 19 Nov 20

Helen went above and beyond to call me back after her shift should have finished, your assistance and dedication is much appreciated.

Adrian France

11:06 19 Nov 20

Very helpful, thanks Luke!

Nadiya Karp

11:03 19 Nov 20

Absolutely happy with Lee Edwards service . H&S support level simply outstanding . Look forward to our follow up meeting

Richard Szymanski

11:02 19 Nov 20

Ellis Whittam have provided us with solid HR and Health and Safety support for many years. Their service is outstanding and very professional. They work closely with us ensuring the services they offer are tailor made to suit our business.Richard Szymanski,Operations manager,Metcalfe Catering Equipment Ltd.

David Evans

11:01 19 Nov 20

Excellent, professional service

Lauren Whigham

11:05 13 Nov 20

Fantastic service really supportive and throughout the Coronavirus pandemic they have provided lots of really useful documents that can apply to all businesses. Rarely have to use them but when I do, just the support you need.

James Walley

16:27 15 Oct 20

Josie Winchcombe

09:51 02 Apr 20

We have used the services of Ellis Whittam for over 4 years. They provide a number of online resources but it is the personal touch which is proving invaluable particularly at the moment. I know that Toyah is there to assist and guide me in the decisions I have to make.

Aylia Atherley

08:53 02 Apr 20

During these difficult times Ellis Whittam continues to deliver a fast-reliable service, being very supportive and providing sound advice when needed.

Frog Diamond Drilling

13:56 31 Mar 20

Peter Lorimer

09:46 31 Mar 20

Thanks for calm conversation on what must be a very busy day for you.

sarah young

14:59 30 Mar 20

Great advice. Easy to talk to.

Bernard Starkmann

14:01 30 Mar 20

Toyah was very helpful and surprisingly energetic and enthusiastic considering what you all must be going through with a massive spike in furlough and other enquiries. Many thanks! Your service and staff commitment is massively appreciated, not only now, but always! Bernard Starkmann

hilary evans

13:57 27 Mar 20

Most professional and very helpful. Thankyou

Deb kemp

13:00 27 Mar 20

Jack was Very helpful - Thank you

Paul Wicks

11:49 27 Mar 20

a very professional introduction from a new account manager.

tanya tickle

23:12 23 Mar 20

Liana Wiltshire

12:17 20 Mar 20

Sarah was sympathetic to our situation and although I'm sure she is really busy, took her time to answer all my questions and has sent me a list of links for more info. This service is a lifeline to small businesses.

Vicky Ling

12:13 20 Mar 20

Laura Chalkely is going out of her way to offer support and guidance in a difficult situation. It is very much appreciated.

Scot Cash

09:58 16 Mar 20

Derick is always professional, helpful and it gives me a huge amount of reassurance he is on hand to help with any questions I have.

Maxine Leech

17:13 13 Mar 20

“Alice always gives support and advice and is very helpful at all times”

LLOYDS TRANSPORT

12:23 11 Mar 20

“Excellent advice. Great communication and speedy response to all emails from Julie.”

ernieo66 O

22:13 04 Mar 20

Katie is wholly accommodating, professional and truly efficient. A pleasure to work with!!

Tony Davies

16:11 04 Mar 20

“Kimberley gave me just what i needed to know in a prompt fashion. Thank you” Tony Davies GMCT

Melanie Johnston

11:03 04 Mar 20

“A big thank you to Laurie Anderson for responding so quickly to our query and then sending through a letter so promptly.”

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“As the company started to get larger, we knew we had to protect our employees and our contractors both onsite and in the offices. Ellis Whittam is exactly what we needed to move the company forward.”

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“We have found Ellis Whittam to be responsive and aligned with our business in terms of our processes and expectations. Their pragmatic approach has proven to be a great fit – nobody wants to be fighting their adviser on basic employment decisions.”

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