Coronavirus: 10 tips for employers

Coronavirus is tightening its grip on the Netherlands and is having an impact on every relationship. As an employer, you obviously have a responsibility to your employees. At the same time, employees have a responsibility to their employer and colleagues.

We have therefore come up with ten tips and pointers to help you manage your relationships with your employees and suppliers:

1. Tell your employees what the symptoms of coronavirus are, and what protective measures have been taken by your business. Make sure they have enough soap and paper towels.
2. Clearly document your measures for managing contact within your business and with external parties. Make sure everyone clearly understands your policy relating to coronavirus.
3. If an employee becomes sick when on holiday and has to remain in quarantine due to coronavirus, you are required to continue to pay the employee’s salary. The employee does not use any holiday entitlement while he/she is sick.
4. If your employee is required to be in quarantine owing to a decision taken by the Public Health Service (GGD), you must continue to pay the employee’s salary. This is because your employee is not permitted to work due to a government measure.
5. You may ask an employee not to go on holiday if you believe the employee’s risk of being infected with coronavirus is too great. If, despite this, the employee still goes holiday and becomes sick, you may, in extreme cases, decide not to continue to pay the employee’s salary. By law, employees who become sick as a result of deliberate intent or wilful recklessness are not entitled to payment of their salary.
6. You cannot force an employee to take leave if your business does not have enough work. You may, of course, enter into a dialogue with the employees and ask them to agree to this. You can also consider making use of the short-time work scheme.
7. If the school where the children of an employee closes or cancels lessons, you must give your employee an opportunity to arrange childcare. The time the employee takes off work to arrange this counts as short-term paid leave. Agree clear arrangements about how long an employee will be given to make childcare arrangements.
8. Make that your cleaning company, or the cleaner you employ, is provided with special instructions for the additional cleaning of keyboards, door handles and toilets.
9. Working from home is recommended for employees who show symptoms of coronavirus and also to prevent the virus from spreading. Make that your employees are able to work from home (if their work permits this) and reach clear agreements with your employees on this.
10. Are you unable to pay payroll tax on time due to the impact of coronavirus? In that case, you can obtain a deferment of payment from the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration.

Our team is standing by to discuss the measures you can take to limit the financial impact on your business.