As of May 15th, the federal government announced plans to extend the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) until the end of August. Originally set to expire in June, this subsidy allows eligible businesses to keep workers employed by covering 75% of their wages to a maximum of $847/week per employee.
CEWS is an important resource to get Atlantic Canadian’s back to work and keep enterprises operating. The Federal government is promoting the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy to keep Canadian’s employed rather than having them draw the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) of $2,000 per month. Employees may be anxious about returning to work with the risk of virus spread, while others may be weighing the $2,000 per month CERB against the need to return to work right now.
As companies begin reopening and increasing volume of their operations, recovery will look different across industries.
Ensuring your company has the workforce ready to go when you need it is critical to reopening.
Provincial governments across the Atlantic Provinces have started to ease restrictions. Companies are taking the necessary steps to reopen and rebuild their labour force with a focus on returning to more normal times. COVID-19 has changed the way many firms are operating and as result, changes in human resources practices are also anticipated. Easing employee anxiety can be approached by explaining your risk prevention plan so that workers know how you have addressed the risk of spread. Employees choosing to decline available work and continue to draw CERB should be made aware that this can be viewed as job abandonment and termination of employment could result.
Navigating bring your employees back to work doesn’t have to be a challenge.
Now more than ever companies need to focus on their core-business operations which means having a plan to operate safely and reduce the risk of transmission and spread of the virus. Whether it’s bringing back workers, or scaling up to meeting demand, HR practices should be top of mind.
As experts in recruiting and HR consulting, Integrated Staffing has been helping businesses navigate COVID-19 from an HR prospective. The past months have proven there is no one-size fits all solution to recovery. Whether it’s utilizing temporary labour to fill in gaps in your workforce in addition to applying for government subsidies or using our expertise to develop new HR rebuild plan, Integrated Staffing has been able to provide resources to various companies across Atlantic Canada.
For more information on how Integrated Staffing can help support your business through COVID-19, please contact the branch closest to you.
