Don’t miss the June 10 deadline for furlough swapping benefit

From 10 June 2020, employers will no longer be able to add new employees onto the Scheme. Employers who wish to furlough additional employees must submit their claim for those employees by 10 June.

However, this deadline will also have an impact of those employers who are currently considering swapping the employees they currently have on furlough.

The benefits of swapping

Some employers have been taking advantage of the possibility of swapping the employees they have furloughed. This involves furloughing employee A for the first 21 days and then employee B for the next 21 days, and so on. There are a number of benefits to adopting this approach, the most obvious of which is it helps to maintain an employee's skills as well as keeping their industry knowledge up-to-date.

A further additional benefit employers are beginning to notice is that rotating the employees they have on furlough is helping to maintain the morale of the workforce. It keeps employees engaged in the business and supports their wellbeing and general mental health by reducing the amount of time employees are at home unable to work.

Only those employees who have completed 21 full days of furlough prior to 30 June 2020 will be able to be furloughed again later, so it is vital that employers who are currently considering swapping employees take action prior to 10 June 2020.