Pimlico Plumbers and Charlie Mullins have been in the news (again!), receiving wide coverage of his proposed ‘no jab, no job policy’.
Mullins has, in his typical strong-arm fashion, rather bluntly attempted to lay down the law, which he is more than entitled to do within reason. He is, correctly of course, seeking to protect his business, after all it is a wee difficult to deliver plumbing services from home. When coupled with his statement that any employees who do tests positive for COVID-19 will not be paid to self-isolate, and his actions in sacking personnel last summer, we would suggest however that perhaps a little reflection in slow time and a more balanced approach here might be useful here.
Certainly, encouraging your personnel to have COVID-19 vaccinations seems only eminently sensible and a moral imperative.
There are however legal and contractual issues – such as The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 and rewriting contracts- here, which we would suggest compels more careful consideration and subtlety. Rather than brow beat and pressure existing and potential new talent, why not an approach which motivates and rewards?
And just how sensible a business model or operational approach is it to spend millions on what is a free national vaccination, risk reputational damage through a hard-nosed approach to not supporting your people and talent if are afraid to return to work during the pandemic or they did succumb to COVID-19; or risk potential breaches of contract constructive unfair dismissal claims? We would suggest that a more strategic, innovative and smarter leadership, management and operational approach here might reap rich rewards, both internally and externally.
Perhaps some food for thought here?
Recent Comments