Travel companies need to think about their future reputations as employers and ensure staff on furlough are looked after when they return to work, according to experts.
Speakers at the second C&M Travel Recruitment advice webinar said employers should ensure staff do not feel ‘disenfranchised’ on ther return after furlough ends on October 31.
HR specialist Claire Steiner, UK director of the Global Travel and Tourism Partnership, warned not all staff may be looking forward to coming back to work after months at home.
She said: “Thinking about retaining your staff going forward is going to be critical once we are post this and the green shoots get bigger.
“People who have been on furlough for months may not want to come back. Some people might be feeling disenfranchised with the business.
“There may be some of you [employers] that have not reached out to staff on furlough. Those who have been working may not have really had a break.
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“These are things you need to think about, your reputation as employers, how we evolve out of this and are seen by the next generation of talent. You need to start thinking about your future [as a business].”
Steiner said there had already been problems attracting young people into the business world and said companies needed to think about how they were perceived by potential new recruits coming into the workplace for the first time.
Speaker Ami Naru, Travlaw partner and head of employment, encouraged firms to update their employment contracts to reflect the ‘new normal’ working environment, for example different lengths or terms of contract.
In the last six months the pandemic has forced firms to ask staff to work from home, work reduced hours or accept pay cuts.
“We don’t know how long Covid will be around for and when it might happen again. Make sure your contracts are fit for purpose for what you are doing now and get employees’ consent,” said Naru.
During the webinar, Naru also warned firms to be ready for a rise in flexible working requests.
More: Get rid of staff only ‘as a last resort’, say employment experts
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