The year 2020 will always be a stand-out year in our personal and professional lives. COVID-19 brought so much suffering to so many across the globe and created a level of uncertainty that we had never experienced before. Businesses were forced to adapt at breakneck speed.

Public Health suddenly became the major economic issue, overshadowing even Brexit in terms of its impact on macro- economics, the public finances and the sustainability of every company in the UK.

Individual employee health became not just a matter for that employee and the Human Resources professional, but potentially a matter for the whole enterprise. What employees were doing in their lives outside of work, how stringently they were following the public health procedures, how they got to work, were all matters of concern.

Equally for employees, how seriously their employers took COVID-19 and the levels of trust they had in their employers became defining features of the employment relationship.

There were also concerns about mental health and general well-being and many employers had to consider how to support employees who were locked down and isolated from social contact.

Amanda Glover, Employment Solicitor at Clarkslegal looks back at the year that COVID-19 and Public Health suddenly became the major economic issue, overshadowing even Brexit in terms of its impact on macro- economics, the public finances and the sustainability of every company in the UK.