If the recent COVID-19 lockdown wasn’t enough, residents in the north-east of Perth are being urged to leave their homes as soon as possible as an out-of-control bushfire is threatening lives and homes. The bushfire has already burnt through 7,000 hectares of land and at a perimeter of 75km, is posing a serious challenge for firefighters to get it under control.

What do I do if my employees are affected?

To support employees who may be affected by the bushfires, businesses can offer the option for employees (other than casual employees) to take any accrued annual leave if they wish to do so. If an employee has no accrued annual leave available, businesses can, at their discretion, invite the employee to take a period of unpaid leave.

Additionally, employees (other than casual employees) can access their accrued personal leave if they are unfit for work due to an illness or injury, or if they need to provide care or support to an immediate family or household member due to illness, injury or in the event of an unexpected emergency.

Can businesses offer additional support?

Bushfires are a terrifying event and not surprisingly, people want to do as much as they can to help those in need of support. If a business wishes to offer support above and beyond the abovementioned minimum requirements, they can do so at their discretion. It is important to note that any additional support offered should have clear parameters such as an end date or a limit so that there is no uncertainty that the support is limited.

What if my employee is working from home?

Given the current COVID-19 lockdown period, employees who have to evacuate or leave their homes due to the bushfires may have been working from home. In this instance, businesses may want to reach out to the affected employees and ascertain the following:

• Are they safe?
• Have they been able to relocate somewhere that’s safe?
• Is the temporary accommodation long-term or short-term?
• Do they wish to access any accrued annual leave entitlements?
• Do they have their work equipment with them?

Given the highly emotional situation that affected employees may be facing, it may not be appropriate to request an employee to work from their temporary residence. If it is appropriate however, that may be an option you are able to discuss with them.

To ensure affected employees are feeling supported, and to ensure businesses are kept up to date, it is a good idea to ask the employee if it’s ok for the business to check in with them regularly and if they need any additional support.

Is there additional support available?

If an employee requires additional support, there are a number of free services available such as the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, and Beyond Blue.

For more information and to keep updated on the bushfire crisis and the affected areas, please visit Emergency WA.

If you’re looking for assistance in supporting your employees through the bushfire crisis, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team, via the chat box here or calling us on 08 6150 0043.

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