The COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing. For this reason, we should take precautions when outdoors: we need to disinfect our hands frequently with antibacterial gel, wear masks correctly and keep our distance. However, how should businesses go about ensuring that their employees are well cared for and safe? What guidelines apply? Business operations during a coronavirus certainly look different than usual. 
Own business and coronavirus - duty to safeguard employees
In order to halt the development of the pandemic and minimise the risk of infection, employers are required to provide additional safety measures for employees. The new guidelines are effective from 2 April 2020 and will be valid until further notice. Which safety measures are being referred to? Here they are:
- guaranteeing disposable protective gloves - these should be used by employees to carry out their official duties, especially if they are in regular contact with customers;
- constant access to disinfectant fluids to decontaminate hands as often as possible;
- workstations must be at least 1.5 metres apart from each other - sometimes this is not feasible due to the nature of the activity, in which case personal protective equipment must be used and you should try to keep as much distance as possible;
- the employer must inform employees that if they develop symptoms indicative of COVID-19 infection, they should not attend work but stay at home and immediately inform the company manager and consult a doctor;
- in offices, it is advisable to use disposable cutlery and plates, which are immediately disposed of in the waste bin after use.
One-person business in the age of the coronavirus - support for entrepreneurs
The pandemic period has been a difficult test for all businesses. Fewer orders started to come in overnight and many businesses had to suspend their operations or switch to remote mode. The sudden drop in revenue can cause many problems and an inability to cover ongoing costs. Large establishments and corporations are in a slightly better situation, although they too have not escaped the sudden economic crisis. What about the self-employed and micro businesses? It is worth knowing that, as part of the anti-crisis shield, the government has provided several helpful solutions for sole traders. The entrepreneur is entitled to apply for:
- exemption from social security contributions for 3 months - The relief could be granted for a period of three months from March to May 2020, but the Ministry of Development has announced that it will be extended until October 2020, although it will only be available to strictly defined industries;
- operating subsidy - The standstill benefit is PLN 2080 or PLN 1300; the funds are compensation for loss of income. In order to receive the benefit, we must demonstrate a decrease in income;
- a low-interest loan for micro-entrepreneurs from the Labour Fund's resources - ongoing costs can be worrying, so consider applying for a loan of up to PLN 5 000. It will be disbursed in a single payment upon signing the agreement and must be repaid within 12 months;
- payment in instalments or cancellation of debts to ZUS - is another option to support one-person businesses to prevent loss of liquidity. We can make an appropriate request to pay the premiums later or to spread the sum in instalments - at no extra cost;
- remission of tax arrears - if a business owner has an outstanding tax liability and does not want to lose liquidity, he or she has the option to apply for a write-off of all or part of the tax arrears.
Business and coronavirus - what is the situation with holidays?
Regarding annual leave and leave in arrears, during a coronavirus pandemic, an employer has the right to instruct its employees to take their accrued days off even from the past few years. In the case of current annual leave, the business owner should agree on the timing with the employee - he or she cannot force subordinates to take it, even when the employee is returning to work from a stay in a place with a higher risk of coronavirus. The employer also does not designate a quarantine to isolate in case of suspected COVID-19 infection. The situation is different with outstanding leave. An employee can be sent on it, even if he or she does not agree to take days off.
In summary: work has definitely changed in the era of the pandemic, and business owners have had to adapt quickly to the new conditions and look for solutions to alleviate the economic crisis. Above all, it is important to remember to follow the guidelines, i.e. to properly protect employees in the company to avoid coronavirus infection. Sole traders can take advantage of crisis shield support, which should help them cope with ongoing expenses.
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