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EU PolicyWatch

Database of national-level policy measures

Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.

Factsheet for measure GB-2020-13/1112 – measures in United Kingdom

Confederation of British Industries' online coronavirus hub

CBI Coronavirus Hub

Country United Kingdom , applies nationwide
Time period Open ended, started on 25 March 2020
Context COVID-19
Type Other initiatives or policies
Category Reorientation of business activities
– Other
Author Claire Evans (Warwick University) and Eurofound
Measure added 14 September 2020 (updated 04 October 2020)

Background information

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has created a 'Coronavirus Hub', which pulls together all its advice and guidance (including a series of webinars), ongoing policy recommendations made by the organisation and a summary of all its lobbying/campaigning activity since the beginning of the UK lockdown. The information is publicly available to all as the Hub is to be found on the CBI website.

Content of measure

The Hub is publicly available to everyone (although targeted at all businesses) on the CBI's website. The Hub is essentially a collation of everything that businesses need to know about COVID-19, including advice, guidance, and the steps that businesses can and need to take. It provides daily updates ('Everything you need to know today)'; links to previous webinars; facilities for future webinar registration; an overview of the CBI's political engagements/campaigning/lobbying activity focused on the COVID-19 outbreak; a facility for businesses to comment and 'get involved'; links to a number of fact sheets; links to case studies of how other businesses have responded.

Amounts spent on creating resources are unspecified.

Use of measure

Uptake unknown; no publicly-available evaluation data provided on number of visits/site usage.

Target groups

Workers Businesses Citizens
Applies to all workers Applies to all businesses Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors Funding
Employers' organisations
Employers organisation

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

Trade unions Employers' organisations
Role No involvement Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form Not applicable Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

  • Only employers' organisations
  • Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

The initiative has been designed and implemented by the CBI. It is a 'hub' which collates and presents all the advice and guidance provided by the body since the beginning of the UK lockdown. The CBI does survey member companies and requests input from businesses about their experiences.

However, the Hub and its content have been compiled by the CBI on a unilateral basis, as opposed to this being a jointly produced social partner initiative.

Views and reactions

It can be assumed that the measure would be generally supported as it provides advice and guidance on regulation, good practice, support for business and in turn, information for businesses on how they can support their workforces.

Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2020), Confederation of British Industries' online coronavirus hub, measure GB-2020-13/1112 (measures in United Kingdom), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/GB-2020-13_1112.html

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