Tradespeople On The Road: Locked Down, But Not Out

Essential Work For Tradespeople Or A Risk?

Demand for tradespeople has surged since the first lockdown ended.

British van drivers – many of you are still out on the road, despite lockdown.

Why?

But now, a debate has sparked: should the government allow this during a national lockdown?

SAGE Calls For Limits On Tradespeople Work

SAGE, the government advisory group, has a strong opinion.

They’ve urged officials to restrict to only “critical” work.

Or work that can’t be delayed due to health and safety.

Currently, most trades are still running – with a few changes.

Workers wear masks indoors and maintain social distance.

But, they face no limits on the type of jobs they take on.

The Unfairness Factor: Who’s Really Left Out?

And here’s a twist:

The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed, an industry group, is speaking up.

Their message?

Stopping tradespeople would be unfair.

Did you know?

Approximately 1.5 million tradespeople, however, were excluded from financial support.

Some, for instance, were short-term contractors.

Others, meanwhile, worked on zero or low-hours contracts with limited companies.

In their situation, every job truly matters, and every pound absolutely counts.

Why Restrictions Could Be Devastating For Tradespeople

Imagine the government tells you that you can’t work, yet you still don’t qualify for support.

That’s the reality for many. And restrictions on trades could be disastrous.

Unlike office jobs, they can’t “work from home.” Their work is hands-on.

And let’s be honest:

The rules, however, feel confusing and inconsistent.

For instance, nurseries and churches allow large gatherings.

Yet, at the same time, tradespeople – who perform critical services – face restrictions.

Where’s the consistency?

Hope Ahead: Vaccines And Lower COVID Cases

Many trades include essential work, like heating, plumbing, or other vital services.

They’re often called to fix things that simply can’t wait.

And here’s to hoping:

With the rapid vaccination rollout, we might see an end in sight.

COVID cases are dropping. We’re moving forward.

For the tradespeople of the UK, let’s hope work can continue.

Maybe not “as usual,” but enough to keep their families fed and secure.

What’s in a work/life balance?

A news story that caught the eye of the Cheap Van Insurance team last week created a lot of conversation at head office. The furore blew up after a woman called Evandra texted a carpet fitter at 12.15am, requesting a quote for his services.

Suffice to say, the carpet fitter in question was not best pleased and told her in no uncertain terms. Which leads to an interesting debate. If you are a tradesman or woman who advertises online and publishes their number, when is the right time to ignore the phone.

On the one hand, business is business, right? And on the other, everyone is entitled to some down time. 

Many felt that had Evandra emailed her request, the time was immaterial, but that to text at that time considered an unreasonable breach of privacy and she was unreasonable to do so. 

Others felt that a text was fair game and she shouldn’t have necessarily expected a reply at that time, but that she wasn’t unwarranted to send it. 

We understand, those with kids or ageing family may not feel able to put their phone in flight mode or silent during the night, but many do, so who is to say what she did was inconsiderate? We are so used to living in a 24/7 society, many think nothing of firing out a few email before bed to chase thins up and make things happen. 

The debate was a close-run thing, with a poll taken by those investing in the debate voting almost 60% to 40% that she was in the wrong for making her request by text at that time. 

Our advice: if you’re a tradesman, invest in a work phone. Switch it off at a time that works for you and forget about it to the next day, if it’s out of hours. And if you’re a customer, just try to remember that sole traders, workmen and small businesses are entitled to a little down time too. 

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