We wish all our members and their loved ones a wonderful festive season and a Happy New Year!
Take good care of yourselves and stay healthy!
We wish all our members and their loved ones a wonderful festive season and a Happy New Year!
Take good care of yourselves and stay healthy!
Here is an update on MRS’ guidance on social distancing, facial coverings and vaccinations following the various government announcements about arrangements after 19 July 2021.
The MRS Standards Team are currently reviewing all the guidance to update it with the new requirements. However, to help you prepare for the changes, the Standards team have prepared a summary of the current MRS position:
Social distancing and facial coverings
Whilst facial coverings are no longer required by law in England, the UK Government ‘expects and recommends’ that people continue to wear face coverings in enclosed and crowded spaces. The Scottish, Welsh and Irish Governments continue to require the use of facial coverings as do some public transport networks such as Transport for London.
Pre-data collection
Recruitment
During Data Collection
Data Collection in Viewing Facilities
Covid-19 Vaccinations
The Covid-19 vaccination and employment issue is complex. In the UK having a Covid-19 vaccination is not mandatory. An employer may make it a condition of employment to require someone who is not vaccinated to declare they have not been Covid-19 vaccinated and to provide a reason. However, to exclude or treat an individual differently on the criteria of whether or not they have had a Covid-19 vaccine could be defined as discriminating against such individuals.
There are a number of reasons why individuals may not be vaccinated including access to the vaccines, philosophical beliefs, religious beliefs, health and medical conditions including pregnancy and allergies to vaccine ingredients.
In the UK the Equality Act lists a number of protected characteristics and this includes religious or ethical beliefs, disabilities (which can include allergic issues) and also those who are pregnant. Depending on the reason for not taking the vaccine could determine whether such legislation could apply.
There are also a number of issues to consider with regards to mandatory vaccination. Employers cannot forcibly vaccinate employees or potential employees unless they work in a sector (such as care homes) where a legal requirement has been introduced. Conversely, employers do have responsibilities to protect workers and employees.
A number of organisations have produced employer guidance on vaccinations and we recommend these are reviewed if and when organisations are determining their corporate approach to vaccines:
In-home data collection
The Standards team are also working on guidance for the resumption of in-home face-to-face data collection. The current plan is for in-home to resume from September assuming that the UK Government continues with its revised timetable for easing restrictions. This approach ensures that we have extra time to see how the post-easing of restrictions performs before committing to a full roll-out of in-home face-to-face data collection.
If you have any queries about the MRS Code or any of the MRS’ Covid-19 guidance please contact the MRS Standards Team via the MRS Codeline service.
The MRS has issued new guidance for areas affected by Covid-19 variant. The following is MRS’ interpretation of the new UK Government advice for parts of the UK. This UK Government advice applies to the areas where the Covid-19 variant is spreading fastest, which are currently:
The MRS interpretation of this advice applies to these and any new areas which are added to this list. The UK Government has stated that, where possible, in the areas affected individuals should try to:
The current MRS guidance (issued on 12 April 2021) contains the following requirements:
In light of the new UK Government advice, when applying the MRS requirements practitioners must consider the following:
The MRS Standards Team are continuing to review and update the MRS guidance as and when required. The existing MRS Covid-19 guidance documents continue to apply, supplementing the UK Government guidance:
If you have any queries about the MRS Code or any of the MRS’ Covid-19 guidance please contact the MRS Standards Team via the MRS Codeline service.
Following the government’s announcement regarding plans to lift restrictions, The Market Research Society has updated its guidance on face-to-face data collection in England.
MRS has updated the suite of MRS guidance interpreting the implications for face-to-face data collection following the announcement of the new restrictions for England.
The new MRS guidance sets out the conditions for limited resumption of face-to-face data collection activities as England cautiously plans to lift restrictions via the 4-step plan issued by the UK Government on 22 February.
To enable practitioners to prepare for the change, the guidance is being issued prior to its application date, which will be from 29 March 2021. Until that date the MRS lockdown guidance, issued on 6 January 2021, will continue to apply.
The fundamental principle underlying this guidance is that face-to-face data collection will only be undertaken when no other alternative methodology can be used. This principle should be followed until the working from home and social contact messaging is reviewed as part of step 4 of the UK Government’s roadmap. Please note, the MRS guidance may change before 29 March 2021 if government advice regarding the proposed 4-step plan is modified.
Some points to note from the new guidance:
The three core documents covering face-to-face data collection, face-to-face mystery shopping and face-to-face data collection in facilities have all been updated with a status update across the four nations and detailed guidance for England, in readiness for 29 March, and are available via the following links:
The MRS Standards Team will continue to review and update the MRS guidance as and when required.
If you have any queries about the MRS Code or any of the MRS’ Covid-19 guidance please contact the MRS Standards Team via the MRS Codeline service ([email protected]).