SixFifty partners with leading international law firms Taylor Wessing and Wilson Sonsini to develop a technology solution to help businesses and their employees return to work safely in the US and Europe.
Together with SixFifty, the technology subsidiary of the law firm Wilson Sonsini, we've released a legal technology 'Return to Work Toolset' for businesses to support the safe transition of their employees back into the workplace.
In response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisations identified a need from many clients, for further guidance on the changes to effectively enable a safe return to the workplace for their employees. The collective experience of working in the technology sector and both firms' international employment expertise has resulted in a new digital toolset to make this process of risk and governance assessment, policy review and screening more efficient.
The digital toolset is available online and features include:
- an assessment to help businesses determine their back-to-workplace readiness
- various policy templates to govern how businesses transition their employees back to the office, and
- a questionnaire screening system.
"Employers have a duty to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees," said Kimball Dean Parker, CEO of SixFifty. "Fortunately, businesses can take proactive steps to identify potentially infected and exposed employees and develop protocols for ensuring employee safety at work, Employers also need to take into account guidance and requirements from all levels of government, which are in flux and may vary by location, when sculpting their return to work strategy. We built our Return-to-Work Toolset with Taylor Wessing and Wilson Sonsini so that businesses of all sizes can leverage world class employment law expertise to help plan and implement their Return-to-Work efforts."
Partnering with our employment law experts, SixFifty can deliver confidence and peace of mind to organisations based in the UK, France, Austria and the Netherlands, as they navigate the legal obligations, regulatory compliance and reputational considerations needed to protect their businesses and their employees during this time.
Partner and international head of employment at Taylor Wessing, Paul Callaghan said:
More than ever, our clients and their businesses need our support. With so many regulatory considerations to deal with as well as business continuity planning and obligations to their employees, we wanted to provide businesses and their HR teams with a solution that would give them the reassurance and support they needed to make decisions on their future – and quickly. Technology has been one of the heroes of the pandemic. The combined expertise of our team with Wilson Sonsini and the legal tech expertise of SixFifty enabled a technology-based solution when clients need it to complement their current working environments and en masse agile working.”
SixFifty’s Return to Work platform was launched in the United States in May and has helped US organisations assess their Return to Work readiness, create customised policies, and then manage the protocols they put in place to ensure worker safety.
"Ensuring the safety of our employees is our number one priority as we navigate our business through this pandemic," said Jodi Lumsdaine Chapin, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Los Angeles based Revolve Group Inc. "I can sleep better at night knowing that I have real-time information at my fingertips to help us prepare for the safe return of employees, while creating confidence that as a company we’re adhering to the protocols we’ve put in place."
SixFifty’s automation platform walks businesses through a series of questions regarding the steps they need to take to prepare for employees' return to the workplace. The automation system then produces an assessment that businesses can download regarding their back-to-work readiness. The answers to those questions also determine the customised terms of a return-to-work policy that is provided through the platform. We have added our expertise in UK and European employment law to this new offering, allowing organisations to create policies tailored to their office locations.
In addition, SixFifty and Taylor Wessing offer an online questionnaire system to help screen employees for COVID-19 and determine who can safely enter the workplace each day. Depending on the employee's answers, the questionnaire system automates instructions back to the employee about whether they are allowed to enter the worksite that day. All actions and communications in the questionnaire system are logged so that employers have an auditable record of their efforts to keep potentially infected employees from infecting others at work.
Notes to editors
Businesses can access the Return-to-Work Toolset at www.sixfifty.com/returntowork
The Return-to-Work Toolset joins a roster of tools SixFifty has released to help businesses and individuals cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, and a suite of technology solutions Taylor Wessing has developed to provide innovative legal and risk solutions for their clients.
The cost of the tool to businesses will be dependent on company size.
In March 2020, SixFifty released a free toolset to help businesses transition their employees to work remotely.
In April, SixFifty released free tools for renters (www.hellolandlord.org) and homeowners (www.hellolender.org) to delay paying rent and mortgages under the federal stimulus.
SixFifty also released tools to help businesses determine whether they are eligible for SBA loans and tax relief.
Thousands of individuals and businesses have used SixFifty's free tools since the COVID-19 emergency began.
Taylor Wessing's TechSet offering combines legal experience with the latest technology to provide innovative legal solutions clients. From initial assessment of client need, accurate matter planning and cost management, through to the automation of documents and due diligence reports.
TW:detect was officially launched in late 2018 as the first legal tool of its kind in the market to help businesses identify indicators of compromise ahead of any cybersecurity or data breach occurring. In 2019 the tool was recognised as the most innovative technology by the leading legal industry titles and awards. It's success and value continue to gain recognition in the market with nominations for global innovation awards for 2020.
For our clients we have also built several AI assessment tools including the modern slavery tool, GDPR for HR teams, and the EEA personal data transfer assessment tool. These are innovative, responsive and free.
Another notable success has been TW:navigate. An AI solution able to undertake automated assessments of a client's circumstances to identify their exposure to a piece of legislation. This tool won the award for Innovation in Knowledge Management at The Lawyer Business Awards 2016.
About SixFifty
Headquartered in the Silicon Slopes area of Utah, SixFifty is a subsidiary of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and combines the expertise of the world's leading technology law firm, made accessible through thoughtful technology. Led by a group of lawyers and software engineers that believe the law should be easier to navigate, SixFifty streamlines complex areas of the law by providing actionable, efficient and affordable solutions for individuals and businesses. For more information, please visit www.sixfifty.com.
About Taylor Wessing
Taylor Wessing is a global law firm that serves the world’s most innovative people and businesses. Deeply embedded within our sectors, we work closely together with our clients to crack complex problems, enabling ideas and aspirations to thrive. Creative thinking is at the heart of our culture and we see art as an important instrument of change. Together with our people and community partners, we seek to challenge expectation and create extraordinary results.
Taylor Wessing entities operate under one brand but are legally distinct, either being or affiliated to a member of Taylor Wessing Verein. Taylor Wessing Verein does not itself provide legal or other services. Further information can be found on our regulatory page at: taylorwessing.com/regulatory
For any media of product inquiries, please contact the team at press@sixfifty.com.
Source: SixFifty Technologies
