Coronavirus: An Update

We have previously set out the steps that Couriers can take to minimise the risks to both themselves
and their customers.

However we recognise of course that Couriers themselves may be required to self-isolate in

accordance with government guidance.

If a Courier is required to self-isolate then they should immediately contact their Field Manager to
inform them of the reasons behind this. This is to ensure that Hermes can take all necessary steps to
both reduce the risk to other Couriers/customers and support the Courier in question.

The purpose of this communication is to set out the support that a Courier can expect from Hermes.

Coronavirus Impact Fund

The Coronavirus Impact Fund has been set up by Hermes to provide support to couriers who have
been financially impacted by Coronavirus.

As widely reported, there is up to £1m available in the Fund for this purpose. We believe that we are
the first major company in the UK to establish a Fund of this kind for its self-employed service
providers.

Page 2 of this documents sets out which couriers may be eligible to apply to the Fund and how they
should go about doing this.

Round cover

In the first instance, if a Courier is required to self-isolate then where time permits the expectation
will be that they try to find someone else to provide services instead of them. This can either be a
substitute or another courier via the Marketplace.

If however a Courier is unable to source someone else to provide services instead of them then their
Field Manager will work with them to understand the situation and provide support where necessary.
Field Managers have been briefed on the correct process to follow in this situation.

If Hermes is required to cover a Courier’s round because that Courier is required to self-isolate then
Hermes guarantees that that round will be made available to the Courier once their self-isolation has
concluded.

Taken together these measures demonstrate our commitment to the courier network and the
importance we place on developing and strengthening our relationship with couriers. We hope that
Couriers will likewise work with both us and their fellow Couriers to navigate through this challenging
period.

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Eligibility

In the spirit of being open with you we want to set out clearly which couriers will be eligible to apply
to the Fund.

Only those couriers who have had to self-isolate due to Coronavirus will be eligible to apply. This is
because we recognise that by agreeing to self-isolate themselves in accordance with government
requirements, those couriers are benefitting their wider community whilst potentially suffering a
negative financial impact themselves.

In addition to having to self-isolate in accordance with government guidance, couriers will only be
eligible to apply if:

• Their average earnings in P12 (or in the most recent period if the situation continues) were
equal to or less than £90 per day. This is on the basis that the Fund be targeted at those
couriers who may be more likely to require financial support;
• They provided service on average at least 3 days per week in P12 (or in the most recent period
if the situation continues). However please be aware that if a courier has provided between
3 and 4 days service on average then all of that service will need to have been on the same
round. This requirement is in recognition of the fact that couriers who provide services to
Hermes more often are more likely receive a larger proportion of their overall earnings from
Hermes;
• They are required to self-isolate for more than 2 days

New couriers will have had to have provided 20 days service before being eligible to apply to the Fund.

How to apply

Eligible couriers should complete the application form on COL and send it to impactfund@hermes-
europe.co.uk. Applications will not be accepted via any other route, including via Field Manager.

Applications must only be submitted after the first 2 days of self-isolation. Applications submitted
earlier will be rejected. The process will then be as follows:

• Couriers will be notified within 3 working days of submitting that form whether they are
eligible for the Fund based on the above criteria
• The form asks couriers to confirm when their period of self-isolation is due to end
• If a courier’s period of self-isolation ends earlier than the period stated in the form, they must
email the above email address confirming the date that their self-isolation ended and why it
ended earlier
• At the end of the period, Hermes will check that the courier’s Courier ID has not been used to
provide services in the period of self-isolation. Assuming that it has not been, the courier will
then receive payment in the next available pay period

If the courier’s Courier ID has been used then they will not be eligible to receive any money from the
Fund

Payment

If a courier is successful in their application to the Fund then they will receive £20 for each day that
they were due to provide services (based on the previous period) but were unable to because they
were required to self-isolate.

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The daily amount is comparable to what is offered by the government under its Statutory Sick Pay
scheme and for most couriers whose application is successful, they will receive more than they would
have done via the statutory scheme.

The £20 payments will be capped at £280 in total, with this cap being reduce for couriers who were
due to provide service for less than 7 days. For example payments for a courier who was due to
provide services on 10 days over the period they were self isolating would be capped at £200.

All payments will be made in the next available courier pay run.

In addition to the above all couriers should also be aware of the measures announced in the recent
budget re Coronavirus and the self-employed.

Conor Ormsby

Head of Courier Service

18/03/20