We are writing to you today regarding the issue of the Coronavirus: COVID-19.
Lawrence Grant is continuing to monitor the current government guidelines and will take the necessary steps should the virus infect a member of staff. We are also assessing how this may affect our day-to-day working relationships with our clients too.
The number of cases in the UK are still relatively low, though the number of cases are rising on a daily basis.
The UK Authorities has raised the risk to the public from low to moderate, and are now planning for a wide range of scenarios.
You can find out more information jointly put together by the Department of Health and Social Care & Public Health England here.
Supporting businesses affected by Coronavirus
A helpline for businesses and the self-employed, affected by Coronavirus who will have difficulties paying their tax on time has been set up by HMRC. The number to call is 0800 0159 559
HMRC will discuss your specific circumstances to explore a number of solutions:
- Agreeing an instalment arrangement
- Suspending debt collection proceedings
- Cancelling penalties and interest where you have administrative difficulties contacting or paying HMRC immediately
- The helpline number is an addition to other HMRC phone contact numbers.
(Opening hours are Monday to Saturday: 8am to 4pm. The helpline will not be available on Bank Holidays).
More information regarding HMRC's support can be found here.
Our duty of care
We have a duty of care to all our staff and those who visit our premises. We are therefore doing everything in our power to stop the spread of the virus and taking a number of appropriate steps.
In accordance with official advice, staff who come in contact with an infected person, or may have returned from a high-risk area, will not be allowed to meet with clients or work in our office until they have been through a period of self-isolation.
Staff are also adhering to the official Government guidelines in respect of a standard basic hygiene. This includes:
- Coughing or sneezing into tissues that are then immediately disposed of
- Washing hands regularly for at least 20 seconds with soap and hot water
- Using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
- Cleaning frequently-used surfaces regularly
- Avoiding close contact with people presenting any cold or flu symptoms
We request that clients inform us before any type of visits with them if they, or anybody in their company premises, has had contact with an infected person or have returned from a high-risk area. This is to ensure that all precautions are taken to prevent potential risk of infection.
Self-isolation
Our organisation has technology in place that will ensure our staff can work from home if required.
We will following the steps below in case of self-isolation:
- We will grant special approval to working from home should a staff member need to self-isolate after being in contact with an infected person.
- Due to GDPR, we will need to obtain consent from the respective client for which the individual may be working.
- We will provide company laptops to any individuals working from home, ensuring that all client data will be secure and only accessible through our server.
If a member of our team does have to self-isolate, you should not experience any changes to the level of service you receive in the delivery of our accountancy services.
Ongoing monitoring and actions
Due to the changing nature of the situation, we are continuing to monitor government advice, which is being updated daily. Therefore, it may be that we implement new recommendations or protection measures as a result.
These measures could involve our staff working from home. Any essential meetings could be conducted over the phone, Skype or FaceTime as opposed to in person to avoid possible physical contact.
We would like to assure you that we have put contingency plans in place to ensure that the essential services we provide will not be affected. By putting these measures in place now, we hope to safeguard the containment of COVID-19 with minimal impact on the level of service that you have come to expect from us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding our preparations or procedures for the Coronavirus.