Introduction and Reminder
(Updated 24 March 2020)
In light of ongoing developments regarding COVID-19, and the we wanted to reassure our clients and address any concerns that you may have. We are therefore issuing this reminder about Mitchell Charlesworth’s Business Continuity plans, which has been updated in light of the Prime Minister’s new restrictions on individuals leaving their homes. In particular, please see ‘Attending Meetings’ section below. We have also included links to our up to date advice to businesses during the coronavirus pandemic – please see ‘Advice and Guidance’.
Be assured that the safety of our colleagues and clients is our main priority and we are closely monitoring developments and taking all reasonable measures and precautions in line with ongoing Government guidance. We will continue to share advice on infection prevention and self-isolation with colleagues.
As always, it is our desire to maintain the highest standards of client care and service we can, and meet any deadlines we have agreed with clients during this unsettling time. Due to effective planning, Mitchell Charlesworth is well placed to continue to support our clients whilst also safeguarding the health and safety of our employees.
We therefore seek to reassure clients by confirming the following steps to ensure our own business continuity and service delivery.
Delivery of our services
For the time being, we are continuing to deliver our services as per normal. Should the impact of COVID-19 begin to deepen, then please be assured that preparations are in place to continue to support our clients whilst also ensuring the health and safety of our employees.
In recent years we have invested heavily in sophisticated IT systems as we move towards a paperless office, meaning that employees and advisors can already access our systems remotely in the event of self isolation or the introduction of other working from home measures. Each advisor has laptops and ancillary equipment meaning that they can work remotely to the same extent as if they were in the office. Therefore, whilst we don’t anticipate any major disruption, there may be some minor technology glitches – please bear with us in these circumstances.
If we normally attend at your premises to provide our services, we will contact you separately to arrange how we might best do this and minimise risks to both you and to our people.
Attending meetings
In the current environment our preferred method of communicating with clients is via cloud based video and/or telephone conferencing facilities. If you have pre-arranged, existing meetings with us, we will contact you in advance to discuss further.
Communicating with us
Telephone:
All office telephone numbers will remain functional during this time, albeit in the highly unlikely event that a local office needs to temporarily close, then calls may be diverted to an alternative MC office. You will wherever possible always to be able to contact your engagement partner, either via a transferred call from an office, or directly where applicable.
Post:
During this time we would encourage clients to communicate via email rather than post in the unlikely event of a local office temporarily closing. We can advise on the best method of large file transfer if required via cloud based systems.
Email:
All engagement partners and the majority of staff will continue to engage in email correspondence, whether office or home based.
Our offices
As you are aware, Mitchell Charlesworth have four separate offices meaning there is minimal risk of all offices closing. In the unlikely event that one of our offices has to close, we can relocate staff to an alternative office to ensure that administrative functions are not adversely affected. In such circumstance you should continue to use your local office telephone number as calls will be re-routed to a different office.
Availability of your Engagement Partner:
You will wherever possible always be able to contact your engagement partner via your preferred method of communication.
Payroll Clients
Clients who utilise our payroll bureau services should please continue to send salary and staffing information to our payroll team as normal (sickness, new employees, etc). Our payroll team will continue to process payrolls and payments via BACS.
Advice and Guidance
We have issued clients with our advice guide which signposts the various sources of loan/grant funding and advice available during this time. Our guide will be updated in the coming days, weeks and even months with the major Government announcements affecting business during this time.
Conclusion
We are of course keeping this evolving situation under review and will always strive to act in the best interests of our colleagues and clients.
We remain available to assist with any concerns that you may have, including the financial implications of COVID-19 for your business and key stakeholders.
We wish you all well during this unsettling time.
