COVID-19 - The precautionary measures we are taking

Grant Thornton Limited is serious about ensuring we minimise disruption to our service and continue to offer you peace of mind that we remain open for business. But to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, their families, our clients, suppliers and the wider community is considered, we have enforced several measures with immediate effect.

No business travel permitted

While many countries have closed their borders, we have also taken the decision to ban all business travel, including inter-island trips between our two offices in Jersey and Guernsey. Colleagues have also been asked to notify our People and Culture team of planned travel in 2020 and they are receiving advice on the most appropriate course of action to take on return to the Island.

No external meetings permitted

We have asked that colleagues now host all meetings via telephone or video conferencing to avoid human contact – this includes meetings booked at our office. If you have a meeting booked with a member of our team, they will be in touch to arrange a telephone or video conference to host the meeting virtually.

We are testing our remote working capabilities

It is vital, should the closure of our offices be enforced, that we can continue to offer our services to our valued clients. As a result, we are testing the capabilities of our individuals and teams to work from home. Our robust IT infrastructure ensures our colleagues can work from home and communicate easily with colleagues and clients alike. We are launching a phase of split department testing to measure the effectiveness of remote working for each team.

All marketing and social events postponed

Grant Thornton enjoys a busy event calendar that includes thought leadership seminars, corporate hospitality and business development events. To reduce the potential for contamination, we have decided to postpone all marketing events until further notice. We will continue to notify attendees of future cancellations and we hope and expect to reschedule many of these events later in the year.

Attendance at external training sessions is postponed

Our Associates and those studying towards professional qualifications have been told that they cannot attend external training sessions. We have notified our training providers who are supporting our students in the delivery of training through a virtual medium.

We practice safe respiratory hygiene

We are frequently reminding our colleagues of the importance of good respiratory hygiene. We have distributed hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes throughout our offices and signs are displayed at our kitchen and bathroom sinks on how to adopt good hand washing practice. Colleagues are reminded to cough into their elbows or a clean tissue, to dispose of the tissue straight after and to wash hands.

We are enforcing self-isolation

In our Guernsey office, anyone returning to the Island, whether they are experiencing symptoms or otherwise is required to self-isolate for fourteen days to minimise the potential risk of cross contamination.

In our Jersey office, anyone returning from a Category A listed country is required to self-isolate for fourteen days, even if they are not experiencing symptoms. Anyone returning from a Category B listed country is required to self-isolate for seven days.

Access the latest on COVID-19

If you have any questions or concerns relating to the virus, the States of Jersey and the States of Guernsey have set up support lines. Detailed below are links and contact details to support you in finding our more and the latest news surrounding the outbreak:

• Public Health Service Guernsey: 01481 725241
• Jersey helpline in Jersey: 01534 445566