Category Archives: Coronavirus

Coronavirus, News

Roomzzz FOR OUR NHS: Aparthotel brand signs up to fight virus

Roomzzz aparthotels has donated an initial 2,000 overnight stays to key workers from the NHS in a bid to support their efforts during the COVID-19 outbreak, in a gesture worth quarter of a million pounds. With healthcare professionals on the front-line of the fight to control the outbreak, many workers are being asked to locate themselves in specific areas or isolate themselves from family, to ensure they are able to focus full attention and efforts on tackling this pandemic.

Roomzzz, owned and operated by The Parklane Group, has allocated a number of apartments at each of its locations across the UK for NHS staff and their sole use. The offer has already been fully taken-up at the brand’s Burley Road property in Leeds, which is just a few minutes’ walk from Leeds General Infirmary and they want to extend this offer nationwide.

Naveen Ahmed, Founder of The Parklane Group, said:

“In these unprecedented times, we want to do what we can to support our brilliant NHS, who are on the front line of the fight against this outbreak and coping with unbelievable situations in a remarkably professional and brave manner. The donation of these facilities equates to a substantial charitable contribution already totalling £250,000, which is a mark of how we operate as a business.

“Our long-established work through The Parklane Foundation has proven the Group’s ongoing commitment to supporting the wider community in times of need. If we as a business can help in any way, then we stand ready to support the cause.”

Roomzzz occupies sites in ten core locations throughout the UK, including London, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, York, Chester and Nottingham. For any other organisations who are reviewing the logistics of where their staff need to be located at this time, please get in touch with the Roomzzz team to discuss subsidised and preferential rates via the website: https://www.roomzzz.com/contact

Coronavirus, Health, Healthcare News, News, South East

Could FeNO breath testing provide an early indicator of Covid-19?

As of Tuesday 24th March, the number of global Coronavirus cases rose to 398,8341 with 6,6502 confirmed cases in the UK alone. The Covid-19 strain of Coronavirus has officially been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation and there has been an urgent call for innovation that can help with the diagnosis or treatment of the virus. Kent-based medical device manufacturer, Bedfont Scientific Ltd., thinks their NObreath FeNO monitor could help.

Recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), and the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), FeNO is well-established, globally, as an objective test for airway inflammation and could theoretically be used to screen patients or office workers routinely or those suspected to have COVID-19; increasing FeNO levels can be an early indicator as the infection occurs in the upper respiratory tract and can lead to respiratory conditions such as pneumonia, which causes inflammation.

NObreath® testing is quick, easy, non-invasive, and the monitor is portable, which means testing can be performed by healthcare professionals at home. The NObreath® mouthpieces have been vigorously tested by Public Health England, and are proven to remove and trap 96.8% and 95% of airborne bacteria and viruses respectively. Unlike other FeNO measuring methods, the NObreath® testing technique does not require patients to inhale through the device, reducing the risk of cross-infection. Lastly, the NObreath® monitor itself is integrated with SteriTouch® technology, which eradicates the bacteria that causes contamination and infection.

Jason Smith, Managing Director, comments,

“As the spread of Covid-19 seems relentless we find ourselves trying to weather the storm both personally and as a business. Being a medical device manufacturer, we are fortunate enough to be in a position where we can try and help but that does mean it is necessary to have some of the Bedfont Family, our employees, attend the offices. Whilst not desirable, it’s necessary to support the business and all the families it provides for. Covid-19 is hard to diagnose and we know very little about it presently, however we know about airway inflammation and so we are testing employees each day; any who have an increase in FeNO of ≥15ppb or ≥20% from their baseline reading will immediately be sent to self-isolate for 14 days.”

Although designed as a diagnostic and management aid for asthma, Bedfont® hopes the NObreath® could help mass screen changes in inflammation levels so patients can self-isolate early-on, helping to reduce the spread of the virus.

Coronavirus, Engagement, Flexible Working, Team Building & Motivation

Wildgoose launches remote team building to help colleagues working from home

Best known worldwide as the leading provider of digital team building events and activities, Wildgoose is proud to announce three pioneering virtual experiences that can help businesses prepare for a leap into the unknown.

Over the past week, Wildgoose has developed a new suite of products to support companies and their remote and isolated colleagues and teams, a move that responds to World Health Organisation concerns about employee wellness and mental health during the current crisis. The WHO has said staying connected and engaged with colleagues and networks is vital for mental health in stressful and worrying times.

Wildgoose is proud to have launched three pioneering virtual experiences that can help any business support remote and isolated colleagues and boost much-needed morale. These include:

The Daily Kick-Off – a creative self-led challenge that will set teams on the right track each morning by encouraging employees to shoot their own short motivational videos for one another.

In the absence of work socials, The Team Quiz is a virtual pub quiz that enables teams to have a laugh and get competitive via video conferencing, keeping that feeling of unity firmly in place.

With The Virtual Away Day, teams work together from home to answer questions and complete challenges, developing the same brilliant communication and collaboration skills that they would on a regular team building day.

Jonny Edser, Founder and MD of Wildgoose, said:

“Virtual team building and support has never been more important for employee wellness and mental health. The prospect of prolonged isolation over a long period of time is not good for anybody. We are committed to helping businesses motivate, inspire, connect and engage with remote colleagues and teams. We want to do everything we can to put a smile back on the face of colleagues, make isolation less painful and make the working week work better at home.”

Coronavirus, Law

How Covid-19 impacts on Contractual Obligations

Conexus Law, the specialist advisory firm that provides legal and commercial advice to clients who work in sectors where the built environment, technology, engineering and people converge, is launching a range of fact sheets on the legal implications of the Covid-19.

The first one provides legal analysis alongside some valuable, practical steps that may be taken by parties who find the impact of Covid-19 affects their ability to meet contractual obligations owed to others (upstream), or who find that their trading partners can no longer meet the obligations owed to them (downstream).

Ed Cooke, Founder at Conexus Law, explains:

“In the modern commercial world, businesses are often heavily reliant on trading partners and long “just in time” supply chains in order to fulfil their contractual obligations. The impact of Covid-19 could significantly upset those finely balanced arrangements and the relationships between parties may be tested in ways they had not previously contemplated.

“As trading relationships are now often global, a complex interplay of laws from different jurisdictions may also be in play, some of which are potentially in conflict. For example, English law may govern your contract with your customer, but Chinese law may govern the law of your contract with a critical supplier enabling you to perform your customer contract.”

The Conexus Law fact sheet advises that organisations identify whether there are any express provisions written into the contract which might be relevant to the Covid-19 situation. For example, there is a large section on force majeure and whether it is applicable. Other areas include certain insurances and the importance of following all relevant procedures in the policy related to claims notification and submission of claims.

“The Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak is already having a significant impact on many individuals and businesses and it is becoming clearer that the impact will likely be more significant and longer lasting than we may have imagined at first. We hope these fact sheets provide helpful guidance during these challenging times,” concludes Ed.

To download this fact sheet, free of charge, click here: https://7aee0ab1-94f5-4d7e-9556-9f9a01df3265.filesusr.com/ugd/b58c63_71a397aa9f414609913e82fc89d9417a.pdf

Coronavirus, Food & Drink, News

Bakery boss says ‘no need to panic buy’ as workers double production

A bakery boss has paid tribute to his loyal workforce who have doubled bread production in the wake of the panic buying caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Robin Jones, managing director of the Wrexham-based Village Bakery, revealed staff were working 12-hour shifts to keep up with the spiralling demand, particularly for bread and rolls.

The bakery has also seen a huge surge in sales of their crumpets, pikelets and pancakes – and to a lesser extent their scones.  Jones is now urging shoppers to calm down, and is keen to reassure the public that there is absolutely no need to panic, at least as far as bread is concerned, because there are plentiful supplies of bakery products available.

Jones also encouraged people to shop local and support independent stores, as he explained that this was the second time his “brilliant team” at the Village Bakery had stepped up to the plate in very difficult circumstances.

Last August their flagship bakery on Wrexham Industrial Estate was destroyed by a fire that ripped through the premises which also included their head office, Baking Academy and new product development kitchen.

The company have started already started to build a new bakery four times the size which is due to be operational in a year’s time, while in the meantime every inch of their remaining three bakeries is being used to maximise production, to such effect that they have already restored all of their lost capacity.

Mr Jones reassured customers that there was no need to panic regarding bread supplies:

“The demand for bread and rolls has gone through the roof and as a result we have seen a 200 per cent increase in production.

“All our retailer customers, independents as well as supermarkets, have been incredibly busy and the message is that this is the time to shop local because the local retailers and shopkeepers have got stocks in.

“One message I would like to get out is that there is absolutely no need to panic buy –  there will always be plentiful supplies if people just calm down a bit. Nobody is going to run out.

“I also want to pay tribute to our brilliant team here at the Village Bakery for rising magnificently to the challenge once again. They are coming up trumps. They are real heroes.”

Coronavirus, Flexible Working

Working from home: professional insight and guidance from Gympass

The threat of coronavirus is forcing companies to let employees work from home. While highly sensible advice to help contain the spread of the virus and safeguard employees’ health, the transition to remote working will challenge work cultures and could lead to people feeling isolated from the camaraderie among colleagues.

How can companies safeguard their culture and the wellbeing of their workforce during these unpredictable, difficult times? How can they preserve the very thing that attracted their staff and made them productive employees when they can’t all be in one room together to collaborate, create and converse?

Pietro Carmignani, CEO for UK, IE & Netherlands at Gympass, the world’s largest corporate fitness platform, shares this advice to help nurture and retain company culture among a home-based workforce.

Pay more attention to how you’re using tech

Tech will really come into its own to keep us in touch with each other. Choose a video conferencing service that is seamless, reliable and easy for everyone to use, such as Zoom. Question whether email is the best solution for corresponding or whether teams should transition to instant-messaging type solutions, such as Slack. If used correctly, these tools can be great for speeding up lines of communication, collaborative working and sharing of documents.

Dial into meetings

Being ‘stuck in a meeting’ is an all-too-common scenario at work and many are unproductive with no clear agenda or outputs. When we transition to working from home, we have to think harder about whether a meeting is necessary. If you really do need to get together through remote means, dialling into a video meeting from various locations on tech that works could be your solution. Make sure that every meeting has a clear purpose and agenda before going into it and choose someone to lead it to avoid people talking over each other or interrupting.

Pick up the phone

Problems or concerns in the office are usually best addressed in a quick face-to-face conversation. With your colleagues working from home, any problems should be dealt with by phone, not email. Written words can take on new meanings and phrasing or poor grammar can be a deadly weapon if they change the sentiment of a sentence. Online communication can feel more tense when you lose the ability to gauge how someone is feeling as you would when you can see them in person. If something needs to be resolved, pick up the phone and have a conversation in real time. Apart from minimising the risk of misunderstandings, it keeps a personal touch which people may be missing if working from home.

Keep a routine

It can be easy to start your working day at home from the moment you wake up to the moment you eat your evening meal – but these exaggerated hours can result in feeling burnt out and losing productivity. People should be encouraged to not only work their usual hours, but take proper screen breaks away from the computer, take a lunch break, get up from their desk (or sofa) and walk around their home a little or take a brief walk around the block (unless they are self-isolating). Managers and directors should lead by example and not send or reply to emails outside of normal work hours unless it’s absolutely essential.

Celebrate together

It’s still important to shout out any company wins and congratulate people on successes as you would do in the office. If someone wins a sale, delivers an amazing piece of work or receives positive client feedback, share it with the wider company electronically. Anything that you would celebrate in the office can and should be celebrated online to maintain excitement and camaraderie.

Stay Active

Despite the change of routine, it’s important to keep healthy and happy by eating well and finding time to exercise. This will help you stay motivated, clear-headed and, ultimately, more productive.

At Gympass, physical activity is a big part of our company culture and this remains true even when we cannot be together to workout. If your colleagues can’t travel to their favourite exercise class, encourage them to explore what can be done in their front room or garden. There is a wealth of exercise programmes available on the internet and social media: maintaining this physical activity will have a profound impact on people’s working day and productivity.

Managers and supervisors should lead by example by letting staff know they are doing home workouts, sharing ideas and links to online exercise and approving colleagues to take time out of their day to do the same.

Gympass is actively supporting its clients and partners to help them with online options and additional guidance.