#SurviveAndThrive During Covid-19

We know that in the face of the ongoing situation with Covid-19 many people will be facing unprecedented challenges. As individuals, we may find ourselves feeling anxious or afraid, isolated or just downright bored or frustrated. Business will be struggling, trying to find new ways of working and fighting to manage in very uncertain times. Here at Smith Goodfellow, we have always valued the sense of family and community that has grown up within and around our organisation and we very much want to offer support, encouragement and hope wherever we can. We really are all in this together and it’s never been more important to look out for one another, as well as ourselves.

With this in mind, we’ve decided to share any tips and resources we come across that we think might provide useful information, support or light relief. We’ll be sharing daily tips and messages on our social media channels from members of the team as we all accustom ourselves to working from home and navigate the strange situation, and we’re also going to compile some ideas and useful links right here on the blog for you to access and share.

We also invite you all to come join our community – pop over and say hi on Facebook, tag us with your own tips on Twitter, send us a pic of your working from home set-up on Instagram and help us promote and support small businesses on LinkedIn. We look forward to connecting with you.

Keeping Up to Date

As the situation continues to evolve there are more and more sources fighting for attention with updates and advice. For those in the UK, here are some key links to help you stay on top of official guidance:

• NHS guidelines will keep you up to date with symptoms and how you should be caring for yourself or your loved ones
• The Government are keeping this page updated with their latest guidance for individuals and businesses
• The World Health Organisation are providing up to date information on the situation around the world.
• For news coverage, the BBC now have a dedicated page for Covid-19 updates. They have also dedicated their daily news briefing to updates about the situation, which you can access through their app if you just want a quick round up of the situation each morning.

What we’re doing here at SG

Following the most recent guidance provided by the Government and Public Health England for employers and businesses, and in order to keep our team safe and healthy, we are now conducting all of our business remotely.

To ensure we can continue to support our clients during this time, we have put the following measures in place:

1. All staff have access to the internet and a computer at home, allowing them to continue to work. Please be mindful that, as increasing numbers of people are needing to work from home there may also be fluctuations in internet connectivity and as we will not be working as a team in the office, some responses may take longer than others. All our data is backed up on a regular basis and automatically sent off-site, allowing us to access and protect our client’s data remotely.
2. In the event that a staff member becomes ill, an out of office alert will be set and you should refer any person-specific enquiries to Cathy Barlow. If you need to speak to us urgently, please email Cathy Barlow (cathy.barlow@sgpr.co.uk) or Paul Barlow (paul.barlow@sgpr.co.uk).
3. We are committed to paying the small businesses who act as our suppliers on time and in full for as long as possible.
4. We are taking a proactive approach to making use of the Government support available for businesses, in order to make sure that we can continue to operate and still have a viable business, with all our current team, at the end of this. Protecting our employee’s incomes and lives is our highest priority right now – because without them there is no us – and we are actively pursuing the means to ensure we come out the other side of this a stronger business than ever.
5. We are working hard on producing discounted and free PR & Marketing services and packages, in order to try and help other businesses maintain an active and positive presence. We’ll share exactly what this looks like as soon as possible.

We are also committed to remaining active on all our social media channels and doing whatever we can to offer support, encouragement and a friendly space during these difficult times. Please reach out, come and say hi and let us know how you’re muddling through.

Explore the #SurviveAndThrive series

Check out the other blogs in our #SurviveAndThrive series, covering:

• Advice for staying productive and healthy whilst working from home
• Ways you can support small businesses
• Useful links and resources to help with everything from home education to discounted services for professionals
• Happy things to keep your spirits up

We will continue to update each of these posts as more information becomes available and we discover more existing/useful things to share. In the meantime, keep in touch with us on  Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram and LinkedIn. We look forward to connecting with you. Stay safe and well.