During the past few weeks, Vintage has been conducting a thorough assessment of the potential disruption that could be caused by the increasing restrictions imposed by the Government in an attempt to control the spread of the Coronavirus.

In short, we are well prepared to continue to operate, serving our clients and protecting our staff. The announcement from the Government last night has added a new dimension to the staffing of our offices and the way in which we keep in contact with our clients. Whilst we will follow the guidance from the Government we have plans in place to keep offices operational to cope with demands at what is one of the busiest times of the year.

Where meetings have been arranged at our offices, we are suggesting that these meetings are held by telephone or Skype. In terms of meetings with clients at their home address or elsewhere, we will contact you to confirm if you wish the meeting to go ahead either in person or by telephone or Skype. We have already stopped all visits by staff between our offices in Fairchild House and Sovereign House in Finchley and the offices in central London. This will ensure if there is an incident at one office, the other offices will be able to continue to operate

Should we decide to close an office or be requested to place an office in lockdown, we are well equipped for our staff to work remotely, but this may result in a delay in providing necessary paperwork either by post or email. We will do all we can to continue to deliver clients the personal service they have come to expect from the Vintage Group.

We are conscious of the fact that clients who are self isolating may find it difficult to return appropriate completed paperwork in which case we are speaking to product providers to determine a solution which may differ from one provider to the next.
In accordance with Governments guidelines, anyone at Vintage who develops even mild symptoms will not attend the office, and will work from home for a week or the period of time that is recommended by the Government.

Our remote working procedures rely on telephony and internet services being operational and any disruption to these services will have an impact on our activities. It may be that members of our team will work outside expected working hours, especially if internet connections are significantly slower during peak times, so please don’t be surprised if you receive emails sent outside normal working hours.

In the meantime, Vintage’s systems and business are carrying on as normal, with individuals working from the office or home depending upon government guidance from time to time and our assessment of the situation which is likely to change from one day to the next.

We will keep you updated of any significant changes, but should you have any specific concerns please contact your adviser.

Kind regards

Vintage Management