COVID-19: Implementation of Working from Home Directive for Law Firms - Effective 21 December 2020
On Friday 18 December 2020, the Chief Minister announced that unless critical to the running of their business, islanders must now work from home if they have the means to do so. This is on the advice of the Government's Scientific and Technical Advisory Cell (STAC) and is in response to the increasing number of new COVID-19 cases emerging on a daily basis.
The Government have asked the Law Society, other trade associations and the JFSC to highlight the importance of these measures to members.
It is anticipated that the financial service and legal sectors are able to largely shift to home working following the patterns they adopted in the spring, and that most firms should already have the majority of their staff working from home.
This message is therefore to emphasise the importance of following this new measure in the interests of containing the spread of COVID-19 in Jersey.
Therefore, from Monday 21 December 2020 until further notice, only staff essential to the ongoing functioning of your firm should be permitted access to your office premises.
This should be considered as the same as the essential employees scheme for financial and legal services implemented in March 2020. However, this will not, at this stage, be monitored in the same way or with the use of specified permission (e.g. issue of letters of authorisation).
Where a limited number of staff is deemed critical, for example in continuing to provide essential services of the firm (e.g. Court attendance, conveyancing, signing and banking) staff attending the office should be kept to the absolute minimum required.
Click COVID-19 for further details on the measures businesses should be taking during this critical period.
Where firms consider there to be a considerable risk that they will be unable to provide critical services, or have any profession-specific enquiries in relation to COVID-19, reference should be made in the first instance to Neville Benbow on 01534 734826 / 07797 824112 or by email at ceo@jerseylawsociety.je.
Given that the new working from home directive comes into effect from tomorrow, firms are asked to issue appropriate guidance to their staff at the earliest opportunity.
Further guidance will be issued as and when it is made available to the Law Society.
Thank you for your co-operation and support at this difficult time.
Yours faithfully
Neville Benbow
Chief Executive Officer
The Law Society of Jersey
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