NEWSLETTER: APRIL 2020

Hello again, everybody. Well, this is a turn-up for the books, isn’t it? If you’re reading this in April 2020, chances are you’re in your jogging pants with a beer in-hand (possibly at 10:30 in the morning) with hair that would make Cousin IT from the Addams family blush. It’s alright, no judgement here, we’re exactly the same.

There’s not too much to report in the way of new business this month because everyone is at home watching Tiger King, but we thought it would be fun to stick to the normal schedule and just keep in contact with everyone. How are you all, by the way?

Here’s a little taster of what’s been going on the past few weeks that is relevant to us all.

FURLOUGH – ARE YOU COMPLIANT?

It’s probably fair to say that half of the population had never heard the word ‘furlough’ prior to 4-weeks ago. Now that furlough is here for the foreseeable future, it’s also probably fair to say that we still don’t largely understand it! Don’t be too hard on yourself, there’s a good reason for that.

The goalposts are changing on an almost daily basis as the Government tries to iron out the details to create a fair system for all concerned. The issue with this thinking-on-your-feet approach, though, is that you could inadvertently be breaking furlough rules if you don’t keep yourself abreast of the situation on a regular basis.

If you plan to claim from the Government furlough scheme, then it’s vital that you don’t do anything to jeopardise your chances of not being paid out. Use the link below to be taken to the official Government site for the very latest official advice on the do’s and don’ts when it comes to furlough.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

CAPTAIN TOM MOORE

We make no apologies for including this in here. What a guy! This 99-year old gentleman survived the Second World War, a broken hip, cancer, and coronavirus and has managed to raise (at the time of writing) £19m for the NHS. Now if that’s not inspiring, then we don’t know what is. Use the link below to donate to his campaign and let’s give our NHS heroes some much-needed extra funds and support.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tomswalkforthenhs

MICROSOFT TEAMS, ZOOM, AND HOUSE PARTY

Working from your bed in your pyjamas was a great little novelty – for the first week. Then, as time went on, you started to realise how much you missed human interaction with your colleagues. You miss going for a cheeky drink after work on a Friday; you miss complaining about someone bringing in smelly food for their lunch – you even miss the overflowing IN tray on your desk that never seems to go down.

Using the likes of Skype, Microsoft Teams, and WhatsApp to keep in touch with everyone has been a lifesaver. To be able to see familiar faces, hear their voices and offer each other support and have a laugh has been a fantastic luxury to have. We’ve all become experts on making Zoom videos, played Bad Apples a lot, and we’ve even had a virtual pub quiz on the House Party app. Incidentally, if you want to use our Zoom facilities, you’re more than welcome to. It’s just one of a number of things we’re doing to try and help other companies during this period of isolation. So if you need help, hit us up on the office number, on the live chat on our website, or at info@mercuryhampton.com.

NHS AMAZON WISHLISTS

Did you know that a growing number of NHS Trusts have set up public Amazon Wishlists in order to get basic supplies? This is everything from blankets, pillows, sleeping bags, and nightwear for the patients, down to basics essentials for the staff such as tea, coffee, sanitary products, razors and body wash? Even if your Trust doesn’t have an Amazon Wishlist, chances are high that they DO have a Just Giving or charitable donations page. We’ve included the link to our local Trust below to give you an idea of what people are doing. So please, share the hell out of this with everyone you know to get awareness out there and give our NHS heroes the help that they deserve.

https://www.justgiving.com/wshospscharity

That’s it for this month. Hopefully, we’ll see you all again next month when our sleeping patterns will be back to normal, we’ll all look like bronzed Adonises, and we can slip back into our work trousers with no trouble whatsoever.

Hey, we can hope!

See y’all soon,

The Mercury Hampton Team.