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COVID-19: Coronavirus Company Policy and FAQ’s

Created: March 12, 2020 – Phase I
Updated: March 16, 2020 – Phase I
Updated: March 17, 2020 – Phase II

The situation with COVID-19 is rapidly changing and we will update these pages with our current policies and guidelines as the impact of the outbreak unfolds.

Note: We are unable to setup any home working without the online request being completed, please do not call or message the service desk until you have done so.

Overall LCS Group Statement

LCS continues to monitor the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) developments with our primary focus on ensuring the health and safety of our team, customers and anybody else we engage with. We wish to do this while mitigating business impacts for our customers as much as we possibly can. In support of this, as of Tuesday 17th March 2020, we have activated Phase II of our business continuity plan and are meeting regularly to keep abreast and adapt to changes as they happen. No further visitors will be allowed to enter the LCS headquarters and all deliveries or collections will be done by unattended means outside of the building. If you need to deliver or collect anything from LCS, please call in advance so we can arrange exchange just outside of our reception.

Although none of our team are showing any signs of infection, effective as of Monday 23rd March 2020, all LCS staff will be self-isolating and working from home. This is a strategic and precautionary measure to prevent the inevitable likelihood of spread amongst our team if we all stayed in the same location. This solution means we can limit the impact on our team at any one time and continue to service our customers with minimised disruption. As a technology-lead company we are in the fortunate position that we can still effectively serve our customers from any location – head office or remote.

For our customers, we are making efforts to mitigate service disruptions, including working with our vendors to ensure we have adequate hardware supply to accommodate potential disruptions. That said we are already seeing availability of laptops becoming extremely limited with lead-times haphazard and up to 4-6 weeks, if we can even obtain any at all. 

What do customers need to do if they require a member of staff to work from home and access company IT systems that are not already able to do so?

The person requiring home working setup needs in the first instance to complete and submit the questionnaire at https://lcsgroup.com/covid-19-it-readiness-questionnaire/ and we can then commence the process.

Some things you need to consider if you are planning to work from home. 

  • If you are connecting to your desktop or laptop that is staying at your office, make sure you leave it switched on, but you can turn off the monitors.
  • Laptop must have power supply connected and not just be running on battery. 
  • Laptops must be connected to the private company Wi-Fi or connected via a network cable. 
  • Take your laptop and all ancillaries home every day in case you need to self-isolate 
  • Make a note of the asset number of the device PC/Laptop you are leaving in the office and keep it with you. 

How do I setup my home device to connect to my company PC / Laptop?

In order to be able to connect your home PC / Laptop to your office PC / Laptop please follow the instructions below:

  • You must follow these instructions on your home PC / Laptop.
  • The remote connection runs over the internet, so your PC / Laptop must be connected to your home internet in order for you to complete the process.
  • You must have access to the email address you used when submitting your home working request in order to receive the home working setup information.
  • When you receive the email from Splashtop, follow all of the instructions contained in the email and refer to the video below for additional guidance on the setup process if required.
  • Please email support@lcsgroup.com if you require any assistance. Please include your personal phone number so we can reach you at home.
  • All home worker connections will expire 30 days from activation, should you require an extension then email support@lcsgroup.com who will arrange this for you.

We ask that our customers do not call the service desk unless absolutely essential as it only slows down the process of us being able to help everybody. Calling us will not make the process quicker and we assure you it is counterproductive. Effectively managing this unprecedented workload can only be achieved with each individual customers compliance and following of our structured process.

Watch this video of how to setup the home working connection.

What measures will LCS take if a member of the team is showing symptoms or confirmed to be infected with COVID-19?

In the period between Tuesday 17th March 2020 and Friday 20th March we will work closely with the government health service and local medical authorities to take appropriate actions. The guidance we are currently following whilst working from our main HQ and ensuring our staff understand is available at this link

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-covid-19#what-to-do-if-an-employee-or-a-member-of-the-public-becomes-unwell-and-believe-they-have-been-exposed-to-covid-19

From Monday 23rd March, we will still be connected as a team through technology, however all LCS staff members will be working remotely from home. From this point, any team-member showing symptoms will self-isolate, preventing the spread of infection to the rest of the team.

In the event a confirmed COVID-19 case is discovered at our headquarters or amongst our team, what is the evacuation procedure? Will LCS close the office for cleaning/contamination control? If yes, what is the estimated timeframe for reopening the facility?

We will act according to the instructions of the relevant government authority and in a manner that safeguards our staff and visitors. Specific actions will depend on the specific circumstances and the requirements of the experts that are engaged. This is among the considerations made by our business continuity team with a focus on ensuring the health and safety of our colleagues while mitigating business impacts for our customers. When actions are taken, they will be communicated to all relevant stakeholders within 4 hours.

From Monday 23rd of March, much of this will not be applicable as LCS HQ will be closed and all staff will be working from home.

Will there be any delays in the supply of hardware?

We will work closely with our vendors and supply chain to try and avert any disruption in the supply of hardware, however it is very likely that there will be elongated time frames for delivery of some items especially laptops and PC’s. The current situation on laptops is approximately 4-6 weeks lead time.

What is our policy of our staff attending our customers sites?

From Tuesday 17th March 2020, we are putting a stop to all non-essential site visits in order to protect our team and prevent the spread of COVID-19. In the event of exceptional circumstances that require a site visit, we will be asking customers to disclose, confirm and sign-off that they have had no members of staff visit another country in the past two weeks and that none of their staff are showing any signs of symptoms. If the requirements are not met, it is very unlikely that we would attend your site as the protection of our staff is paramount.

The above of course is in consideration of any restrictions which may be in place by our customers with regards to visitors to their sites.

What contingency do we have for not being able to attend customer sites?

In a situation where we it is not possible to attend customer sites we will dispatch any hardware by courier or it will be delivered by our own vehicles. Couriers will likely have their own policies, but any deliveries from LCS personnel will be fulfilled by ‘unattended means outside of the building’. LCS staff members will arrive at the customer site, call the customer and exchange outside of the customers building with minimal contact.

We will then seek assistance from a person on site via telephone, email, Microsoft Teams or other video conference means to install and configure any hardware remotely.

If you have any questions in regards to our COVID-19 policy, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

ask@lcsgroup.com
0330 8384 255