COVID-19: Information on Society’s response to the coronavirus pandemic

Please refer regularly to this page for information on the steps Society is taking to protect its staff, clients, candidates, and wider community, during the coronavirus outbreak. We will update this page periodically as the situation evolves.

As of Wednesday, 18 March 2020, Society has taken the decision to close its offices in London and New York. All colleagues have switched to remote working, and all planned face-to-face meetings will now be conducted by video conference instead. We have also cancelled or postponed all travel plans.

We are confident in our ability to continue delivering search and selection support to clients remotely whilst this crisis is ongoing. Our investment in technology over recent years is enabling us to adapt our recruitment campaigns nimbly and effectively. We have already organised and delivered one fully-remote final panel assessment stage. 

During this period we will continue to keep an eye on individual colleague welfare. We are insisting that any colleagues who have reason to believe that they have come into contact with a carrier, or who are exhibiting either a fever (temperature of above 37.8°C) or a new and persistent cough, completely self-isolate for 14 days.

In evey other respect we plan, as far as possible, to continue working normally, with the minimum of disruption to current assignments. 

As/when we are eventually in a position to reopen our offices, we will carry on with the following measures until advised by public health authorities that they are no longer necessary:

• No longer shaking hands with guests. 
• Requiring all colleagues to wash their hands (with liquid soap and for at least 20 seconds) upon arrival at the office, and encouraging them to repeat this process regularly throughout the day.
• Discouraging face touching. 
• Reminding colleagues to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue if they cough or sneeze, and then to dispose of the tissue into a bin. 
• Making anti-bacterial hand gel available for guests to use in all of our meeting rooms.
• Making extra efforts to keep the communal facilities and surfaces in our offices clean and sanitary. 

What are the symptoms of Covid-19?

In the majority of cases, Covid-19 manifests as a mild illness. Its symptoms include fever (defined by the UK public health authorities in this instance as a temperature of over 37.8°C), cough, tightness in the chest, or shortness of breath.

If you suspect that you may have Covid-19, what should you do?

Isolate yourselves from others, then seek medical advice. If you are in the UK then you can do this via www.111.nhs.uk, and if you are in the US then you should call your doctor and follow advice from the CDC.