MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear AMSRO members, Following on from the devastating bushfires over summer, we are now experiencing the impact of COVID-19, with over 100 cases now confirmed in Australia and the World Health Organisation declaring a global pandemic. First and foremost, in light of COVID-19, we encourage all of our members to keep up to date on the guidelines issued by government authorities. As the situation is changing daily, we have provided links to relevant sites at the end of this email. AMSRO is committed to supporting our members in their efforts to navigate the challenges we are all facing and believe it is crucial to monitor the advice provided by the official agencies. Apart from the human impact on our communities, COVID-19 is challenging all business across Australia and the globe, and given our focus and interaction with people, the data and insights industry is particularly exposed. Not only are we dealing with our employees, but for many AMSRO companies, direct contact with people through a variety of data collection approaches is a big part of our day to day operations. Beyond recommended hygiene practices, there are a number of steps that we may need to consider within our businesses to help with resilience against the inevitable business impacts. The following list is not comprehensive but includes several considerations for scenario planning for all of our businesses:
If you require advice about staffing matters, please be sure to take advantage of AMSRO's free legal workplace relations hotline service. Contact Andrew Maher, Partner, CIE Legal on 0403 399 237.
Further to this, the Australian Government yesterday announced a $17.6 billion economic plan helping small and medium-sized businesses to stay in business as the world deals with the challenges posed by the spread of the coronavirus. See the media release issued here. I have spoken with several members over the past few days who are implementing a number of sensible initiatives to protect their teams and businesses in this period of uncertainty. I believe there is significant value in sharing ideas and approaches across our member base. To assist with this, AMSRO has established a private LinkedIn group and encourage members to share and discuss our approaches to ensure our businesses and industry remain resilient. Please see here to access the new LinkedIn Group. Finally, the AMSRO Executive is reviewing the implications for our Association. This includes investigating scenarios around The Leaders Forum, scheduled for May. I look forward to speaking further with more members as we move forward in these uncertain times. Happy to be contacted directly via phone or email below. Stay well and keep safe,George ZdanowiczPresident l AMSROM: 0412 370 393 |