As WFH and COVID restrictions return, are accountants prepared?

It’s been a sad time for me lately watching what’s happening at home in Slovakia, where there is another COVID lockdown.

Talking to my mum just confirmed to me that the idea of seeing her in person this year at Christmas is not going to materialise.  That’s now over two years now since I had a “real life hug” with her.

The impact on families across Europe and the UK is huge.

Several European nations began ramping up restrictions again even before the emergence of Omicron.

Now, of course, we have the return of restrictions in the UK too, with the Prime Minister announcing work from home guidance is coming back, among other measures. In Northern Ireland, where I live, that instruction had already come.

Are the early signals that lockdown number four is coming to the UK?

Accountants – are you prepared?

Looking at how quickly things have changed in Slovakia and elsewhere – even locally, where our hospital has hit full capacity and has had to turn away ambulances - it’s a fair question to ask if we could face another lockdown.

As accountants and bookkeepers providing critical services to our clients, do we need to make sure that another lockdown won’t come as a surprise?

Should we ensure that we are fully enabled to work remotely immediately and without adversely affecting ourselves and our clients, especially with the hectic tax season in full swing?

Can we afford not to service our clients properly this time? Are we prepared for whatever comes next so that when it “hits us”, it’s business as usual? 

The solutions for business as usual

Did you have to take a sticky plaster approach to remote working during the initial phase of the pandemic?

Many have transitioned towards a full-time hybrid model, but many have not, for various reasons. There certainly isn’t one size fits all approach.

The businesses that have thrived the most during the pandemic were already set up for remote working. Some have moved towards a fully cloud solution or a ‘desktop in the cloud’ solution– otherwise known as hosting.

Either way, being able to work anywhere, at any time is clearly still vital for firms to carry on looking after clients and thriving.

With such uncertainty continuing to pervade our daily lives, it’s so important we do what we can to prepare for the eventualities we know can and have happened before.

And it’s also vital that we keep on looking after each other and showing empathy during these immensely troubling times we live in.

What do you think? Join in the discussion with me on LinkedIn.

Looking for solutions to enable successful remote working? Visit this resources page.