April 2020

Statement from Management Team

 Basil & Alred remains committed to serving our clients during normal times and times of crisis, while placing even more emphasis on making sure our staff are safe, protected and given necessary support to meet their obligations.

This Remote-Working Policy has been developed as a guide on how the firm will continue to operate while remaining vigilant in combating an outbreak or emergency. Following the creation of the Firm’s COVID-19 committee, management has outlined several rules and regulations on how employees can have the convenience of working remotely during the pandemic, as well as implement this new arrangement. 

Should you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your line manager for clarification. As always, I continue to thank you for your commitment to delivering excellent service to our clients.

Godfrey B. Mramba
Managing Partner

1. Intent

To allow the firm to continue its operations and enable our staff to meet client obligations while working in safe, protected and conducive environment with clear guidelines on how to operate during an emergency or outbreak.

2. Purpose

Basil & Alred recognizes the importance of employee well-being of and has taken proactive steps to ensure that the firm complies with recommendations from regulatory authorities such as the Tanzania Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) in dealing with the current COVID-19 pandemic. While some of the measures may have been triggered by the current crisis, this policy will cover a general approach in dealing with emergencies and outbreaks.

The purpose of this policy is to:

• Outline the guidelines for remote working during emergencies and/or outbreaks;
• Ensure business continuity during emergencies and/or pandemic outbreaks;
• Comply with local statutory and regulatory requirements during regional or national emergencies and outbreaks;
• Outline various roles and responsibilities of management and employees
• Define various categories of employees and work; and
• Outline and define expectations from employees who may be required to work from home, and work from the office during outbreaks and emergencies;

3. Policy

The following are guidelines on how the firm and employees will operate during an emergency and/or outbreak:

a. Employees may be required to work at different times during emergencies or outbreaks in order to deliver on commercial operational requirements, and avoid interruption in the provision of the Firm’s services. This involves the division of work or set periods of time during which different groups of employees perform their work.

b. Employees may be assigned to work from home, rather than the office, with the expectation that they will continue to carry out their daily duties from a remote location.

c. Management will identify employees who are critical for business operations and continuity

d. Management will identify those who will work remotely during emergencies and/or outbreaks

e. The following considerations should be looked into in selecting employees who will work from remote locations:

i. Internet connectivity and availability. IT will test for connection status

ii. Equipment and tools (laptop, and dongles – where WIFI is not available). IT will assist in making sure all tests are done beforehand

f. All employees working remotely are reminded to observe the same code of conduct and confidentiality

g. When working remotely, employees are required to observe the following guidelines:

i. Determine, discuss and agree on daily deadlines and deliverables with respective service line manager

ii. The employee will be required to be online and accessible on all provided contact numbers and email, for at least eight (8) working hours.

iii. Reliable and regular attendance of all meetings (whether phone, Teams, Skype, Zoom etc.)

h. Employees with essential roles and working from the office are required to observe the following guidelines:

i. Report to their workstations as they did during normal business days, while observing the latest health guidelines and recommendations (e.g. wearing face masks at all times, and using hand sanitizers)

ii. Employees working in the office (during an outbreak) should not show any signs of the outbreak, and neither them nor their family members should be candidates for self-isolation/quarantine. Should this be the case, the employee will be required to isolate themselves and notify their line manager immediately.

iii. Line managers and employees will be required to ensure that they observe the latest public health guidelines, as communicated by respective health authorities, such as Ministry of Health and World Health Organization (WHO)

i. For non-essential employees, supervisors should consider sending employees with high leave balances on leave during emergencies or outbreaks. Priority should be given to staff with significant accrued leave days.

4. Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of all employees to adhere to this policy. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action.

5. Dispensation

Dispensation (or exemption) cannot be granted for this policy unless there is a conflict with regulatory/statutory requirements, in which case approval to a dispensation must be obtained from the Managing Partner and CEO.

6. Assurance Check

Management will review all firm operations and report on any identified incidents of non-compliance to this policy.