BFPA / BFPDA Working practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic – Business as Usual
24 Mar 2020
Statement by Chris Buxton, CEO BFPA issued 19.3.20
Dear Colleague
I am writing to inform you of the steps that the staff at your Association are taking to maintain membership services during these challenging times. As always, whatever the circumstances, our first priority as the industry trade association is to you, the all-important members of the BFPA and BFPDA. Please be assured that we are making every effort to ensure that we remain accessible and available during the coming weeks, irrespective of what the current pandemic throws at us! Our aim is ‘Business as Usual!’ Equally, I know that you would remind me that we also have an obligation to protect the welfare of the staff and to comply with Government recommendations and policy.
To this extent, the past couple of weeks have been spent making preparations to manage potential home working for the BFPA staff and to ensure that we have the necessary technology in place to ensure that there is essentially no interruption to your normal membership services. Now that the Government is asking all parties to work from home whenever possible, I am pleased to confirm that we are well prepared.
As of Monday the 24 March, all BFPA staff will be working from home until the official guidance changes. There will be no face to face meetings held at Cheriton House or elsewhere in the short to medium term and there will only be the occasional occupant present to collect and sort post. However, if you ring our general number, you will be given the opportunity to call several alternative staff numbers depending upon the nature of your call. They are as follows:
| Chris Buxton | CEO | 07787 400747 | chrisbuxton@bfpa.co.uk |
| Martin Kingsbury | Membership and Hose Assembly Scheme | 07787 184600 | martin@bfpa.co.uk |
| Sarah Gardner | Market Statistics and Marketing | 07423 616657 | sarah@bfpa.co.uk |
| Yvonne Pearman | Technical standards and technical queries | 07444 728587 | yvonne@bfpa.co.uk |
| Karen Gordon-Brander | Training and Publications | 07423 747670 | karen@bfpa.co.uk |
As you know, any one of the staff will be pleased to take your call if the one you are seeking is otherwise occupied and our e-mail system will remain uninterrupted.
We are also hoping to maintain a large number of planned meetings through creative use of video conferencing and software such as ‘GoToMeeting’ and ‘Skype’.
As I stated in my opening paragraph, it is our aim to ensure that you your experience of the BFPA during the current crisis will be ‘Business as Usual.’
For now, may I wish you good fortune over the coming weeks and ask that you do not hesitate to contact me or the other staff on the team should you have any queries about this policy or indeed any other aspect of the Fluid Power business. We are still here to help however we can.
Stay safe and healthy!
Very best regards,
Chris
Christopher Buxton – CEO – BFPA / BFPDA
Tel.: 07787 400747
chrisbuxton@bfpa.co.uk