Friday update

As we find ourselves one week on from the latest changes in legislation, I hope you have all acclimatised to the ever-changing guidelines and become accustomed to carrying your facemask with you at all times as we do our best to resume and enjoy the summer under what has become our new normal. In the same manner that social distancing and heightened hygiene measures have become somewhat second-nature, I am sure this will too and we must continue to abide by these rules for the foreseeable future for all our safety.

For those visiting or working from Century House please do continue to follow the latest guidance issued earlier this week and make sure you record your temperature upon arrival. Reassuringly we have had no high temperatures (in excess of 38C) recorded which is really good news in the first week of implementing this procedure. In fact we seem to have a few on the borderline of hyperthermia but thankfully that’s not a sign of COVID-19, and I do hope this front-line protective measure alongside the increased cleaning regimes implemented do go some way to offer further peace of mind whilst in the workplace.

Much of the focus dominating the media at present is the uncertainty surrounding foreign travel with the list of countries that require a 14 day quarantine period on return to the UK increasing on a regular basis, which is both confusing and frustrating. If you do have a pre-planned holiday or are considering leaving the country for your summer break I would strongly urge you to fully consider the ruling in place for your destination of choice and factor this into your holiday period because self-isolation as a consequence of unessential travel will need to be taken from your annual allowance or as unpaid leave. Whilst I fully understand we are all eager to return to pre-COVID ways and regain our freedom I ask you to please take a sensible approach in your decision-making with due consideration given to the upheaval that your prolonged absence may cause to your team as well. Perhaps it is the perfect year for a ‘staycation’ and to enjoy many of the glorious locations the UK has to offer.

To provide further clarity relating to annual leave entitlement I can confirm that, for all those who have been or remain furloughed you will have continued to accrue holiday entitlement throughout this time which will be honoured in the same manner as for those who remained working throughout. To offer you greater flexibility in managing your annual leave for the remainder of the year the Directors have agreed that this year, an increased maximum of 10 days may be carried over into the 2021/22 allowance so that we do not encounter a rush of holiday requests at the end of the holiday year which would prove difficult to manage, may not be possible to accommodate and as a consequence has the potential to cause disappointment for some.

Alongside this, the decision has also be made to close the main office and all sites earlier than usual on Friday 18th December to provide a longer Christmas shutdown. This will require a total of 7 days of your annual leave to be allocated to accommodate this. I do hope you will agree that given the unprecedented nature of the year so far and the uncertainty and anxious times this has caused, we will all benefit from an extended Christmas break with more time to relax and recuperate with our families and friends and look ahead to what we hope will be a brighter and more settled year in 2021.

Our construction sites remain highly industrious and we are making excellent progress in the glorious weather that we are experiencing at present, and long may this continue. More sites have been subject to unannounced visits from the HSE, with positive outcomes and no enforcement action required, which is highly-commendable and most encouraging to know that in our efforts to regain lost time, safety will never be compromised.

Drone footage (pictured below) capturing Ivy Court Surgery in Tenterden illustrates the exceptional progress made in recent weeks by the General Works team as the finishes to the roof continue and internally first-fix of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing trades progress well, with a target completion of February 2021 firmly in our sights to deliver the new premises to our client.

Images from our client shows the great progress continuing at Folkestone Seafront as the piles are trimmed, reinforcement fixed and the first concrete pour to the pile caps and ground beams underway. The first tower crane can be seen towering over the seafront and adjacent buildings, with the second to follow in coming weeks as the site makes further progress out of the ground.

On a personal note I would like to send our warmest wishes to Tony Lee, one of our bricklayers from the General Works team who celebrates his half-century milestone today. Congratulations and Happy Birthday Tony and what a perfect weekend ahead weather-wise for celebrating.

I do sincerely hope you continue to find my updates informative, enjoyable and reassuring at this time and I continue to welcome your feedback. As these are designed for you please do keep me informed of any interesting project updates, personal milestones and achievements or anything you feel is particularly newsworthy and relevant to share across the business and what you would like to hear more of.

That’s all from me for another week other than to of course wish you all well and hope you will have opportunity to thoroughly enjoy the summer sunshine over the weekend.