Robeco’s contingency measures in response to the coronavirus - 17 March
As we move into the next phase of managing the impact of the coronavirus, I would like to update you on our contingency planning and the measures which we have taken to safeguard the health and safety of our staff members and to allow us to continue serving our clients.
Steps to protect our employees and ensure business continuity
Robeco has created a dedicated crisis management team which continuously monitors the latest developments. In line with our strategy and planning, we have implemented a broad range of measures to date.
- We have taken firm measures to ensure the health and safety of our employees.
- Our staff members in the Netherlands have been allocated between our head office, an alternative location and home. Where possible, employees now work exclusively from home. For those who do need to go to the office, the policy of social distancing has been implemented.
- Moreover, employees are asked to work from home under the following circumstances: if they are not feeling well or have flu-like symptoms, including light symptoms such as a mild cough or low-grade fever, or if they have visited one of the countries which are listed as high risk by the national public health department.
- As a precautionary measure, some of Robeco’s international offices are closed and employees will work from home until further notice. Where relevant, local regulations lead in this regard.
Our technology is designed to ensure seamless mobility of our staff
- Robeco’s IT and communications are designed to enable staff to work anywhere and at any time, with full access to the required systems and platforms to facilitate business continuity. This means that business decisions and activity will continue as normal, regardless of the location of our staff.
- Our IT and communications infrastructure benefits from rigorous, state-of-the-art security measures, which apply as usual.
Business travel and events
- No business travel is permitted.
- All internal employee events are postponed or cancelled.
Visitors and client communication
- No visitors are permitted at the Robeco offices.
- To ensure continued communication with clients and business contacts, employees are using an extensive range of technology and communications tools, including conference calls, video conferencing and Skype, etc..
Monitoring external stakeholders
- Robeco remains in contact with key vendors, including software and data vendors, to monitor potential vendor risks and to ensure that they have comprehensive contingency plans in place.
Our crisis management team is working with our experienced operations team, under the leadership of Robeco’s executive committee, to vigilantly monitor developments.
We are well positioned to deal with the situation and are in a state of business readiness to respond as appropriate. Should it become necessary, we will adjust our policy measures to accommodate new developments.
Robeco’s operations are designed so that we can run our business with full functionality from remote locations for an extended period, should this be necessary. Our systems and platforms can be accessed by our staff from off-site locations, enabling the seamless continuity of our investment and business operations.
We understand that these are unsettling circumstances, made more so by the volatility in financial markets. Be assured of our duty of care to you, and of our commitment to the safe stewardship of your assets.
As is our normal practice, we will keep you informed about our macro views, investment strategies and your portfolios. Given the turbulent nature of market movements, we are increasing our efforts to keep clients updated, using all of our communication channels.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to discuss these with us through your Robeco contact.
Stay well!
Gilbert Van Hassel
This is an contingency update from 17 March 2020
