Our ongoing response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus pandemic)

Changes to how we operate

Increased hygiene and physical distancing measures are now in place in all buildings and offices where we operate based on WorkSafe Australia guidelines.

As federal and state governments continue to ease restrictions, we are enacting our phased approach to safely return people to work in our offices where it makes sense.

We are taking a careful and cautious approach; our planning is aligned to the gradual easing of restrictions by state and federal governments, guided by our medical experts, and designed and implemented in collaboration with our building owners.

Now in phase 2 of our plan, we have around 20% of employees working in our offices predominantly in critical, client-facing roles – joining the business-critical group who have remained working from our premises throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

In-person client meetings, events, and legal updates

We welcome clients and visitors to our offices for in-person meetings on an as-needed basis. Increased hygiene and physical distancing measures are now in place at all our premises.

Forums, workshops, and seminars will continue in online formats; there are currently no scheduled office-based events. Insights from sessions can be accessed via our digital channels.

Our cross-functional legal and consulting teams are providing insights and advice on the impacts of COVID-19 including how to mitigate risks and make the most of opportunities. We have a 24/7 COVID-19 Bot – CuRT – for you to access, ask questions and connect with the right lawyer and consultant quickly. And there are a range of industry-specific and other resources you can access via our webpage COVID-19 Implications. Insights. Impact.

Increased hygiene and physical distancing measures

We have implemented a range of measures to ensure we protect our people, and all visitors to our offices, and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

All meeting rooms, including furniture, are cleansed after every meeting, and only limited client catering is available. In addition, we have implemented:

• nightly standard cleans of all offices, common areas, meeting rooms;
• weekly hospital-grade cleans.

To ensure everyone’s safety, we ask that you observe the following measures when visiting our premises.

• Observe the occupancy limits – approved staff and visitors only.
• All staff and visitors must register on arrival.
• Adhere to the directional and physical distancing signage.
• Please use the hand sanitisers and wipes available at hygiene stations.
• Face masks are also available.
• Adhere to meeting room set-ups, limiting attendees and ensuring appropriate physical distancing.

We support the Business Council of Australia’s ‘Good to Go’ campaign, which asks people to do three simple things:

• Keep your distance – maintain social distancing
• Keep hygienic – wash, or sanitise, your hands regularly
• Keep aware – we encourage use of the COVIDSafe app or similar contact tracing mechanisms

Visitors to our offices

Visitors to our offices are asked to make alternate arrangements if one of the following applies:

• experiencing COVID-19 symptoms;
• awaiting COVID-19 test results;
• in the past 14 days failed to adhere to AU government or Chief Medical Officer advice or travelled interstate;
• has had direct contact with someone who has tested positive, is awaiting test results or is in self-isolation over the past 14 days.

Client management and agile working

Like many of our clients, from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we rapidly and successfully moved our people to remote working at scale, with the exception of a small group of business-critical employees – less than 10% who manage technology and other critical requirements.

Staying connected is now more important than ever. We have always valued the authentic and enduring relationships we build with our clients and community partners; and now we have even more digitally enabled and flexible ways to work and connect.

COVID-19 has transformed the way we work. Every role in our firm is now considered to be agile unless the nature of the role means that it is not possible to work in an agile way – for example mailroom and reception.

We remain focused on delivering excellent outcomes for our clients, whether that be in person, over the phone or using digital platforms. You can expect the same reliable and highly responsive level of client service whichever way you choose to engage with us.

MinterEllison Network

Access to our international network of legal and consulting partners and alliances remains in place.

Travel

Supporting the Australian Government's position, we have placed controls on all travel. All international travel is on hold. Only essential business critical domestic travel is being approved.

Staff safety and support

Employee assistance is available to all staff feeling anxious at this time. Self-care and exercise are being encouraged, and we are also providing a number of targeted wellbeing initiatives for partners right through to our junior professional groups.

In addition to our increased hygiene and physical distancing measures, we have implemented the following measures for staff.

• Workstation allocations with appropriate spacing.
• Non-shareable Staff Agile Kits – (i.e. keyboards, mouse, headset, etc).

Communication

These website pages are updated on a regular basis to reflect our ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also provide targeted updates to clients, our community stakeholders, suppliers, and our staff, via our usual channels.