Letters: July 2020

What a very thought provoking editorial in the May Journal, and well done in getting the magazine out there online. 

It made me wonder why would we want to return to the BC (Before COVID-19) era and go back to printing out a magazine, then sending it physically to members. It all seems a bit passé. I have been working from home for the duration and have found it a very enlightening and positive experience. I have learned a lot from it and will be putting it into practice as a practitioner and, as an employer, I will certainly be discussing homeworking and flexible hours with the staff when we return to work. 

I now strongly believe in homeworking, but I also strongly believe that isolation is a terrible thing, so for most people there would have to be flexibility. 

I think we have to cope with the current terrible situation, but we have to set out to learn from it. There have to be positives. 

Look at what reduced traffic of all sorts has meant for the environment. Do we really have to travel to meetings? Yes, I am sure we do for some, but all? I think not. We have been making extensive use of video calls of various types to deal with clients. It really works and has been generally welcomed especially by elderly and vulnerable clients.

It also made me wonder why Law Society of Scotland inspections could not be done remotely. If my cashier can work from home, then surely a Society inspector, given remote access, could inspect my cashroom and client files. 

Could the Society’s monthly meetings be done by way of video? If Boris could run the country from isolation using videoconferencing and emails... [They are now. – Ed]

And just so you don’t think I am attacking the Society, well done to them for their online CPD. 

I appreciate that there will always be advantages to hard copy in some instances, and to turning up to meetings rather than videoconferencing, but should these not be the exceptions post-COVID? 

As we start the long process of coming out of the COVID-19 era, I put out a call to look for what we can learn from it and how we move our businesses forward in terms of efficiency and delivery of the profession’s essential contribution to our society. 

Archibald J Millar, MacRae Stephen & Co, Fraserburgh