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12 April 2021

The Brightstar Group has returned its offices to full occupancy as part of its phased approach to delivering a safe working environment in line with government guidance.

The offices of Brightstar Financial and Sirius Property Finance have returned to full occupancy on 12th April and will welcome visitors from lenders and key partners from 4th May. In order to ensure a safe working environment, the Brightstar Group will be operating twice-weekly Covid testing for all staff, testing for all visitors, and a track and trace system. In addition, a one-way system will be in operation around the offices, everyone will be allocated a dedicated desk and there will be strict guidelines around the use of meeting rooms. Offices will also be deep cleaned on a regular basis.

The Brightstar Group has been implementing a phased return to office working since the beginning of the year, when it consulted all staff about their preferences and concerns. From February, the offices were ready for those who wanted to return, subject to a maximum occupancy of 25%. Then, from March, everyone was asked to work at least one day a week from the office, with staff split into two teams working on separate days.

The Brightstar Group has also continued to support the team throughout the pandemic via its outstanding people development programme, running additional sessions for those team members experiencing anxiety about returning to the office, as well as introducing a team of nine fully trained Mental Health First Aiders across the Group to support people back to work. This high level of support coupled with a flexible approach to work has been pivotal to ensuring that the team feel confident and ready to return fully to office-based working.

William Lloyd, Director of Operations at The Brightstar Group, says:

“Everybody wants a return to normal as quickly as possible, but it’s important to be cautious and take a phased safety-first approach. We’ve been planning this return to full occupancy since the start of the year, which means we are fully confident in welcoming everyone back to a safe working environment. It also means we’ll soon be able to welcome underwriters and BDMs from our lender partners and this onsite interaction is a key element in successfully placing specialist cases."

Barry Searle, Managing Director of Mortgages at Castle Trust Bank, says:

“Remote working has enabled businesses to continue to deliver BAU in recent months, but the specialist lending market is built on relationships and human interaction and there is no substitute to doing that in-person, albeit at a safe social distance. The Brightstar Group has been responsive to the changing environment throughout this pandemic, and we welcome their plan to allow partners to visit their offices again from May, safe in the knowledge that they are taking every precaution to provide a safe environment.”