COVID-19 (Coronavirus): our response

Markel UK business continuity activity

We have successfully executed our Markel UK business continuity plan, which we commenced following government advice. Our objective is to deliver our high standards of service and support for you, as we would do on any other given day.

For reference, our efforts have been successfully rolled out as follows:

We now have over 90% of our staff in the UK working from home
Our systems have responded well to this volume of home workers, with no significant issues identified and none expected at this time
This new working model has been effective across all departments and supports all incoming and outgoing telephony, email, e-trade and administration systems requirements
This is a model we are happy to support for as long as we are required to deliver it evidencing our commitment to our staff wellbeing meaning we continue to deliver for our customers
We have also issued a confirmation of the impact on Markel UK insurance policies and support for policyholders below

These pages will be updated as more information becomes available.

Impact on Markel UK policies

We've seen an increasing number of queries from customers during this period, so we want to be absolutely clear on our insurance coverage position.

The ABI (Association of British Insurers) advises that: "Standard business insurance policies are designed and priced to cover standard risks and are therefore unlikely to provide cover for the effects of global pandemics like Covid-19."

As a result and in line with the rest of the insurance market, the vast majority of Markel UK policies would not provide business interruption cover for the COVID-19, but some absolutely will do. It is important that each insurance policy is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and the Markel team is available to discuss this with you and to help navigate the impacts this current situation is creating.

Does my policy cover me for working with clients remotely?

Markel Direct insurance policies automatically provide cover for working with clients remotely, including using an audio or video service such as Zoom or Skype. Any employees you have are also covered to work with clients remotely.

Many of our customers have begun doing this as a way of continuing business and retaining clients, and you do not need to contact us to include it on your policy.

Please note that if you work in the fitness, sports, teaching and training sector, your sessions/instruction must be done on a live basis and to your client (or clients, if part of a group session) only. Your policy does not provide cover for pre-recorded videos that are uploaded to a video platform (e.g. YouTube) for anyone to access.

Useful resources

The Markel Business Hub

The Business Hub provides practical DIY templates and guidance around topics such as employment law that we are seeing a huge demand for at this time and that may assist with queries you receive from clients. The Business Hub is written and created by our team of experienced solicitors who have deep expertise advising on daily business issues.