We want to let our members and the community know that we are, although working remotely, still very much open for business during this turbulent period.
We believe Manchester Digital, as the trade body for tech and digital businesses in the region, has a duty of care to our members and to the wider community of which we serve. Due to the current circumstances, much of the value we ordinarily deliver – events, conferences, meet-ups, workshops, talks, talent and skills programmes etc, will have to be put on pause.
Unsurprisingly, in these uncertain times we have had to review most of our our events plans. As such UpFront Conference and the Fintech Forum will be postponed until further notice. We will also be limiting a lot of our Digital Futures and Digital Her outreach activities until such a time that is feels appropriate to resume our commitment.
This page will act as a live resource that will be updated with new information and guidance around COVID-19 as and when it becomes available.
What Manchester Digital is doing to help our members and the community
Update 07/04
Coronavirus Support: Manchester Digital to provide free membership
The Ultimate Guide to Online Coding Schools, Coding Clubs, Coding Bootcamps and Meetups
Virtual Coffee Morning, A Manchester / West Country Networking Mash- up
Watch our Coronavirus Employment Law Ask Me Anything with LexLeyton
COVID19 - A list of useful resources
Update 27/03
Join our webinar on 31/03 Coronavirus Employment Law - Ask me anything with LexLeyton
Update 25/03
Coronavirus: Looking after employee's mental health and wellbeing -
According to a poll of HR professionals conducted by People Management, general anxiety, caused by the coronavirus outbreak, is the main challenge faced by employers right now. This article shares tips to help you to support the wellbeing of you and your team in this difficult period.
Update 24/03
What government support is available for tech businesses? - As the government considers bringing in stricter measures to enforce social distancing we want to take a look at what support has been provided for businesses and their employees.
We recognise that for many of our members this will be a very difficult time. To get through it we all need to support each other. To help we are running the following initiatives, more will come in the following weeks.
COVID-19 Survey - how can we help - We’ve set up this short survey to find out how we can deliver the most amount of value to our members, and to find out what we should feedback to government on the sector's behalf. Please take part.
#MDTechCommunity Slack Channel - Our slack channel boasts over 200 members and a dedicated #coronavirus channel in which members are sharing tips, advice, cat pictures and camaraderie. We will post any support provision for businesses from government and other public bodies in this Slack group. It will also be an opportunity for those who have relevant expertise in remote working and virtual client engagement to share that with others, and for us all to discuss and share ways we can support those in our community most impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.
New content / guidance
We are working with other UK tech clusters and our members to create guides and webinars to help businesses cope and adapt in the coming weeks and months.
Below are webinars that have kindly been offered by businesses within our membership. If you have any content ideas you think our members might find useful, contact thom@manchesterdigital.com to discuss how we can help you find an audience.
Your organisation can gain greatly from allowing remote working but there are definitely some best practices when it comes to a more flexible workforce. This webinar will look at how to's, benefits, and what you think will work.
25/03 16:00 - 17:00 Manchester Digital Webinar with InTec Business Solutions - Meeting in Isolation
inTec will talk through the subscriptions most organisations already have that will help to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 isolation.
Video interviewing guidance
ECOM recruitment have provided two useful guides, for hiring managers and candidates, about video interviewing during COVID-19.
Membership Benefits
Of course, as well as the above, members can still use our website to post their news, jobs and live webinar events to keep up profile and continuity in the coming weeks and months. Discover membership benefits here or contact thom@manchesterdigital.com to find out more.
Essential Resources
- Coronavirus tech handbook
- Business support for the tech industry
- Government's one-stop coronavirus page
- Government guidance for employers and businesses
- VisitBritain UK travel industry advice
- Video interview advice for candidates and hiring managers
- Public Health England: what you need to know
- Free resources for home learning from STEM
- NHS advice
- Government travel advice
If you have any questions or would like to speak with us directly, please email info@manchesterdigital.com to speak with one of the team. Once again, we urge the community to take part in our survey so we can decide where we can add value, and also to feed back to government what support is most needed
