At the end of April approximately 2% of the Chartered Insurance Institute’s (CII) membership had been furloughed, 73% were managing to work from home and roughly 17% were struggling with carrying out their roles from home, according to a Twitter poll.

Of the 148 CII members who took part in the poll, 7.4% reported they were still having to go into their office to continue to serve the public during the coronavirus pandemic.

The CII’s poll comes after the FCA announced at the end of March what steps the insurance profession should take to facilitate working from home, including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working.

Keith Richards, managing director of engagement for the Chartered Insurance Institute, said: “It is clear that insurance firms understand this is a public health emergency but they must still carry out vital work on behalf of their customers, to ensure their queries are answered, their policies remain intact and their claims are answered fairly.

“The Chartered Insurance Institute will continue to work with government and the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure the latest guidance on how to protect and continue to serve the public is shared with our members.

“We will also continue to support members who have been financially impacted by Covid-19 and want to make sure the profession is equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to be best able to assist consumers in the months and years to come.”

On 30 April the professional body announced a 20% discount on digital learning materials is available for CII members and non-members who as a result of Covid-19 have been furloughed or seen an equivalent material reduction in their income and their learning and assessment costs are not funded or subsidised by their employer.

A total of 25 members of the CII who have been furloughed contacted the professional body and received a discount code to allow them to continue their professional studies within the first 48 hours of the hardship fund being announced.

Those who are facing financial hardship due to being made redundant or working for a business that has collapsed as a result of Covid-19 are also eligible for discounts and financial assistance on digital learning or membership.

Further information about the support available, and how to apply for the discount, can be found here:https://www.cii.co.uk/learning/qualifications/financial-assistance-during-covid-19/