London headhunter closed office due to coronavirus

International search firm Russell Reynolds has closed its London office due to the Coronavirus.

An employee confirmed that the offices were closed this morning. A spokesman for Russell Reynolds said the closure came after an employee at another company, which shares the same building, was diagnosed as having the virus. None of Russell Reynolds' staff have shown any symptoms. "As a prudent measure we have closed the office and asked all London employees to work remotely to allow for deep cleaning to occur over the weekend," he said. 

With headhunters at the nexus of meeting and greeting candidates who've travelled internationally, shaking hands prodigiously and coming into close contact with individuals in crowded coffee shops, it is perhaps only a matter of time before an executive search consultant contracts the virus.

Russell Reynolds has 71 consultants in London according to its website, working across sectors including financial services, industry, healthcare and technology. 

A rival financial services headhunter said firms across the London have been practising office closures in "drills" in case the virus means their offices must be shut down too.

Earlier this week, headhunters told us banks were asking candidates to sign virus disclaimers saying they hadn't travelled to 'infected countries' or met people with symptoms of the virus. Candidates may soon want headhunters and recruiters to sign disclaimers of their own.

Photo by Craig Whitehead on Unsplash

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