Health Alert
Dear Colleagues,
Today the Business Continuity Team (BCT) met to discuss our business operations and how we may need to adapt to yet unknown interruptions in our business as well as address the safety of our employees. As part of this planning, we’re looking at our critical business functions and establishing plans for each. Examples of what is being discussed and planned for are:
What are our critical business functions?
Who handles these functions and who is their backup
What measures can we implement to try and keep our employees safe from exposure while at work
What processes should we change to enable us to better operate in a yet unknown environment
What is the threat level at each of our areas of operation
Some immediate action items from today meetings:
Reach out to groups cleaning our offices to ensure they hit all high contact areas.
Look for additional sources of hand sanitizer/and sanitizing wipes to distribute to branch locations for continued cleaning
Developed a plan ensure to branch office personnel have access to necessary electronic equipment to work remotely
Developed a redundancy plan to ensure payroll will be entered if key staff are sick
Identified an office personal rotation concept to ensure one person at each office daily
Plan to use Microsoft Teams to make sure the branch phone lines are answered
Most importantly – if you do not feel well, stay home. The symptoms of the corona virus are:
The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.*
Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion or inability to arouse
Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
We will meet daily to discuss updates and routine communication will be shared on a weekly basis or as required. There are no perfect answers to many of the questions you may have regarding the current and future state of the coronavirus spread. What we are assuming at this point is that the spread will continue, but to what extent, we hesitate to guess.
Recommended strategies to protect yourself and your loved ones at home and at work:
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Stay away from large gatherings of people if possible (i.e. malls, sporting events, etc.)
Do not shake hands or hug others
Again, we are trying to purchase sanitizing wipes / hand sanitizer for our work locations but this is proving difficult as supplies are running low across the nation.
Kind regards,
Brett Swinden | Vice President, Human Resources