The lockdown has been lifted. At least to some extent. While businesses are happy to resume and business owners breathe a sigh of relief, it’s imperative to be mindful towards our people – our employees, partners and all other stakeholders. The Mahindra Group has always maintained that our people are important to us. Before we got back to work, it was crucial for us to go beyond the standard protocol, and put in place certain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), to ensure that while business resumes smoothly, the safety of our people is not compromised.
First things first
Following the Government directives, it was important to first put in place the basics. Thermal scanning, social distancing, no entry without masks, usage of sanitisers and frequent cleaning of surfaces – all was a given. But we wanted to leave no stone unturned in our efforts to ensure a safer workplace.
An added layer of safety
When the our plant in Igatpuri resumed operations, our colleagues used innovative ways to ensure an added layer of safety. Sanitised surfaces and door handles were not enough; so foot pedals were installed on doors, to ensure employees did not need to touch door knobs or handles and could move in and out of areas, handsfree. A similar arrangement was made with sanitiser dispensers. Further, we started serving only warm water to everyone within the facility. Watch these efforts and more, in action, in this video below:
Safety for all
On one hand, we've ensured the workplace is safe and sanitised. On the other, we’ve started contactless deliveries to ensure everyone is safe from exposure – right from the manufacturer, their employees, the delivery personnel, to customers. And in that light our automotive business has come up with many more initiatives – two of which are offering online car purchasing via our SUV portal and an online car care service.
Our car care service leverages video calling to offer advice, provide repair recommendations and real-time updates. This keeps both, our service providers and our customers from any risk, and allows for the cars to be serviced remotely. For us, it’s a win-win, the business runs smoothly and we’re able to ensure continued services to our customers, and at the same time ensure everyone’s safety.
While we ensure the safety of our people, we know that our fellow organisations are facing the same challenges, looking for the same solutions. So, Nightingales, a Mahindra Collaboration that offers on-call healthcare services, developed a Workplace Health Safety program for all corporates to make use of, to ensure their employees can also safely return to work post lockdown.
Going back to work may not be the same for a while, but by following protocol and by quickly adapting and finding new ways to dodge or tackle these unprecedented challenges, we can together Rise for a better and stronger tomorrow.
Got ideas on how you would like to help make your workplace safer for you and your colleagues? Do let us know in the comments, we’d love to know.
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