Combatting Covid the Peoplist Way

In a prolonged crisis, as this is proving to be, we often see waves of activity separated by a period of calm, like flying through a hurricane. During these difficult and unprecedented times where everybody's mental health is luring down, the only way to keep mine at peace is by spending quality time with my three-year-old daughter. While helping her out with her studies, I came across one of her nursery rhymes - Sharing is Caring. She ran down the corridor singing- Sharing is caring, oh sharing is fun, we can all share, be kind to everyone, and the verse resonated with me as I contemplated the world around me.

The world came to a sudden halt, everything came to a standstill, and homes became confinements. The air got filled with uncertainty and fear, the fear of illness, the fear of loneliness, the fear of losing our loved ones, and the fear of losing our jobs. Fortunately, the latter one was taken care of, thanks in part to the management at PeopleStrong. Be it Taggd, PeopleStrong, or Wheebox, all companies under the PeopleStrong umbrella not only provided job security to all employees but also gave them comprehensive care and support.

PeopleCare engraves within the DNA of PeopleStrong. During these trying times, we launched a three-pronged safety net for each and every member of the PeopleStrong family. The purpose was to provide comfort and protection to each of our Peoplists in such strenuous conditions. Our pillars stood upright amidst vagaries of nature.

Our first pillar was the personal connect wherein we established a Covid Care taskforce team headed by the leadership team and supported by HR and volunteers from within the organization. The teams connected personally with each of the 1500+ Peoplists. They enquired about the health and safety of our Peoplist and their family members. Whenever needed, the task force provided various assistance and support to our Peoplists. Our best-in-class communication platform Zippi gave us the leverage to maintain meaningful and deeper connections.

The second pillar of our Covid Care program was providing real-time support. We quickly realized that we must save our Peoplists from the pandemic stress and arrange for the availability of professional doctors for any of their concerns during these times. Hence, we stepped up and partnered with a top healthcare provider to set up a dedicated medical helpline for our Peoplists along with their family members. This medical helpline was an instant success. The availability of 24x7 doctor teleconsultations provided a sense of relief to the employees of their and their family member's well-being. The helpline also facilitated employees to request Covid tests or any other diagnostics tests, along with expediting emergency responses (such as ambulance, beds, oxygen, and concentrators). With this real-time support, each of our employees breathed a sigh of relief and got a sense of assurance. However, our PeopleCare values didn't allow us to stop here. We went beyond and launched an elderly care program partnering with a leading vendor in this field to provide continuous support and well-being to the elders in the family of our Peoplists. It has been one of the most fruitful endeavors in acknowledging and empathizing with the families of the Peoplist.

The third pillar of our Covid Care program was avoiding financial stress. Uncertain times like these can inflict a lot of financial aches on every human being. We understood this and believed it is our responsibility to empower each employee with the required monetary cover so that our Peoplists are not affected by any financial duress. We took three bold steps to ensure this financial cover is relevant and adequate for each Peoplist. We enhanced the sum assured of our Mediclaim insurance by 50% along with an additional top-up plan. We understood that such times take a toll on the well-being of employees. Hence, we also scrapped the attendance and abolished any salary deductions due to absenteeism. We introduced 'paid' quarantine leaves of fourteen days over and above our existing bouquet of paid leaves. Going beyond the tides, we also set up a Covid Care Fund to assist our colleagues financially. The fund received generous donations from our colleagues and had been a beacon of light for the suffering families. We also created an internal plasma donor bank, which catered to the urgent requirement of plasma by employees and their families.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unparalleled ill health and disruption to human life around the world. These difficult times call for thoughtful actions. Going with the motto of Sharing is Caring, all I have realized is that there isn't anything more robust than the bond of caring. We all, hand in hand fighting through the adversities, will surely sail through the rough sea and reach the calm and pleasant shore. Even when the pandemic has left us all with impulsive choices and paranoid sources for help, PeopleStrong has sought a way to bring order to this unrelenting chaos through the means of PeopleCare. This, along with the values of our Peoplist have made us strong, future-ready, and unbeatable in the face of adversities like these.