Direct post from our intranet. Update as of now:
COVID-19 Company Update: Week of May 4, 2020
May 01, 2020 by Meaghan McKeever in Company News, HR 219 00
At Solomon Page your safety is of the utmost importance and concern, and given the current environment, we feel that is essential to be prepared to ensure your well-being and successful business continuity. Thank you all for your cooperation during this time of uncertainty. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation and communicate regularly.
Week of May 4, 2020
Things are looking hopeful with the crest of the COVID cases currently on the downswing in most parts of the world. With that said, we are preparing a Back to Work Plan for each office with the understanding that some of the offices may be opened before others based on state and local guidelines. I know that some of the buildings we work in have sent information and directives indicating that they will be opening in the next week or so. It is essential that no one return to the office(s) until you have received safety and protocol instructions from Solomon Page. Your welfare is our paramount concern, and we want to make sure we are equipping you to go back to work in the most safe and effective manner possible. We will be communicating our plan and timing for each office opening in the near future.
Week of April 10, 2020
In order to ensure the safety of our employees, all Solomon Page offices will remain closed through May 1, 2020. We will continue to monitor this situation and look forward to seeing each other in person when we re-open.
Week of March 30, 2020
As we monitor this situation, it is apparent that for the continued safety of our employees, all of our physical offices will remain closed through Friday, April 10, with our employees working remotely through that date.
I know that working from home can present myriad challenges and limitations, so we are creating a Work From Home Best Practices section on our Intranet that you can access and share with colleagues, clients and friends. This will be available early this week.
As a teaser, I have included the links below to give you some tips on staying comfortable and safe:
Ergonomic Remote Workstation Setup
Exercises for the Remote Worker
Week of March 23, 2020
Navigating our New Normal
To our Solomon Page family,
After a week in our “new normal” we are learning how to navigate a difficult hand we have been dealt and it is clear we are stronger than we ever could have imagined—our collective spirit will not be broken. Each of the groups have pulled together in ways that will pay dividends for a very long time, and so many people have stepped up with their very best:
Our reception, administrative, and staffing coordinator team members are second to none and have impeccably continued to support us as an extension of our business.
The IT team has created a remote operating environment allowing us to work seamlessly as we support our clients and candidates. They are truly superstars!
The corporate accounting group has continued to be the backbone of our ability to bill, pay, and maintain continuity in the way we function.
The marketing and training teams have stepped up in a big way to ensure the communication internally and externally has positioned our firm and brand in a very positive way, while making sure the tools and resources we have are being utilized to the best of our ability.
HR has been absolutely remarkable in supporting the fact that the safety of our employees is first and foremost, while navigating the ever-changing environment we are faced with today.
Words cannot express the level of gratitude and appreciation to each and every person for making the company what it is today. We are being tested in unprecedented ways and passing each test with flying colors. We are very much in this together and welcome any and all suggestions of ways we can be the best version of the collective us. To say that we are proud would be an immense understatement and validates so many positive thoughts and feelings about our company and employees. We encourage you to keep communicating and sharing your good news and ideas, and please know that we are here for each member of our Solomon Page family.
Let’s make it happen this week.
Lloyd & Scott
From Corporate HR:
As we assess the current situation as it relates to your safety, we have determined that we will continue to operate in the same tact for the week of March 23 through March 30, with most employees working remotely and only coming in to their local offices on a necessity basis.
By Saturday, March 21, all of our offices will have been deep cleaned, with nightly emphasis on more detailed cleaning of all surfaces, keyboards, door handles, phones and switches.
Please continue to reach out to Helpdesk and HR with any issues as it relates to working remotely. We have been able to address all of the issues swiftly and stand ready to do anything we can to facilitate the business and your productivity.
**New York Offices Update**
Effective Monday, March 23, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is ordering any workers who are in non-essential services to stay home. As a result of this, our office spaces in New York City and Long Island will join our California offices in being closed. There will be no Reception team answering the phones at the 260 Madison location. The phones will be set on Night Mode and will automatically route any calls to the Dial by Directory function. Please make sure your phones are being appropriately forwarded.
It is important that no employees go to these offices until further notice as there are stiff fines and penalties associated with non-compliance.
As a reminder, even though our physical office(s) may be closed, Solomon Page is still very much open for business. Please continue to work as effectively and adeptly as you have during this past week as we get closer to eradicating this pervasive virus.
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Over 6,000 mental health professionals have signed up to provide free services. Call 1-844-863-9314 to schedule an appointment.
Week of March 16, 2020
Working from home:
As we continue to monitor this rapidly-changing situation, your safety is of paramount concern. While our offices will be technically open, we are advising that any employee who does not have an essential reason to come to the office please work at home for the upcoming week. This will allow us to deep clean the offices and to mitigate the possibility of contagion in the workplace. We trust that you will continue to work as effectively and productively as you always do as we evaluate our protocols on a regular basis. The expectation is that your productivity will in no way be compromised, as we have all the necessary technology and tools in place to make this transition seamless. Working from home will be assessed on a week-by-week basis as information unfolds.
All teams should be up and running to work remotely and business should be running as usual. If you have any troubleshooting issues, please email them to both Helpdesk@solomonpage.com and CorporateHR@solomonpage.com.
Read on Forbes: 9 Tips To Be Productive When Working At Home During COVID-19
Office Cleaning:
All offices will receive a deep cleaning starting this evening. All cleaning is expected to be completed by this Friday.
Client & Candidate Communication: We encourage you to over-communicate with both clients & candidates.
You should be in the know on what is happening at clients’ organizations and aware of what shifts are happening within their organizations. PLEASE internally communicate to your direct manager any and all information and insight on these specific situations.
A client email was sent Thursday, March 12th, to all client contacts. You can individually forward the email communication with a personalized note. If you would like to send the message to your clients directly, please make sure to add a Note in their Contact record in Bullhorn with the following message: “Sent COVID-19 update”, so we can accurately track who is receiving this communication. If you have questions regarding this please reach out to Rachel Tigges.
Content & Resources: Utilize these links for yourself or share with clients & candidates as a way to stay top of mind and let them know we are to help them navigate through this situation.
Travel Policy:
As of Thursday, March 12th, Solomon Page is instituting the following policy with regard to employee travel:
If you have traveled domestically within the last week you must work from home for one week prior to coming into your respective office.
If you have traveled internationally within the last week you must work from home for two weeks prior to coming into your respective office.
Current Risk Assessment (according to the CDC):
– For the majority of people, the immediate risk of being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low. There is not widespread circulation in most communities in the United States.
– People in places where ongoing community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been reported are at elevated risk of exposure, with increase in risk dependent on the location.
– Healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19 are at elevated risk of exposure.
– Close contacts of persons with COVID-19 also are at elevated risk of exposure.
– Travelers returning from affected international locations where community spread is occurring also are at elevated risk of exposure, with increase in risk dependent on location.
Awareness:
We encourage all employees to exercise increased awareness and precautions to safeguard their health. Please familiarize yourself with the symptoms of the virus:
– Coughing
– Sneezing
– Fever
– Shortness of breath
– Difficulty breathing
– Early symptoms such as chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and runny nose.
If you develop a fever or any other symptoms associated with COVID-19, and you have reason to believe that you may have been exposed to; or come in contact with someone who has the Coronavirus, do not to report to the office. In those cases, and if you feel ill, stay home and contact your healthcare provider. Please inform your manager and me or a member of my team.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (CDC) recently issued guidance on steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and can be found by accessing the Frequently Asked Questions https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf.
As well as directly on the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.Tags: COVID-19
