The last thing in the world the MeloTel Blog ever set out to do was to spread bad news. However, with a big part of its mandate being the dissemination of important information to the public, we feel we have no choice but for today’s blog to have such an ominous topic.
The Coronavirus is impacting the world.
The latest reports have the global death toll north of 3,000. We’re horrified at the fact that cases are soaring and the World Health Organization is warning that the risk of global spread is “very high”. As of today, there are over 89,000 reported cases worldwide. Also known as COVID-19, the Coronavirus is now wreaking havoc here in North America.
Earlier today, Hollie Silverman and Holly Yan of CNN.com, reported that six people have died in Washington state and the United States is currently managing more than 90 reported cases of the disease. Here, in Canada, the number of reported Coronavirus cases is at 27.
We all have a responsibility to ward off any potential spreading of the Coronavirus.
As a business owner, this may appear to be a difficult task. You likely have to manage numerous employees all under one roof each business day of the week. While the Public Health Agency of Canada has assessed the public health risk associated with COVID-19 as low, it’s still essential to take safety precautions at your place of business.
Insist that all employees with flu symptoms stay at home. Restrict all handshaking and hugging. Shut down any non-essential functions and facilities. Split your teams into different work locations and use telecommuting options as much as possible. Stagger shift changes, breaks and meal periods to allow for worksite sanitization and to minimize contact. Use technology for meetings rather than requiring attendance in person and cancel non-essential meetings.
European companies are sending workers home.
Last week, David Yaffe-Bellany of the The New York Times reported that, in Europe, many companies are sending their employees home to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus. “An oil company and a media group have told hundreds of employees in London to work from home,” he writes, “A television giant is stopping people who have visited certain countries from entering its offices in Europe. A German airline has asked workers to take unpaid leave.”
Getting your workers to work from home isn’t just a good idea at a time like this, it’s about to become a necessity. There is a high likelihood that, in the near future, there will be a surge of businesses looking to get their staffs to work remotely. The MeloTel team is pleased to inform you that our cloud-hosted Commercial Phone Services will allow for easy transitions from the workplace to home for any and all of your employees.
Allow MeloTel to help you set up your remote work stations.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us to learn about our CloudSoftphone (which will allow your employees to use your business line on their smartphones), MeloSIP (a desktop app which enables Click 2 Call functionality), our virtual call forwarding features and our desk phones which can be used from home just as they would be used in your office.
Call us right away at 1-888-MELOTEL or use the Live Chat feature on our website!
