Maruti Suzuki opened its corporate office at Nelson Mandela Marg in New Delhi on Wednesday—six weeks after a nationwide lockdown was announced to contain the spread of coronavirus--joining a handful of large businesses that are trying to crank up operations after the government eased some curbs.
“We have got clearance to open the office from the local authorities and are following the guidelines given by the government,” said a spokesperson for Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the country’s biggest car maker. The company’s Delhi corporate office is at Nelson Mandela Marg.
Maruti has got permission to open three more regional offices, while approval is awaited for 15 others, the spokesperson said, adding that these will be operationalised in a staggered manner.
According to the spokesperson, the offices will function with less than 33% staff strength, with people coming in at different time slots, as stipulated by the home ministry. With the help of ‘Wellness Mitra App’, the company is monitoring body temperature and tracking Covid-19 symptoms like cough, shortness in breath on a real-time basis for all its 34,000 employees. All employees have been asked to download the Aarogya Setu app.
“No one will be allowed inside the premises without this app, said Rajesh Uppal, member, executive board (HR, IT & safety), at Maruti Suzuki. “There would be no leniency on following the rules on social distancing. Every day the zones are changing, hence it would be difficult to say which offices would open first. As our offices are spread across different states, they all come under local administration rules.”
The company is dividing each office location into zones and Covid marshals in each of these zones will ensure that no employee moves to another zone. Only the “healthy and fit” employees--based on their last 14 days’ health record as tracked by the company app—will be allowed inside the offices.
According to the spokesperson, to ensure safety, security guards, housekeeping and transport staff, and those working in the canteen and pantry will wear overalls/PPEs, while staff with multiple interactions will wear hazmat suits. Wearing a mask is mandatory for all. Visitors will not be allowed. Tea and coffee will be served at workstations and all employees have been instructed to bring their own food. Seating arrangement will ensure there is a gap of at least 2 m between employees.
All employees will have to disinfect their footwear with a solvent kept in the parking lot before entering office. Marshals will ensure that employees don’t touch objects and devices that belong to others. The company is also disabling the biometric attendance system and limiting the number of people in a lift to one.
The company has also developed an app for Maruti Suzuki dealers and vendor partners on the lines of ‘Wellness Mitra App’. It has also put in place a standard operating procedure (SoP) for its dealerships.
Last week, the home ministry laid down guidelines for private companies that are planning to open up to ensure the safety of workers. Some of these include wearing masks, social distancing on transport, workplace including lift, etc. Staggered lunch breaks and work shifts for employees. Companies are expected to provide thermal scanning, hand wash and sanitisers at all entry and exit points and common areas.
May 07, 2020
댓글