The Philippines is slowly traversing the road to economic recovery. As we move towards the end of the lockdown and anticipate a new normal, policymakers, regulators, and the private sector are now gearing up for continuity and resiliency. Businesses and establishments, which were once directed to temporarily shut down operations due to the imposed enhanced community quarantine, are slowly preparing for the resumption of work.
The Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Labor and Employment jointly issued interim guidelines to assist private institutions in developing the minimum health protocols and standards for the workplace to prevent and control the spread of the coronavirus.
While some companies have instituted business continuity plans at the onset, many companies, especially the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) which have limited resources and access to information, do not have such plans.
In this regard, we would like to respectfully ask our constituents in the business community to share with us your re-entry plans, to include work arrangements, workplace etiquettes, social distancing measures, health and safety protocols, facilities management, and visitor policies, among others.
We would like to know how your new normal and post-lockdown offices would look like. We need these stories to show how companies intend to continue their businesses while ensuring the welfare of the workers and their families, suppliers, customers, as well as the community. These cases may also provide guidance to smaller companies on how to navigate the new dynamics of the world of work.
We would appreciate getting salient features of your model policies, best practices, and strategic plans on or before 15 July 2020. ECOP will publish them in its website and social media accounts under the series “Business Continues, Business Cares: Strategic Framework towards Re-entry and Recovery”. Please send them to ECOP’s Advocacy, Research and Communications Department ([email protected]).
Visit ECOP COVID-19 Center