Why We Should Tow The Line As Leading Firms ID Africa, BlackHouseMedia, Plaqad INC Issue “Compulsory Work From Home” Policy To Staff In Fight Against Coronavirus

Leading firms ID Africa, BlackHouseMedia and Plaqad Inc have approved a compulsory work from home policy to it’s workers.

The policy which is part of the companies efforts at providing helping hands in the fight against coronavirus takes effect immediately.

The direct and indirect reasons and why every responsible corporate entity should tow the same line is provided in the statement released by Mr Ayeni Adekunle.

#COVID19 – As an important further precaution, we have approved today, a COMPULSORY WORK FROM HOME policy for everyone working with us at ID Africa BlackHouse Media and Plaqad Inc. 
Summary of my message to staff below.

We don’t know what will happen next, as the situation continues to be completely unpredictable. But it’s a thin line between planning and panic. And that is the line everyone needs to thread carefully. We expect the best but we are being proactive and prepping for the worst.

So our decision is as follows:

1. All staff are to, starting Thursday March 19, 2020, work remotely, from their homes.

2. All staff are to adhere to the State and Federal Government’s advice on social distancing, hygiene, reporting and responsible communication.

3. We will do all we can to support everyone that needs some kind of help to work remotely, be it WIFI, alternative electric power, personal computer, or any other tools.

4. If you have a peculiar living condition, or fear working from home full time for this period may affect you adversely physically or mentally, please communicate to your supervisor, or to me directly and I assure you we will work with you to provide a good alternative.

5. All staff will be required to participate in daily Zoom update meetings. These will be communicated in detail by your team head.

6. The office will remain open and can be accessed in case you need to pick up documents or use a facility. But you must obtain a line head approval before visiting.

7. At this point, we believe our work will not be impacted negatively. In fact, cutting off commute time, we expect productivity to go up. We definitely are hopeful that you will continue to do your job professionally and passionately. That is what we are known for.

8. All staff are to reduce or avoid all non-essential visit to offices, public gatherings, including parties, religious houses, or mass transit systems. This is mandatory.

9. If you, or any one you live with or have interacted with feels ill, falls ill, or shows some of the COVID-19 symptoms, you are to immediately contact TMM or your CEO; and call the numbers provided by the government. We will be happy to provide all the support needed.

10. Again, we are taking this essential precautionary method because we believe it is better safe than sorry; better to be cautious and wrong, than to find ourselves in a situation where we are gnashing our teeth.

I strongly believe that a lot of organisations in Nigeria should and would take similar measures in the coming days. But we cannot control what other parties do. What we do have control over is what we do as a responsible organisation that puts our people before profit.

And what I ask you to do is to also put yourself and your family first; to put the public’s health first, and work with us to make sure that even if we are limited in how we can help the government and health care providers at this time, we do not add to the problem.

I thank you for reading, and look forward to hearing your thoughts if you have any questions or suggestions.