Coronavirus has become much more than just another Swine Flu or SARs outbreak.

Our staff is working tirelessly to protect the health and well-being of our employees, while ensuring business continuity for our clients.

• Rapidly and thoroughly outlining policies and business continuity plans
• Adhering to guidelines and recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
• Working closely with local governments and medical consultants
• Keeping employees and clients well informed through frequent health and safety communications and local status updates

To ensure the well-being of our employees and clients, all sites have a Business Continuity Plan to address key operational areas such as human resources, process and business functions, client management, and both internal and external communications. AllianceOne has significantly expanded the deployment of home-based agents as it’s the best way to protect employees from exposure and ensure business continuity for clients. We are currently and rapidly activating additional home-based agents in all regions.

The following actions have been taken to prevent exposure and ensure business continuity:

• Activation of work-at-home capabilities wherever possible
• Frequent and regular disinfection of facilities including common areas and individual work stations
• Availability of supplies such as hand sanitizers comprising minimum 60% alcohol, liquid soap and, subject to WHO guidance and local market conditions, surgical masks. Separate waste disposal bins provided for used supplies or worn materials
• Social distancing – scattered seating to reduce the overall concentration of staff at any one time and increase the amount of personal space
• Suspension of all social activities for employees, clients or communities
• Screening of everyone entering an AllianceOne facility for elevated body temperatures using reliable infra-red thermometers or temperature-scanning equipment
• Strict “no travel” policies have been implemented

Frequent employee communications and updates are delivered through numerous channels, including the employee intranet, internal newsletters, emails, and both digital and printed bulletin boards.

Communications include:

• Information about the pandemic preparedness and response planning
• Community sources for timely and accurate pandemic information and resources for understanding business continuity and employee safety measures
• Infection prevention tips

• We are proactively communicating with our clients on business continuity plans, recommendations, and best practices from other regions and industries
• Clients receive regular status updates directly from AllianceOne leaders and account managers as appropriate. Each client is kept apprised of logistical updates, business continuity measures, workforce status, and contingency planning.
• We have activated work-at-home agents, in many cases where the client had no previous WAHA footprint. So, we’re working with many more clients to evaluate and enable WAHA capabilities whenever possible. Allowing employees to telecommute from home is the best way to protect them from exposure to the COVID-19 virus and ensure business continuity.