 |
|
Key
message to colleagues, employers, stakeholders and the wider community from
Safaraz Ali
|
There has been rising concerns surrounding Coronavirus
COVID-19 and my assurance to you is that Pathway is committed to maintaining
business operations as usual wherever we can.
This is the same message that I have passed on personally to
our teams and customers and has been agreed amongst our leaders in the business
that our focus is to remain business as usual wherever possible, whilst also
ensuring the safety and well-being of our all the team members- whether they
are office based, academy based or out in the field.
We need to mindful that the situation changes by the day and
it also varies from source to source. We continue to monitor and be guided by
external advice from Department for Education, the devolved authorities, the
awarding bodies we work with and of course local and national government. Our
Business Continuity Plans are in place to ensure the high level of service and
support you would expect from us.
There is no denying that the Coronavirus is going to have an
impact on all of us. It already it some cases has and we are still in the early
stages. Further disruption is inevitable. We need to find ways to solve the
problems we face, their effects and impact. We also need to listen to and
guide our customers and each other at this moment.
At the end of the day when all is said and done, Pathway is
a people business and our business is about seeing people and working with
them, and the key thing for us is primarily how we get that done and how we
provide the support to learners and employers.
I would also say that no one has all the answers, no one
knows it all and we as a general rule need to be careful who we listen to,
every one out there is giving their “tuppence” worth – some are saying the
government is not doing enough and others are questioning experts, at times
like now all this does as you have seen is create mass hysteria and herd
mentality.
Regardless of your political views and opinions the best and
most reliable source is going to be the government and the civil service incorporating
NHS and, that is where we should get our most reliable information, please be
careful on what basis you form your views and ultimately make decisions and
take any action.
So, generally speaking how do we reduce the impact of this
and look to continue business as usual as much as possible?
The first thing is that no one willingly will encourage
anyone to put themselves or anyone else for that matter, at any unnecessary
risk. It’s important therefore for each and everyone of us to know some facts about
this situation – at the very least know what the symptoms are and if we
do have them, what we need to do – that is act accordingly -refrain from
attending work and follow guidelines in respect of self-isolation.
We already know some of the obvious but very important
points mentioned by us by official sources regarding hygiene – there is a duty
on us to all to be aware and observe general hygiene standards in respect of
washing of hands, sneezing or coughing into a tissue or crook of elbow, dispose
of tissues appropriately
Where possible businesses need to start thinking about using
remote communication and working tools and techniques that are at our disposal.
At Pathway we have invested over the last 18 months a considerable resource on
this and my message to our team is to make this work for us and lets make use
of what we have.
I have also said to all our team members who have
appointments at care organisations or any location where there may be
vulnerable groups to arrange remote visits or meet with learners/employers off
site where possible.
Each business needs to have contingency plans and we have
ours, and they are being updated to reflect in the event we are advised to or
make a decision to close offices/delivery centres- we hope it doesn’t come to
this but we need to plan all eventualities.
As things are developing so quickly with the virus, where
possible I’d like to increase the frequency of our internal and external
communications that we have. We are seeking more updates on learner by learner
basis and to get more transparency on progress and activity.
There may come a time when we are unable to access learners
or learners wish to continue and our Tutors aren’t available. It’s important to
remain lean and agile in this respect as a business and do what we can to
continue activities in a planned manner.
The key message from me is – I know it’s easier said than
done but lets aim for as less disruption as we can – listen to facts, accept we
can’t control what we can’t control but what we can control is our response and
lets keep that measured and balanced. We need to keep our wits about us – for
all of us to show leadership and provide support to each other.
I trust we will get through this difficult terrain, with the
right planning and the right approach.
Thank you for your time, I’m here to serve you – please
share your thoughts, concerns and please keep an eye out for each other.
My best
Safaraz
No comments:
Post a Comment