HCL TECHNOLOGIES COVID-19 RESPONSE AND INITIATIVES
Ever since the pandemic started, HCL has been doing whatever it can to help its employees and ensure their safety and well-being under all circumstances. As early as January 2020, HCL had formed a special global pandemic task force with all key business leaders to monitor, assess and act to protect all employees, customers, and members of the HCL ecosystem and launched a full-blown executive crisis management function that gathered frequently to proactively manage the situation. As early as Mar 4, 2020 in India, we had 98% of its workforce working from home. HCL Technologies takes pride in announcing that it has become the first IT company in India to achieve the ‘PROTEK’ certification for ‘Prevention of Spread of Infection’ from Intertek.
As the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in India, HCL significantly boosted its efforts to support its employees and their families and has been taking care of their needs through a series of following initiatives:
Employee level –
24*7 running helpline for employees and their families
• Running a 24*7 helpline which has trained nurses and doctors to help our employees and their families in providing any kind of medical assistance. There are dedicated teams for query handling and response regarding non-medical essential services also.
Regular check-up on employees for enquiring about their wellbeing
• Duly connecting on regular basis with all employees to check-up on them and their family members – regarding their needs in terms of medication, hospital beds and testing and providing free of cost testing to all employees who want to get themselves tested.
Revised flexible Policy and Guidelines
• The company has revised and updated few policies to suit the needs of the employees and also gave an option to avail 14-days pandemic leaves in order to take care of themselves as well as their family members in case any of them tested positive.
Dedicated Covid-19 support and communication for employees
• #TakeCareHCL continues to be active in spreading awareness among employees about the pandemic and a variety of specific initiatives available to help employees and their families. HCL has a dedicated COVID-19 portal, which is a one-point access for employees in case of any emergency, and is enhanced with additional information on safety, support facilities and resources.
Providing Life Coaches for ensuring employees’ mental well-being
• Supporting the mental well-being of employees in the current challenging times by providing Life Coach services for employee emotional and psychological support. Virtual engagement initiatives such as photography session, mediation session, cooking sessions, Fitness sessions, Zumba activities, Quiz sessions, Kids activities, Live Talent shows, etc.
Convenger Buddy Program – Employee connecting with each other
• Launched a program called Covenger Buddy, a voluntary initiative for employees to connect with colleagues who are affected and check up on them regularly.
Vaccination –
HCL believes that vaccination is possibly the strongest way to fight Covid-19.
• The company has enabled on-premise vaccination centers to provide employees with a safe and convenient means of receiving a vaccination. HCL has already begun offering vaccines at clinics of its sister concern “‘HCL Healthcare,” at the company’s Noida, Lucknow and Chennai campuses and is in process of making more centers operational in a phased manner.
• These vaccination services will be provided free of charge to employees and their families as well as the third party vendors of HCL. In case the employee opts to get vaccinated at a private center, the cost of the same will be reimbursed by HCL.
• The employee may also choose to get your shots at partner hospitals, and at any private / government hospital near you, based on availability of vaccines locally.
• HCL is in discussions with vaccine manufacturers and top-tier hospitals, to provide COVID-19 vaccination support for its India-based employees.
Financial Assistance –
HCL introduces benefits under Family Assistance program
• The onset of the second wave of COVID -19 has caused irreparable damage to many lives. And in the unfortunate event of the passing away of an employee, this loss is felt by their families. Hence, HCL has introduced benefits under its Family Assistance program which includes Compassionate Allowance, Medical Insurance Coverage, Child Education Support, among other benefits in order to provide financial assistance for supporting the dependents of the deceased employee. This will help the family when they most critically need it in order to rebuild their lives and get a better place for their children.
• The company will also offer employment opportunities to the unemployed spouse or dependent children above the age of 18 years basis their qualifications, open position availability and trainability.
• Additionally, HCL will reimburse the tuition fees for upto 2 children of the deceased employee for next 5 years.
• To help employees set up an ergonomic workspace at home, the company provided them with Home Workspace setup policy, ensuring that the employees stay well, work without discomfort, and be productive.
Partnerships for providing services/assistance to employees –
Partnering with pharmacies, online medical consultation partners and top-tier hospitals
• Tied up with leading pharmacies and top-tier hospital chains to provide isolation/quarantine facilities, ICU beds and timely supply of medicines, oxygen concentrators and other Covid care related products. Also, ambulance services, equipped with basic and advanced life support system have been made available for the employees and their immediate family members. Isolation Rooms made available for mild, very mild, pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. These facilities will have well-trained nurses along with pre-defined meal services, the cost of which will be entirely borne by the company.
• Tied up with online partners for providing online doctor consulting services regarding covid-19 and mental wellness consultations pan-India at subsidized rates.
Walk-in Covid testing Kiosks at HCL centers
• Created kiosks in its campuses where employees and their family members can go, walk in and then get their Covid testing done.
Partnering with online food partners and providing expert elderly care at home services
• Tied up with food delivery service providers where employees can order meals at subsidized rates, delivered at home and also partnered with virtual community to provide expert Covid care at home for elderly
Region specific initiatives –
Providing support to hospitals, frontline staff in key locations –
• In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, HCL has provided 30 ICU beds at St John’s Hospital in Bengaluru, safety gear and PPE for frontline workers in Madurai and Chennai, as well as essential medical and non-medical equipment for COVID treating institutions in Chennai.
• HCL has also collaborated with local Municipal bodies to spearhead vaccination centres in cities and towns including Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Madurai, Lucknow, and J&K.
• As part of its efforts to strengthen the disaster management efforts in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, HCL joined hands with the District Administration of Coimbatore to provide vital protection equipment including masks, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), hand sanitizers and hands-free wash basins.
• HCL also delivered one lakh personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and 1,000 viral transport media (VTM) kits to the Uttar Pradesh government.
• In NCR HCL has supported with expanding capacity – a 100 bedded COVID treatment facility (including 50 oxygen beds) at Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Greater Noida. A 24×7 Integrated Control Centre set up and supported by HCL at Gautam Buddha Nagar during the first wave, continues to respond to citizen queries in the wake of the second wave of the pandemic.
• In Lucknow, HCL has provided six ICU ventilators, 20 oxygen beds and a mini oxygen generator plant (capacity of 45 LPM) to the Fatima Hospital. In addition to these, HCL is supporting with essential equipment and consumables at an L-1 COVID Care Facility, as well as the District Hospital in Hardoi. A 24×7 Integrated Control Centre set up and supported by HCL at Gautam Buddha Nagar during the first wave, continues to respond to citizen queries in the wake of the second wave of the pandemic.
• Besides, HCL also helped enhance the COVID-19 isolation and treatment facilities in the Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, in partnership with Doctors for You (HCL Foundation’s NGO partner) and the district administration. HCL’s support was a part of the State’s plans to increase COVID-19 care facilities in the Krishna District to manage the rising number of infections. HCL’s support was aimed at providing vulnerable communities in Vijayawada access to early screening and treatment. For this, HCL set up two 50-bed COVID-19 Centres, with both isolation and treatment facilities, at the District Hospital in Machilipatnam and Area Hospital in Gudivada in June 2020.
