It’s come to our knowledge that the Econet has started introducing remote work for certain staffers – with around 50% of their staff now instructed to work from home due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Whilst Zimbabwe hasn’t had an officially confirmed case, the telecommunications has reacted proactively and minimized the risk that staff and by extension the wider society would have if people keep to their daily routines as if things are normal.
We are also reliably informed that a few weeks ago some employees were given face masks and hand sanitizers as precautionary measures against the virus.
Liquid Telecom also recently postponed their EduZones Campaign event that was supposed to start tomorrow with invited press members receiving the following email;
Good Day
Due to concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19 (corona virus) the Liquid Telecom Zimbabwe Eduzone Campaign slated for the 18th of March 2020 has been postponed in the interest of public safety. A new launch date will be announced in due course.
We apologise for any inconveniences caused.
Email from Liquid Telecom
A logistical nightmare
Most Zimbabwean companies – especially the likes of Econet who are among the largest local companies will no doubt have to deal with the logistical nightmare that is remote working at a moment’s notice.
With the current power situation locally and the fact that some employees might not have laptops, it might prove difficult to ensure that productivity stays at the level Econet would normally want but in all fairness, this isn’t a normal situation.
Maybe these challenges are why some of the staff is still required to come in and maybe those with less critical roles or those who are prepared to work from home have been cleared to work outside their normal offices.
Proactive, not reactive
Despite the logistical nightmare this might prove to be and the loss of productivity – Econet’s move is commendable as their putting their employees and the wider nation’s health first. What we’ve seen so far in other countries, is that most governments and companies don’t react to the virus until its too late so it’s reassuring to see local companies taking the Coronavirus seriously.
