As the COVID-19 pandemic upends economies worldwide and disrupts the lives of millions, companies must confront the realities and challenges of workplace continuity. How does a corporation ensure business-as-usual while countering the constant threat of a silent and fast moving pathogen, and does it have the right real estate partner in its corner for its workspace needs?
At Embassy Office Parks, the focus has been on enabling business continuity for our tenants and their employees, ensuring that our 33 million sq. ft. pan-India office portfolio remained open, compliant with all regulations and most importantly, safe for the 200,000 people who work in our parks, including our own employees.
As early as January 2020, when it became evident that the virus was spreading rapidly, Embassy Office Parks moved swiftly and decisively to be adequately ’prepared’ for continuity. This stemmed from the realization that any COVID-19 related incident could snowball into immediate and rigorous quarantining of our tenants’ workspaces and potentially an entire business park. The first step was to curb the spread of fake news and ensure that everyone in the park ecosystem got correct and authentic information. Information available online from the Ministry of Health, Singapore and the World Health Organization was leveraged to create a repository that would help enhance knowledge and reduce panic. In the same month, Embassy Office Parks initiated an awareness campaign with Medical, Education & Awareness, Operational, Regulatory and People as the pillars of our response to the outbreak. Based on the WHO guidelines, this campaign educated our stakeholders about elevated sanitization equirements, personal hygiene, distancing and the need for using protective equipment such as facemasks and hand sanitizers.
In February, Embassy Office Parks activated the Business Continuity Processes team and implemented within our business parks. Cleaning cycles were enhanced, a rigorous training regimen for our ancillary staff was instituted and upgraded regularly, and additional suppliers were identified to provide essential materials such as thermal guns to monitor all visitors.
In March, a centralized help desk went live to facilitate daily communication with our 200+ occupiers and over 1,000 commercial real estate representatives of those occupiers, about various protocols and procedures. Designing the communication as a two-way exercise, Embassy Office Parks was able to incorporate feedback and respond requests, quickly and efficiently.
By the time the Government of India announced the nationwide lockdown mandating companies employ only critical resources at office premises and institute a Work From Home (WFH) policy for the rest, Embassy Office Parks was ready.
To assuage the concerns of our occupiers regarding business continuity, the business parks were kept open (in accordance with Government guidelines) to ensure uninterrupted functioning of mission critical infrastructure. By placing hygiene and sanitation at a premium, Embassy Office Parks escalated the weekend deep-cleaning, sanitization, fumigation, and misting services, apart from the regular weekday enhanced cleaning activities. All electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire and safety equipment were tested and disinfected in line with manufacturer and regulatory guidelines. This was done repeatedly and meticulously, with the support of our most valuable resource - our people
We cannot thank our first responders and those of our civic bodies enough: our security staff, our cleaners, our operations team, the police officers and the healthcare workers in every city. Embassy Office Parks instituted a variety of initiatives for police personnel across the country to aid them in conducting their duties in a safe and sanitary manner. 24-hour hydration stations across four location were established, providing drinking water, snacks, coffee & tea, and access to first aid, sanitizers, and toilets. Hand sanitizers, protective masks and nutritional
snacks were distributed to police forces along with weekly sanitization and fumigation carried out at police stations near our parks. They are our heroes, and we are immensely grateful for their services.
As India gingerly limps back to a new normal, workplace continuity will take on a new meaning. Government regulations with limitations on occupancy levels will mean less crowded office spaces and changed public transport patterns. Health and hygiene, and the ability to respond to crises will be at the forefront of any corporate occupier’s real estate plan, be it for an office space for 50 people, or 10,000.
In these times, the need for an institutional-quality landlord in India like Embassy Office Parks has never been greater. Global companies will continue hiring from the Indian talent pool, because the deliverable of the Indian technology skillset forms the backbone of most global corporate architectures. But these companies will need the assurance of Grade-A workspace providers who possess the asset management capabilities to ensure business continuity and safety, amidst increase testing for COVID-19 and the race to find a vaccine. With more companies becoming aware of their responsibilities to employees, there is an increasing consolidation towards larger Grade-A players.
As India’s first listed REIT, Embassy REIT is positioned to weather this pandemic-induced storm with our best-in-class office portfolio and our strong balance sheet. By allowing our global tenants the flexibility they require to operate their businesses in this crisis, we have demonstrated that our portfolio is resilient and stable. We will ensure our parks continue to serve as reliable partner in this hour of need for our tenants and their employees in all our markets.
For a complete overview on our business readiness and an online library of business continuity resources, please visit our website at https://covid19.embassyofficeparks.com/
