9. Why are some Associates working from home, while I am not?
Some Clients have already begun exercising work from home options. For those clients who have not yet embraced work from home, we have made appeals. The Task Force is fully committed to making work from home happen successfully for all of our Associates at the earliest possible. We will continue to work with Clients to ensure them of our work from home capabilities and encourage them to exercise this option, as recommended by local and national authorities, for the safety and health of everyone in the community.
Update: All US Associates were asked to stop going to workplaces from Mar 13 onwards. 100% of our US Associates have been working from home since Mar 16. All India Associates, barring a skeletal essential facilities & support staff, were asked to stop going to workplaces from Mar 20 onwards. 100% of our India Associates have been working from home since Mar 24.
10. When will I need to prepare to work from home?
The Task Force has committed to the Company’s Board and to our Clients that all our US Associates will have the ability to work from home by March 16th and all India Associates by Mar 20th. Location Task Force Leaders have been empowered to mobilize operations to work from home, and several leaders, working in conjunction with Clients, have mobilized work from home operations. The Task Force is on track to achieve the Mar 16th timeline for all of our USA Associates and March 20th timeline for most of our India Associates. For the rest of the Associates in India, excepting those working in “white rooms”, the Task Force is on track to mobilize work from home operations by March 25th.
Update: All US Associates were asked to stop going to workplaces from Mar 13 onwards. 100% of our US Associates have been working from home since Mar 16. All India Associates, barring a skeletal essential facilities & support staff, were asked to stop going to workplaces from Mar 20 onwards. 100% of our India Associates have been working from home since Mar 24.
11. Can an Associate work from home to minimize the possibility of being infected?
The Task Force is monitoring updates and guidelines from CDC. The Task Force is also making necessary arrangements to enable Associates to work from home, if such a need arises or to comply with local government guidelines. Currently, each Task Force Leader is coordinating with Associates under their purview and with Client Task Force counterparts, to determine where Associates should work from. If your Task Force Leader informs you that you should be prepared to work from home or if a decision has been made for you to work from home, Associates are required to comply with such guidelines. In the interim, if you have a unique concern, please contact your Task Force Leader to determine the appropriate course of action.
Update: All US Associates were asked to stop going to workplaces from Mar 13 onwards. 100% of our US Associates have been working from home since Mar 16. All India Associates, barring a skeletal essential facilities & support staff, were asked to stop going to workplaces from Mar 20 onwards. 100% of our India Associates have been working from home since Mar 24.
12. What should I do if someone in my community or in my family has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is undergoing tests because they suspect that they may have contracted COVID-19?
If an Associate’s family member or someone they are in close proximity to, is sick or shows symptoms of fever, acute respiratory illness or any other related symptoms, the Associate should work from home and/or care for their family member. Please immediately inform your Task Force Leader of such a situation. ValueMomentum will not consider this time as leave and the sick days will not get deducted from your paid time off.
13. If I have to take time off because I or a family member has contracted the virus, or I have to self-quarantine, will this time be considered as sick leave?
On Mar 4, The Company’s Board took the decision to allow Associates who are sick or in self-quarantine to take time off without reducing their sick leaves. It was further decided to allow Associates to self-quarantine without a doctor’s note and without leave and pay deductions. Also, a decision was made to allow Associates to take time off, without loss of pay or leave, to care for a sick family member.
14. Am I the only one receiving phishing scam emails and text messages?
Sadly, there are people who are taking advantage of emergencies such as this one and trying to scam people using phishing emails and text messages. They are masquerading as credit card companies and other brands. There have been several reports from our Associates who have received phishing scam emails and text messages from either our HR or IT support or our CEO or our other leaders. Please be very vigilant and do NOT click on any link or respond or take any actions without verifying the authenticity diligently.
15. Are Associates permitted to travel for business or for personal reasons?
All business travel, domestic and international is currently prohibited. In this context, business travel entails traveling outside what may be reasonably considered as your “home base”. For example, an Associate working in our NJ office will have undertaken domestic business travel if they visit a Client in New York, NY.
International personal travel is strongly discouraged and if an emergency necessitates, Associates are required to obtain email approval from their Task Force Leader before going on their trip and self-quarantine themselves upon their return.
With COVID-19 spreading rapidly, it is not safe to travel, either domestic or international. Every one of us is already aware that travel by air is significantly risky. Unfortunately, we may think shorter distance travel by bus or train is safer. However, the risks are equally high as you can see with authorities advising against using mass transit such as metro, train or bus. Traveling a short distance by personal vehicle may also sound safe, but if you are visiting a crowded place such as a place of worship or a playground, you are still at risk of exposure. There may be some emergency that requires you to go out. If you do, please take all the necessary precautions. Stay clear of cities and locations that are experiencing community spread. Note that there are many local restrictions on local travel, as well as lockdowns and stay-at-home orders issued by local authorities and governments.
16. How is ValueMomentum monitoring COVID-19?
On Feb 17, recognizing that the Coronavirus outbreak is an event to track and monitor, ValueMomentum’s Board requested the executive leadership to cancel the Company’s annual meeting scheduled for Apr 2020. On Feb 26, COVID-19 was recognized as a possible pandemic event and a communication was sent out by our HR prohibiting international travel and providing guidance on not returning to work and self-quarantining if any Associate experiences symptoms. On Mar 4, the Company Board met for an emergency meeting and appointed two Board members (who are also CXOs) as Task Force Coordinators – one for USA and one for India. The Company Board approved broad authority to the Task Force Coordinators to take any action they deem necessary to meet their mandate.
On Mar 5, The Task Force Coordinators appointed Task Force Leaders from various operational units to coordinate ValueMomentum’s response to this incident. The Task Force assumed a mandate to minimize the spread of COVID-19 within our community and minimize its spreading in our communities and our clients’ (“Safety”), rapid respond to incidents and rapidly communicate (“Communication”), and minimize disruption of our service to our Clients and our work (“Operational Continuity”).
The Task Force has been meeting daily to discuss ValueMomentum’s approach to the outbreak and to lead communications and coordination of all matters with our Associates, Clients, Partners and Vendors. The Task Force has been monitoring any incident involving our Associates and communicating with all stakeholders on the same and on the actions taken. Further, the Task Force has been coordinating with other teams and leaders towards the goals of wellbeing of all Associates and operational continuity. The Task Force is also regularly updating the Company’s Board.