It's a recurring narrative for a reason right now: people working in retail are the everyday heroes needed in our communities today. We want to highlight examples of service and ingenuity that we’ve seen in our own circles, and explain how we've pivoted our focus to help essential businesses on the frontlines of the pandemic.
Project Health Launches to Help Companies with Sudden COVID-19 Compliance Mandates
Since federal and state government agencies are implementing new regulations to keep essential businesses’ customers and staffs safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, Movista is offering a quick, comprehensive way to help. Project Health is new initiative to help those businesses track and report their employees’ health in real time—to stay compliant with guidelines and keep managers aware of who on their teams could be sick or at-risk of spreading COVID-19.
Movista recently helped one of its largest retail customers implement this tracking feature for more than 60,000 employees. Before any worker can start their assigned shift, they answer a series of questions on our digital platform related to COVID-19 symptoms and exposure. If the employee answers “Yes” to any questions, the system restricts them from working that day and instructs the manager on what steps to take from there. If the employee answers “No” to all questions, they are cleared for work that day. The company also records employee temperatures using touchless thermometers.
All data is available to the company instantaneously for compliance reporting, both internally and to public health organizations.
Project Health Assists Variety of Organizations to Get Back to Normal
Aside from being invaluable in stores and among field teams -- Project Health can help keep people safe wherever people are gathering. Universities, wineries, performing arts venues, restaurants, governmental organizations... the list is endless.
One creative way Project Health is being implemented, as kids across the country start summer break: camp. KidzToPros, a San Francisco Bay Area summer camp & after-school program provider, provides fun and educational programs to more than 25,000 children. KidzToPros has partnered up with Project Health to ensure the health of all campers and staff during their socially-distanced camps in 2020.
Donations of Demo Product to Kids
Energy bar maker Power Crunch found itself with storage units full of energy bars meant for large, now-canceled, sampling events throughout the spring. When schools started closing in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, Power Crunch realized they could help keep some food-insecure kids fed with that product.
In a generous pivot, Power Crunch donated thousands of full-sized bars to Grab & Go, a program sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District, that provides meals twice a day to food-insecure kids at 60 locations across the city.
Augmenting Retail Staff
Retail workers have been on the community support frontlines since the stay-at-home orders started, and many are overwhelmed keeping critical stock on shelves.
Some third-party labor providers have found a way to keep their staff employed and provide in-store retail support when they can’t complete their normal tasks and projects.
These companies have repurposed teams to help augment a retailer’s in-store staff. These teams, who would have been executing in-store demos or setting up seasonal displays, are now helping to stock critical items and sanitize surfaces throughout the day.
Video Communications Being Depended on Like Never Before
Uncertain times require clear, constant communication, and video messages often engage employees in a way that text simply can’t. One of our garden center customers recently sent a video to their field reps, emphasizing proper safety protocols. Videos like this give you the ability to personalize a message, distribute it quickly to the field and reassure your staff in times of high activity and stress.
