COVID-19 has been a whirlwind requiring drastic changes to how companies operate. The hospitality, retail and events sectors, in particular, were hit hard by lockdowns requiring people to stay home. Such organisations have had to make sanitation, cleaning and hygiene safety a board level matter of urgency.
An extremely important measure is the use of COVID-specific assessments to ensure implementation of the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines and even more to keep the necessary trust among guests and customers.
Inspections are essential for making sure that regulations and requirements are not just empty gestures but that necessary measures are implemented across all operations and sites. All businesses should be thinking about how they can ensure the practice of COVID-19 measures. To start with, it’s a good idea to create some COVID-19 inspection or self-assessment checklists to make sure that you don’t miss anything.
Here is a checklist that your organisation can use to conduct your COVID self-assessment:
Have you conducted the following training with your staff?
The best responses to COVID-19 have come from companies that have noted the value of support and collaboration. They tackle the virus as a unit instead of isolated departments.
Many hospitality organisations have abided by the above checklist. However, some have gone above and beyond.
For example, the Marriott Hotel has grabbed the bull by the horns, setting up the Marriott Cleanliness Council to implement new health standards. The Council states Marriott’s commitment to intensive cleaning processes, mask regulations, social distancing protocols, etc.
The Hyatt has set up the Global Care and Cleanliness Commitment staff program together with the Global Bio Risk Advisory Board. The accredited programme certifies graduates with a new role of ‘Hygiene Manager’.
The Radisson developed a 20-step cleanliness protocol and Omni’s Safe & Clean program is an admirable and comprehensive policy.
As usual, Airbnb was quick and adaptive with its response. They allowed greater booking flexibility and encouraged hosts to include new COVID-sensitive amenities.
Some retail companies, like Verizon and Target, have increased wages for their frontline workers. Both companies also implemented new leave options.
What is common in these responses is that hospitality and retail giants are prioritising education and awareness and structured information both flow top-down and bottom-up. There is an emphasis on introducing policies that integrate COVID education across departments as it is not just a concern for the Health and Safety departments. As such, inspections and self-assessments need to become an integral part of the organisational culture and individual daily routines of all employees. As stated here, checklists do help to save lives.
We have seen the detrimental effects of the novel Coronavirus. Many businesses, particularly in the hospitality, retail or events sectors, rely on the contributions of both their staff and the public.
Implementing a COVID-19 inspection procedure shows care for your business and your customers, which is why these inspections should be on every company’s agenda.
If you're looking for a mobile solution for COVID-19 inspections, cleaning audits or other self-assessments, have a look at our Falcony | Audit module and start a 30-day free trial today:
We are building the world's first operational involvement platform. Our mission is to make the process of finding, sharing, fixing and learning from issues and observations as easy as thinking about them and as rewarding as being remembered for them.
By doing this, we are making work more meaningful for all parties involved.
More information at falcony.io.