A large media company who is a client of IOC was required to continue as normal throughout the pandemic from their London head office. We supported them throughout this period, providing additional full time cleaning operatives, specialist anti-bacteria consumable supplies and social distancing awareness floor mats all at very short notice. We attended the site within an hour of each positive case being identified, to carry out full deep hygiene clean and electrostatic spraying treatment. We supported our client throughout the pandemic to maintain a Covid-19 secure workplace for all of their staff.
From the very start, IOC has always had a proactive approach to the management of Covid-19. In January 2020 we increased stock levels of hand sanitiser, dispensers, face masks and surface wipes. We managed the distribution of these products between our client’s sites to ensure that all parties had availability at all stages throughout the pandemic.
We supported all high-risk employees and understood and encouraged these people to shield when necessary. As a workforce who are unable to work from home, we supported our employees to continue working, by providing letters of proof of essential work and re-usable face masks for all employees to wear on their journeys to work and within the workplace.
Our head office was reduced to a Skeleton staff, with all other staff transitioned to working from home. All members of our operational teams and management were divided into bubbles to ensure continuity of service if a positive or possible case was identified only that one bubble would have to isolate.
We adapted to our client’s requirements throughout each lockdown and reopening, using the government’s furlough scheme where necessary. We provided additional labour to those who were required to remain open and provide a heightened level of cleaning service. We adapted working patterns and created ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams that were necessary to help reduce the risk of spread.
When a positive or potential Covid-19 case was identified we attended each case within the hour, to carry out thorough response cleans using virucidal cleaning chemicals in full PPE. We also encouraged the additional protection offered by electrostatic spraying which was completed by our fully trained in-house teams.
Whilst some have seen the pandemic as an opportunity to exploit their clients, at IOC we have taken the opinion that it was more important to do all we could to support our client’s throughout this difficult time. We were flexible with contracts as the government’s furlough scheme allowed and we focused our attention and efforts on our existing clients as opposed to servicing new clients whose cleaning companies were failing to react when necessary.