COVID-19: Corporate Wellness SOPs Part 1

Health is Wealth. In the world where everybody was racing with the time and technology, everything has now come on a pause button. We are in post COVID 19 times where survival of the fittest will win and live. It’s a new world. Unprecedented and unexperienced. Corporates and organizations are now working with entire safety protocol and sanitation measures. While SOPs are being followed at workplaces and home turned into workstations, there is special need to twist the EMPLOYEE WELFARE SOPs and Schemes too. Let us have a lowdown on small changes and WELLNESS SOPs an organization can try assimilate in the modified work culture. The WELLNESS SOPs at workplaces can help achieve and maintain a healthy and stronger workforce and mitigate the spread of panedemic .

Office Workout compartments
Embrace and inculcate the culture of healthy living. Organizations with possible space can create OFFICE WORKOUT COMPARTMENTS. A 30 mimute Yoga can enhance immunity to a great extent.  Start regular Yoga Sessions, especially a 10-20 minutes Pranayam to  strengthen lungs and immunity.  Those who can, do cardio based exercises to increase heart rate and spot jogging. Dancing classes is also a great way to keep active. A 40 minutes exercise as work break can add fun and healthy self to the workforce. Eat healthy food (fruits, Vitamin C rich food). Eat lots of fruits and raw vegetables. Drink good amount of water, lime water, etc. A combination of raw garlic, ginger & pepper has got strong antiviral properties (can be taken with honey).


IMMUNI-TEA--Substitute TEA/ COFFEE WITH KADHA CHAI
Masala tea or what we call as CHAI has always been traditional Indian Drink.  You can replace the tea or coffee vending machine with freshly served MASALA CHAI or KADHA twice a day. Since its summers, the ingredients have to be balanced to not to heat the body and stomach. Spices in both should ideally have cloves, cardamom, tulsi leaves powder, ginger, pepper and cinnamon. Add mishri instead of sugar. This will cool the heated effect of spices and replace the white sugar. Serve immunity and serve good health for sustained productivity. Make  boiled water available to be consumed sip by sip.

AYURVEDIC HAND SANITIZERS
 Be cautious against fake Methanol based sanitizers flooding the market. Very few brands are licensed to produce and market alcohol based hand sanitizers. With boycott China and global unrest situation, buy only  DESI, Local Vs VOCAL HAND SANITIZERS. Brands like Kairali are hardcore Ayurveda Indian brands that produce Hand Sanitizers made with Aloe vera, Lemon, Basil, Vit E, Glycerine based with minimum 70% alchohol.  Such Hand Sanitizers are worth an investment to save skin, health and protection from COVID 19 and other viruses. It not only kills bacteria but works as a moisturizer too.  

HOME MADE CLOTH MASKS 
The employers can get masks stitched from their own employees and promote inhouse manufacturing . Discourage the use of purchased masks. It can ideally be made with organic cotton or pure cotton. This  mask is not only reusable infinite times but extremely soft, skin friendly and does not suffocate. It is easy to wash and reuse. It Does not seal nose and mouth.  It can decrease incidence of flu upto 75%. Few  East Asian countries follow this practice of routine use of mask. While surgical mask can be used only once, the respirator mask needs to be discarded when breathing resistance increases or get soiled. Getting mask  stitched also encourages and gives employment to women or men sitting at home. Cloth masks must be washed in soap and water and dried, before being reused.

Complimentory Inventory- Keep enough stock of disinfectants, tissues, liquid soap, thermal scanner, masks, gloves,  1% sodium hypochlorite and others to knock out unseen germs. Do not put the costs of additional covid 19 essentials on employees. Rather cut out wasteful and miscellaneous expenditures. Make  thermal guns (to read the temperature) to be available for efficient screening practices and staff to be educated on checking everyone's temperature. . Re-organize office spaces keeping in mind social distancing.  Evaluate  all the waiting areas??and ensure social distancing in practices. Distance out seats/chairs/ sofas and block them with neat labels.

EMPLOYEE WELFARE SCHEMES 
Share your coronavirus response plan with employees and explain human resources policies, workplace and leave flexibilities,pay and benefits devised for the office manpower. Identify one designated point of contact regarding the plan for all employees. Create an internal website and/or call-in line where employees can have access to relevant information. This website or call-in line should be closely monitored to ensure appropriate and timely responses. Provide free of cost or discounted diagnostic test, doctor consultancies, psychologist for Mental Wellness and Ayuveda Consultancies. It should include COVID19 tests and free of cost distribution of OXIMETERS, OXYGEN CYLINDERS, BLOOD PRESSURE TEST  MACHINES and others on returnable basis. These small facilities will save thousands and lacs of money of the employees.

WELLNESS HOLIDAYS
It’s a new world post COVID. With immunity as shield, its time to give not just holidays but WELLNESS HOLIDAYS  as bonus to productive staff. Let all experience and indulge in health break with wellness programs for    a naturally healthy lifestyle. Healing traditions of ancient India such as Ayuveda, Naturopathy, Yoga, Meditation, Satvik food,  balance the mind body and soul. Heal the root causes and come back energized with dual energy at work. Holistic medically supervised health optimization programs are life changing experience. Invest in health is priceless

INCENTIVIZE WITH HEALTH KITS
Essentially a health kit given every month to the workforce should have home made cloth masks, Ayurvedic sanitizers, Kadha sachets, zinc and Vitamin C Celin tablets, Local manufactured PPE kits, hand gloves and IMMUNITY kits that have herbs like GILOY, Ashwangandha and others. Pick Classical Ayurveda than fancy Dabur or other expensive Ayurveda brands.

Classical Ayurveda Brands like Dindayal Aushadhi that are grown and manufactured locally with products certified by Minsitry of Ayush and similar brands should be consumed. Their Immunity and wellness range of Ayurvedic medicines  can be essential part of the immunity kit for the entire family.
 
CANTEEN- NUTRITION WITH IMMUNITY  
The meals and drinks at office Canteen should be loaded with immunity and proteins .  Amla candies, supplements, basic and generic multivitamins, fruit juices and bowls with Vit C, Masala Chai, Sherbets and others can be ideal picks on the Canteen Shelf.  Maximum 4 employees per table should be allowed. Switch on to pre-prepared meals where possible and do a no contact delivery. Use disposable cutlery and if the canteen uses durable cutlery, sanitize dishes with hot water. Drinking water facilities to have disposable cups.  Staff should carry their own water bottles and tea/coffee mugs. They should clean it themselves rather than sending it for someone to clean. . Dustbins should be closed/ covered ones and not open ones especially in lunch areas, washroom.  Perfect cleanliness to be followed in kitchens and pantries.

AAROGYA SETU APP
Make sure all employees have Arogya Setu App installed to help them identify the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus by using smartphone's bluetooth and location services. Developed by the Ministry of electronics and information technology, the app supports 10 Indian languages and English. The app is available for download on Google's Play Store and Apple App Store for Android iOS mobile platforms, respectively.
 
 MADABOUTWELLNESS TIP—Zinc plays an imp role in atelast 100 enzymetic reactions in body. Reactions take place due to enymes  if zinc is deficient then enzymes don’t work optimally. Zinc is most imp to maintain and develop meurological networks and communication. Zinc is necessary co factor for neurotransmitter production and function . Take a tablet of right zinc food everyday.