Focusing on the Front Lines
With a wide range of healthcare products that are paramount in the medical field, 3M is fully-committed to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic from all angles and across all relevant stakeholders, and its employees are fully aware that they play a significant part in providing not just the needs of their customers, but the public as a whole.
With the Taal Volcano eruption in January and the COVID-19 outbreak shortly thereafter, there has been a steady rise in demand for 3M’s healthcare products, especially N95 mask respirators. The company quickly moved to accelerate the production of these highly critical products, as well as disinfectants, sanitizers and filtration solutions to full capacity on a global scale, and are focused on directing these commodities to those on the frontline of combatting the pandemic.
Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been 3M’s long-standing mission to partner with different advocacies and take a “science-based collaborative approach to solving shared global challenges and improve lives.” 3M has taken bold strides in renewable energy use, embedding sustainability in their products and solving air pollution in less-developed countries by joining the Clean Air Asia Act. Their products provide solutions for a wide range of industries including Automotive, Design & Construction, Energy, Manufacturing, Consumer and now most importantly – Healthcare.
New Hires Picking up their Laptops
Focusing on their Employees
In the early stages of the pandemic, the management team at 3M’s Global Service Center (GSC) in the Philippines understood the gravity of the situation that would impact its employees, even prior to the announcement of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). Their Crisis Management Team (CMT) and Emergency Response Team (ERT) launched awareness programs through different communication channels and held virtual learning sessions about the Novel Coronavirus along with their company doctor. They also strengthened building safety protocols and enhanced cleaning of their premises. Employees were rallied to do their
part in protecting their colleagues by promoting a “clean desk policy,” giving employees personalized utensil sets, and encouraging everyone to “bring your own utensils.”
IT Assets being delivered at home for employees with critical work during month end
When the government announced the ECQ within Metro Manila and neighbouring provinces, their leadership quickly activated the full work-from-home set up. Employees brought home their laptops with full support from the IT Department, who also made sure all other needed equipment for existing members and new hires were issued and fully functional.
Even while working from the comfort of their homes, 3M still recognized the need to keep employees engaged and connected. Their 3M Club initiated remote engagement activities such as “Quick TV Sessions” which all employees can join. Each department would also hold regular informal virtual get-togethers, to have merienda, play games, and stay connected.
3M Club and Interest Groups, along with Employee Resource Networks (ERNs) such as 3Mpride, 3Mgives and Women’s Leadership Forum, proactively collaborate on activities that continue to provide synergy during their work-from-home set-up. Their Lean Six Sigma team innovate with available resources to ensure that daily tier discussions are had, that focus is given on avoiding disruptions and stabilizing daily deliverables.
Working from Home
It was also important for employees’ growth and development to continue. Thus, 3M immediately transformed all training plans into virtual workshops and conducted several live personal development learning sessions that were accessible to everyone in their teams.
As part of the company’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), 3M refreshed awareness of a free and anonymous service for employees and family members to phone-in or have in-person counselling, web and mobile access to resources, virtual training and webinars to support employee’s health and mental wellness.
Lastly, to ensure constant communication, the General Manager announces daily Site Updates by providing snapshots of the site’s achievements and activities; Human Resources disseminates weekly People Updates, with relevant topics on engagement, benefits, mental health, ergonomics and learning; and virtual sessions are held with the company’s global executives, who not only share Corporate Updates, but also convey their sincere appreciation for the impeccable way employees have delivered on objectives and navigated through these challenging times to support the company.
Exemplifying 3M’s Values
Throughout this crisis, the employees at 3M’s GSC have continued to exemplify 3M’s values and embody their work
culture, which is to have the customer at their core. As their management and ERT teams collaborate to secure employees’ safety and ensure seamless operations, they were recognized by industry affiliates for their Business Continuity Plan preparedness and agile response to the work-from-home set up. This epitomized their commitment to serve not just stakeholders, but other dependent communities as well.
With great pride for being a part of the company, 3Mers across the country demonstrate how they are Better Together in dealing with this ‘new normal,’ sharing their stories on social media with well-loved hashtags – #Lifewith3M, #Proud3Mer and #3Mer.
Xyris Tapia
Xyris loves to look at life through a broader lens. She is a certified bookworm, occasional writer, intrepid traveler and design enthusiast. She likes to create and breathe vibrancy to things. When not organizing events, she is a content contributor for GPTW PH and likewise handles corporate matters. A happy wife and a doting mom, she finds joy in unique experiences and believes that everyone has the potential for greatness.
We are all in this COVID-19 crisis together. And a collective crisis requires collective solutions. Join us on our next conversation/webinar to make sense of this unprecedented time for our organizations.
Let’s come together to share what is on our minds and how we are approaching the challenges that the coronavirus presents in our work and in our lives.
“In times of crisis, people reach for meaning. Meaning is strength. Our survival may depend on our seeking and finding it” – Viktor Frankl
