Sands China has taken a series of preventive measures to ensure all team members have a safe working environment amid the pandemic outbreak as the group considers the 29,000 team members as its upmost valuable asset in the company.
The company has been following the local government’s guidelines on infection-prevention measures in the light of the novel coronavirus threat. Therefore, a series of preventive measures were set in place to ensure a safe and healthy working environment
In these trying times, the company has greatly attributed the success of its operations to the hard work of its large number of team members who have tirelessly worked amid the pandemic and were committed to continually provide an excellent standard of service.
Although the properties have scaled down operations – heeding to the call of the government to minimize gatherings to combat the spread of the virus – the company still largely enforces existing preventive measures.
“Sands China is so proud of its team members for their dedication and perseverance during this difficult time of the pandemic,” said Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd.
“Whether frontline staff or behind the scenes, management or rank and file, all of our team members have been playing a vital role in keeping operations running smoothly while implementing the many new measures that are keeping everyone safe. It is a challenge to which they have risen admirably,” added Dr. Wong.
To express their gratitude towards its team members that are continually working for the company to continue its operations, Dr. Wong and Sands China senior executives visited team members at the back-of-house and public areas of Sands China properties to cheer, motivate and encourage team members.
They took the lead to wear facemasks, reminding team members to wear masks and maintain good personal hygiene.
The management was working hard along with all team members during that time to ensure the health and safety of its team members.
For Sands China, it was the wellbeing of the team members that matters the most as the pandemic outbreak has fueled fears and worries among the local labor market during this difficult time the city is facing.
Dr. Wong also recorded two short videos to extend his gratitude to all team members who remained with the company when the casinos were shut down for 15 days, and to encourage team members to walk together with the company to overcome the challenges posed by the novel coronavirus.
Meanwhile, in response to the government’s call of ensuring the health and safety of team members working amid the pandemic outbreak, the gaming operator has implemented a series of measures for its team member’s wellbeing.
As a socially responsible company rooted in Macao, the management team has worked hard to make their team members feel safe in their workplaces.
Mobile platform for effective communication
Sands China’s mobile application allows for effective communication between the company and team members during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The application regularly alerts team members on the status of the pandemic and provides real-time updates on transportation-related information.
Conducting temperature checks, providing hand sanitizers and facemasks
Since the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, Sands China’s procurement team has spared no effort to purchase COVID-19 relief items from all over the world. These items include facemasks, hand sanitizer and temperature scanners. Temperature scanners are setup at all team member entrances and hand sanitizer have been placed in all departments and at the back-of-house team member areas, as per government guidelines. The company has been providing complimentary facemasks to all on-duty team members every day since early February, with over 3.1 million facemasks distributed to date.
Flexible leave program and working hours
When schools were closed from February to May, Sands China offered a Voluntary Leave Reward Program and flexible working hours to team members, so that they could have more flexibility to take care of their families.
Hygiene Patrol Team to ensure workplace safety
In line with the government’s hygiene advice, Sands China organized a “Hygiene Patrol Team” in March, to inspect the places team members frequently visit, such as the team member dining rooms and rest areas, to remind team members to keep a one-meter distance and to wear facemasks. The seating of the rest areas have also been rearranged at fixed distances to eliminate the risk of transmission.
Ongoing clinic and laundry service
During the pandemic, Sands China has been offering non-stop medical clinic and uniform laundry services to team members, in order to ensure their health and safety.
Back-of-house roadshows to support local SMEs
As part of the company’s ongoing support to local Small and Medium Enterprises, especially during this difficult time of the pandemic, Sands China has invited nine local SMEs to hold back-of-house roadshows between May 11 until today, offering a variety of nearly 300 of their products and services.
It is the goal of the company to show support to local SME suppliers especially in these trying times.
The SMEs are accepting consumer e-vouchers in support of the government’s latest initiative. Vendors benefit from direct access to more than 28,000 team members and the opportunity to raise their brand awareness and increase sales, while team members benefit from having the convenience of shopping for necessities at a discounted prices during their breaks. The company plans to host second round of roadshows in the near future as it continues to view them as strategic partners.
Salary increase
In recognition of team members’ contributions, the company increased the salaries of eligible team members effective March 1, 2020, benefiting 99% of Sands China’s more than 29,000 team members.
Company fully takes care of team members’ needs
During the pandemic, Sands China has tirelessly committed itself to the wellbeing of its team members to help them feel more at ease physical and mentally by offering a 24/7 hotline and WeChat online counseling service for team members and their family to relieve their stress.
In these trying times, the gaming operator introduced yet again a series of measure to ensure that its team members would not have to fear nor worry about their while health while working.
Meal Arrangements
Special menus at team member dining rooms.
To show appreciation to team members, the team member dining rooms have prepared a variety of specialties to express the company’s gratitude for team members’ continuous contributions. In addition, team members’ health is a key consideration for the company. During the pandemic, the team member dining rooms have been serving an array of healthy food and fresh cut fruits, such as watermelon and lemon slices, healthy soups and herbal tea to boost team members’ immune systems.
New guidelines for dining at team member dining rooms.
To eliminate the risk of transmission, the company has implemented flexible meal hours to avoid large gatherings. Team members were also encouraged to bring their own containers so they can take food away to enjoy at their work stations. To deter the spread of Covid-19, the company has rearranged the table setting at team member dining rooms that is according to the hygiene guidelines issued by health authorities. They have also recently placed transparent acrylic screen partitions on tables to avoid any spread of droplets.
Frequent sanitization.
Sanitization and additional cleaning plays a key role in battling infection risk. To ensure team members having a safe dinning environment, the cleaning team has increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting, in compliance with government guidelines.
Transportation Arrangements
Some preventive measures to ensure the safety of team members when commuting to and from work have been launched. The company has increased the frequency of its shuttle bus service, and team members are required to wear masks when boarding the bus, to avoid transmission. The company has also arranged shuttle buses to pick up expatriate team members from Zhuhai to Macao prior to Macao’s casino closure.
Accommodation Arrangements
The company takes the health and wellbeing of team members very seriously. During the novel coronavirus outbreak, Sands China has provided an array of welfare measures, such as offering hotel accommodations for non-resident employees in need of temporary housing in Macau.
The move was in response to the government’s call for companies to provide lodging for its non-resident workers that live in the neighboring city, Zhuhai.
The measure was designed to reduce the risk of a further coronavirus outbreak among those commuting between the two cities.
Sands China has made its way to immediately implement the measure to effectively continue the highest service it could provide to its team members and visitors.
What they say…
“The company has really shown its care to team members living in Zhuhai during this period of time, and I am very thankful. I feel so blessed to have all these arrangements made by the company. As a Sands China team member, I am more than happy to make my contribution in the fight against the virus.”
Laura Luo
Housekeeping supervisor
“During my three-month stay at The Venetian Macao arranged by the company, I felt very secure, and it was like I was at home.The company provided me with all necessary daily support, including meals and laundry, and I could deeply feel that the company really spared no cost in ensuring team members’ health and safety, both while at work and while off duty.”
Lin Xiqiao
Housekeeping attendant
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