Pandemic changed the course of lives across the globe. Human race evolved at an unimaginable speed to cope up with the sudden onset of an unforeseen global crisis. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from COVID-19 pandemic has been the showcase of people’s collaborative nature – individuals coming together to help those in distress.
At GEI this collaborative nature took shape in the form of COVID Relief Special Task Force which included the setup and execution of ‘COVID Relief Employee Hotline’ – a 24x7 hotline number which provided assistance to COVID affected employees by assisting the callers with 6 different services – Doctor on call, emergency services, home isolation package, medical insurance, employee assistance programme and COVID leave policy.
"The volunteers did every bit in their capacity and more to verify leads and procure oxygen concentrator for my family members. They also managed to arrange a well-equipped ambulance for my mother at 3:00AM in the morning!" - Aakriti Saxena, PPC Specialist, Client Services
A team of 33 employee volunteers came together to put this plan in action. In a span of 32 days, GEI volunteers worked 7 days a week, 24 hours a day (in 2 hour shifts) and addressed 145 distress calls from their fellow GEIites. The team approached the employee calls by following a system called ‘G-A-T-H-E-R’ which stood for:
Greet: Greet and calm the employee if anxious
Ask: Ask employee about the issue
Talk: Talk about options and provide information
Help: Help the employee choose
Explain: Explain how to go about with the choice
Reassure: Reassure organization support towards the end of the call. Follow up if any other conflicts arise
As a volunteer, Sangeetha George, Sr. Manager Student Support, Direct Sales, found the entire process quite humbling. Reminiscing about the experience she said, “The beauty of this initiative was that 33 strangers (Volunteers from different departments) came together for a common cause and stood by each other with brute strength – stepping up to take up fellow volunteers’ shifts if needed, without any hesitation.”
Another volunteer, Khushboo Sarbhai, Senior Program Consultant, Gisma – Sales, who lost her grandmother to COVID joined the cause to make a personal contribution in easing out the trauma that COVID brought along for people. “Witnessing my immediate family members battling with the virus, and the sheer helplessness that I felt during those critical times worked as a catalyst for me to help others. Working as a volunteer under our organisation’s COVID Relief Special Task Force not only gave me an opportunity to do my bit for a cause that was personal but, helped maintain my own sanity as well!” said Khushboo.
"The things we were dealing with were pretty challenging given the scarcity of resources and travel restrictions but, at the end of the day it made us happy as we were able to save lives." - Vidhi Negi, Community Manager, GUS Global Services
Aakriti Saxena, PPC Specialist, Client Services, recalls her experience with GEI’s COVID relief volunteers. “I joined GEI in the month of January, 2021. Unfortunately, towards the end of April, my entire family of 5, including myself, tested positive for COVID. While I recovered soon, my mother and sister-in-law’s condition turned rather critical. It was a dreadful situation as the overall state of affairs in Delhi was appalling. There was an acute shortage of basic necessities like oxygen cylinders/concentrators, doctors, beds in the hospital, lifesaving drugs, etc. As a new joiner I was not sure how much GEI could help me, more so, as I was in Delhi and the organisation is based in Hyderabad. However, seeking help from GEI’s support staff was one of the wisest moves I made during those terrible times. Regardless of being in different cities, the volunteers did every bit in their capacity and more to verify leads and procure oxygen concentrator for my family members. They also managed to arrange a well-equipped ambulance for my mother at 3:00AM in the morning! Amidst the kind of circumstances where one had to move from pillar to post to fend for even the basic medicines, getting an ambulance at your doorstep was a blessing from heaven. GEI volunteers were constantly in touch with my relatives while I was attending my family members on the emotional front. There were no ‘business-hours’ for them, they were with us as our own extended family. I am amazed how all these people whom I have never known, people I have never met, ended up being my source of strength during the toughest phase of my life! Vidhi, Natasha, Sumitro, Puneet, they all watched out for me like their own – and that’s something I am and will always be, deeply indebted for.”
Vidhi Negi, Community Manager, GUS Global Services, amongst others, supported GEI’s COVID Relief Special Task Force from New Delhi. Sharing her experience she said “From arranging medicines, ambulance, doctors, hospital beds to verifying leads, procuring reports, oxygen concentrators - the things we were dealing with were pretty challenging given the scarcity of resources and travel restrictions but, at the end of the day it made us happy as we were able to save lives. Those were the days when our phones were constantly on ringing mode for, missing a call could be a matter of life and death. Apart from being resourceful, I think it was more important to support people emotionally and lend them an ear when needed. I used to make around 80+ calls every day, just to check on people! It was a tedious job but, innately soul-satisfying. I am happy I got an opportunity to serve people.”
Appreciating the idea of COVID Relief Helpline, Archana Kachru, Marketing Manager, InUni, who was also one of the volunteers, said, “It was such an incredible support for people who didn’t know much about COVID treatment. People were educated on the direction they should take, they were then helped with corresponding leads and resources to get appropriate treatment. This pandemic has taught us that at the end of the day we all are humans and we are nothing in front of nature…alone we can’t move a thing but, together we can certainly make a difference.”
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