Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

CoronavirusLatest NewsHealth and safetyBusiness travelWellbeing

Nokia: how a global employer is handling coronavirus

by Rob Moss 27 Feb 2020
by Rob Moss 27 Feb 2020 Nokia has 15,000 employees in China. Photo: Testing / Shutterstock
Nokia has 15,000 employees in China. Photo: Testing / Shutterstock

Employers need to be pragmatic and fact-based and clear in their communications when managing staff, including some in Wuhan, China, who might be put at risk from the outbreak of Covid-19 coronavirus.

That’s according to Gareth Davies, head of health, safety and environment at Nokia, speaking at Employee Benefits Connect yesterday.

Davies had been speaking about HR’s role in supporting flexible working in the digital age and the communication and mental health challenges presented by digital platforms such as Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp. But unsurprisingly, given Nokia’s 103,000 employees in more than 100 countries, Davies was asked how the Finnish telecoms giant was managing its staff with regards to the Covid-19 coronavirus.

It’s like a conversation around flu vaccine – it isn’t just about you, it’s about whether you pass it on to somebody”

Davies’ acknowledged that health and safety professionals often focus more on the safety element of their role – “I stop people falling off towers” he said. He said Nokia, which no longer makes handsets but focuses on telecoms infrastructure, was being “extremely pragmatic and fact-based” and putting the health first in relation to coronavirus.

“Our response has been very much to monitor the professional health advice,” he told delegates in London. “We’re a genuinely a global organisation. We’ve got 15,000 employees in China for instance. We’ve made sure we’ve got consistent messages on the key aspects, but then made sure we’ve got the market or region’s country-specific elements plugged into that.”

He explained that the level of communication was very different around the globe. In the US, he said Nokia had probably sent out two communications. However for “the 180 employees that we’ve got who are stuck in their apartments in Wuhan, we’ve made sure that someone is calling them personally every other day – whether that’s their line manager, HR or safety teams”.

Davies outlined the specific communications to staff who were required to travel, particularly if they’re travelling to countries that have a significant outbreak where there are movement or other restrictions in place.

He said travellers were being asked three specific questions. “Firstly, do you have any underlying health conditions? Cardio-respiratory, immune-suppression, diabetes – anything that makes you more susceptible,” he said.

The second question was whether their close family members had any such conditions. “It’s like a conversation around flu vaccine – it isn’t just about you, it’s about whether you pass it on to somebody,” he explained.

“The third question we ask people is, would it be problem for you if you were quarantined somewhere for 14 days? Because if you were travelling to China or Singapore, if you’re travelling back from there, then there is a fair likelihood that that will happen.”

He added that there had also been general communications around basic hygiene for example in terms of handwashing and blowing your nose.

“From a facilities perspective, make sure all the hot taps are working with soap in all the dispensers. Hand sanitisers look great but actually the best way to wash your hands is with hot soapy water.

“And basic social responsibility – if you’ve got something that resembles a cough or a cold, don’t go into the office. And we’ve got the capability in vast swathes of our business for people to work remotely.”

He added during the swine flu epidemic in 2009, many companies didn’t have the capacity for mass remote working – “VPN networks would grind to halt” – but now we can.

“It doesn’t mean we’ve got it 100% right,” he said. “It doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods, because the biggest challenge we’ve got in managing perception. The perception is a long way ahead of the risk,” he said.

He’d had “pretty straight” conversations where people believed that no one should travel because of Covid-19, but he argued that, if that were the case, people should stop travelling to Africa, India and Latin America.

“Even taking anti-malarials, you’re probably more likely to catch malaria in some of the places we work in Africa than you are of catching this,” he explained. “And if you catch malaria I guarantee it would have greater impact than this.”

Rob Moss
Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
IR35 review: changes will go ahead in April
next post
Small business HR: top tips for people and payroll (webinar)

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Nationwide: almost 500 head office jobs at risk

11 Dec 2023

Climate change could cause 10,000 deaths a year...

11 Dec 2023

Oxfam workers suspend first ever strike

11 Dec 2023

Minister encourages employers to offer ‘midlife MOTs’ to...

11 Dec 2023

How to avoid creating ‘accidental managers’

11 Dec 2023

Strikes: Mayors pledge to avert use of work...

9 Dec 2023

Rejoice! Be merry! The season of HR warnings...

8 Dec 2023

Weak economic outlook slows hiring decisions

8 Dec 2023

Civil servants campaign for four-day week

8 Dec 2023

Oxfam workers begin first-ever strike

8 Dec 2023

  • How to spot and tackle imposter syndrome in the workplace PROMOTED | Half of all UK adults...Read more
  • BetterMe for Business: How to Build Wellness Culture at Work PROMOTED | Ever encountered a...Read more
  • Global growth with simple HR compliance (webinar) WEBINAR | In an increasingly global marketplace...Read more
  • Talent acquisition: How AI can complement a ‘back to basics’ approach PROMOTED | Artificial intelligence is now...Read more
  • What will it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (webinar) WEBINAR | As we approach 2024...Read more
  • HR Budget Planning for 2024: Preparing your People Strategy PROMOTED | As organisations continue to adapt...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today