To the SiKanda team, To SiKanda’s partners, donors and collaborators, To whom it may concern:
In the context of the health emergency caused by COVID-19, Solidaridad Internacional Kanda A.C. (SiKanda) emphasises the relevance of the physical, mental and emotional health of its team, in follow-up to the recommendations of the WHO and national labor and health authorities. It is important to consider that the measures of self-isolation will continue for an undertemined time, so the organization should focus on the team’s work capacity in the medium and long term. This will allow SiKanda, and its staff, to be better prepared to continue their work during and after the contingency.
It is also important to note that we are not facing a normal remote-work situation, with productivity levels different from those than when home office occurrs wiithout any impediment to go outside or interact with people.
The confinement, isolation and uncertainty that is experienced worldwide derived from COVID-19, generate significant impacts on the psycho-emotional well-being of people. Isolation, changes in routines, sleeping paterns and uncertainty can have negative effects on our health, decrease our productivity and generate anxiety in a few days. Working remotely requires an adaptation time to generate capacities and mechanisms to adjust the forms of collaboration and communication of the teams. In addition, it is being carried out under extraordinary circumstances that may hinder the tasks to be carried out, including:
- Caring for sons, daughters or elderly people at home.
- Distancing from the family circle and support networks, due to the restrictions of contact with other people.
- Social isolation and confinement.
- Limitations to travel and the satisfaction of basic needs (food purchases, garbage collection, basic services, etc.)
- Work and socioeconomic fears and uncertainties that we face individually and collectively
- The spaces and resources shared by several people within the same household.
This requires an extra effort of work organization, understanding, patience, flexibility and maintaining fluid communication with the work team.
Therefore, based on NOM-0351 and with the objective of adopting measures to mitigate the psychosocial risk factors derived from the health contingency and to promote a favorable organizational environment that privileges the mental and emotional well-being of SiKanda personnel, starting from from April 06, 2020,we ask the staff and collaborators of the organization to take into account the following aspects::
- Maintain the standard SiKanda business hours from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, avoiding taking calls, video calls, WhatsApp or doing work activities after-hours.
- Respect rest on weekends and non-working days, avoiding taking calls, video calls, WhatsApp or doing work activities.
- If an urgent call is required outside of working hours, the hours will be recovered during the next business day.
- Avoid long remote-work meetings (greater than 3 hrs.), Which can generate additional fatigue. In the event that a virtual meeting is longer than 2 hours, take breaks of 10-15 minutes every hour.
- Incorporate breaks between activities throughout the workday, doing stretches and other exercises that promote physical health.
- Plan the readjustment of goals and activities taking into account the fatigue and mental fatigue generated by not being able to leave the house, or having contact with other people. Just as this is not a vacation period, it should not be considered a period of duplication or excessive productivity.
- Avoid generating extraordinary activities in projects that are not essential or relevant in the contingency framework.
- Maintain constant communication and reflect the agreements between the team and collaborators in writing, clearly including expectations, definition of roles and delivery dates of activities and products.
- Give notice to SiKanda Management in case of not having the necessary tools to work remotely.
- Encourage self-care and collective care among the people who make up the team.
- Communicate any health concerns to the Management.
- Keep your eyes on the long term: the contingency will pass. The work continues.
If a member from the SiKanda team considers that they require external psychological attention to face the stress, uncertainty or discomfort derived from the contingency and related to their work in the organization, they can communicate it to the email direccion@sikanda.org. SiKanda will facilitate the connection with professional personnel who can follow up on your situation.
Convinced that the SiKanda staff is the most valuable asset of the organization, and certain of the understanding of the external collaborators of these provisions, I thank you in advance for your attention, desiring you, your family and friends to keep safe and in good health.
Sincerely,
José Carlos León Vargas
Director
Solidaridad Internacional Kanda, A.C.