#InThisTogether: 11 AUG 2020
With everything going on during the COVID-19 crisis, we wanted to share some of the stories about what Cook people are doing during this difficult time. All around the Cook world, we are #InThisTogether, and we would love to hear stories about how you and your coworkers are stepping up to make a difference. If you have a story to share, please email us at BlogEditor@CookMedical.com.
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On your mark, reset, go Japan!
In Japan, the number of people infected with COVID-19 (C-19) started to surge in late March. The government declared a state of emergency, resulting in curbs on economic activity in Japan for about two months. In the final week of May, the state of emergency was lifted. Companies and shops started to re-open gradually, and classes were resumed in elementary and junior high schools. Japan is now on the way to co-exist with C-19 and adapt to a new normal. We would like to introduce the path our nation and company have taken so far.
Watch the video below to take a virtual tour of the “new normal” office in Tokyo.
Under Japanese laws, there is no authority to limit social activity even if the government declares an emergency due to an infectious disease. Yet, society duly responds to the request from the prime minister and the local governor. Individuals in Japanese society comply primarily because of peer pressure. It may seem mysterious that there are countries where the actions expected by the government and society are implemented without the need for legal orders. Under such conditions, Cook Medical Japan (CMJ) has voluntarily taken infection control measures that meet the expectations of society and employees.
Being aware of the outbreak in China and other countries at the beginning of the year, CMJ extended the scope of the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) team, which was originally set up for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, to get prepared for COVID. In February, a small outbreak of C-19 cases in our building complex was announced. In view of the situation, we informed employees to work from home through the end of March to protect employees, businesses, and local communities. This was three weeks before the C-19 outbreak spread more extensively in Japan and the government declared a state of emergency.
At that point in time, medical institutions refused to allow sales visits to their facilities and postponed elective procedures to prevent the spread of infection. In response to requests from the government, local communities, and medical institutions, field employees refrained from visiting facilities to support their preventive measures. On the other hand, our Tokyo office employees and Japan Delivery Center (JPDC) warehouse employees were supporting the business by working from home and working on shifts respectively.
During the countermeasure period, employees communicated as usual from makeshift home offices and continued business while maintaining the required quality. The departments that are indispensable for business continuity, such as JPDC, Customer Service (CS), and Finance, adopted a system that allowed them to continue their business even if an infected case emerges. While field employees cannot visit medical institutions, they have been effectively using this break opportunity to improve their sales skills, such as reviewing sales strategies themselves and conducting training within teams.
Since January 6 of this year, the leadership and BCP response teams have been meeting via Webex every day at 10:00 am to update the situation and take appropriate measures. As a result, we have reached the present stage where no single infected case has been found in our entity. Thanks to the collaboration and hard work from BCP task force team, who monitored the situation early and responded promptly. From the second week of June, employees began to return to the Tokyo office in phases after all safety procedures were introduced and training had been conducted.
Our operation plan includes two home office days per week in June, then one home office day per week in July until resuming to a fully operating office. This year we will not see the Tokyo Olympics in July and August as planned, but August will be a time for holidays in Japan with the inevitable hot summer and visits to hometowns. We hope that the new coronavirus will settle down as soon as possible and everyone will be able to commute and work in the office without anxiety.
The work we do is to make life-sustaining medical devices, and we are part of the critical healthcare industry in line with our values. It will take a while before we can visit customers as before. However, we are well prepared to fully support the medical institutions and contribute to patients and healthcare systems.
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