Manila, Philippines – To ensure that its workforce remains safe and healthy while on enhanced community quarantine, Globe Telecom has created a chatbot that automatically checks on the health status of each of its over 8,000 employees everyday.
Called Digital Usher for Disasters and Emergencies or DUDE, the chatbot makes a friendly visit in the morning to inquire if the employee is well or not.
Employees are asked to choose between the two options provided – “I’m good” and “Not so well.” Those not feeling well may key in their symptoms and DUDE will forward the information to the appropriate support team. There is also a COVID-19 Helpdesk and hotline to assist the employees.
“We are committed to protect our workforce while we continuously bring telecom services to the country. We value the safety and welfare of our employees so we decided to implement a daily health check to ensure that all of them are looked after even with the full work from home and critical skeletal force in place,” said Renato Jiao, Globe Chief Human Resource Officer.
DUDE provides accurate information about COVID-19 through links to official health news sources such as the World Health Organization, Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; policies, advisories, COVID-19 FAQs, and safety tips.
It can also capture the frontliners’ needs such as personal protective gear, accommodation, and transportation and swiftly inform the company’s COVID-19 Response team members who are on standby.
“The insights that we have been receiving from DUDE really give us a good picture of where our employees are at,” said Nico Bambao, Director for Globe’s Wonderful Employee Experience Team. “When we ask them if they are unwell, they don’t just reply with their symptoms, they tell us if they’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or even feeling lonely or depressed.”
The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted daily living routines, causing added anxiety, stress and strain physically, mentally, and financially, prompting Globe to make sure that aside from ensuring the physical well-being of its workforce, employees are also given a chance to consult with psychologists from Mind Nation for their mental wellness.
