These times are without a doubt the greatest challenge many of us will face in our lives.
Covid-19 has put most of the hospitality industry on hold. In fact, that’s putting it lightly as many restaurants and establishments may simply not bounce back from this. It doesn’t end there, either. With social distancing in full effect, everyone is at a standstill. Meaning even those lucky enough to be able to work from home aren’t supposed be leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary to access essential services.
Naysayers are realizing the seriousness of the situation while everyone else is adjusting to the new reality. There has been a lot of talk of routine and how to survive and adapt. This looks different for everyone. And though we’ve certainly been feeling the same feelings everyone has, we’re also trying our best to keep keeping on, as they say. Here are few ways we’ve been pushing through since this novel coronavirus has taken over.
Prioritizing. Safety has always been our first focus, and with things elevated, we are relying on guidance and advice from science-based authorities such as:
Government of Canada Public Health Board
Public Health Ontario / Public Health BC Center for Disease Control and Prevention
To ensure we do our part in trying to contain the virus, we are implementing the highest standards of health and food safety for all our contractors. Staffies are required to self-assess before they’re able to apply for any shifts. This means if they or anyone they’ve been in contact with has a fever and/or onset of cough or difficulty breathing OR has travelled to the list of countries, regularly updated according to WHO within 14 days, they should be self-isolating and contacting their local public health authority. If they have any shifts scheduled at any time, they may cancel them with no cancellation fee to ensure they’re not penalized for preventing potential spread. This self-assessment has been built into our app to ensure everyone has to conduct it before they’re able to apply for shifts.
Pivoting. As you may have seen in a recent Betakit post or via our digital channels, we have pivoted. Our platform has tens of thousands of skilled and experienced contractors that are in need of work. And since the pandemic, several industries outside of hospitality are needing workforce support like never before. As such, we have opened up the app to offer other organizations in need of temporary staffing. These include, but are not limited to industries such as: grocery and food distribution, healthcare, manufacturing and distribution of essential goods, general labour, seniors living, and delivery. We have ensured our contractors are aware of potential opportunities with companies like Instacart as well. Though we feel we’ve been doing our due diligence with regard to outreach in these sectors, if you or anyone you know has connections or ideas on how we might be able to do more to help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us through our website contact.
To help with this transition, we’ve partnered with Spiffy to ensure that all our Staffies are as trained and ready to go. If you haven’t yet read it, here’s a recent article from RestoBiz with some more details.
Supporting. Anxiety is unsurprisingly at an all-time high for everyone right now. Thankfully, we have a couple of great resources for mental health and navigating changes amidst it all with Not 9 to 5 and Restaurants Canada. Aside from that, we’ve been sharing content via our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn – so be sure to follow us for updates.
We’ve also seen great initiatives coming from local community members such as Suresh Doss, one of Toronto’s unofficial food ambassadors, amassing a list of restaurants that are currently doing takeout and / or delivery. Ordering takeout/delivery and buying gift cards is the best way to support local restaurants and establishments during this time. And in Ontario, regulations have just allowed customers to order alcohol with their meals in an effort to better mitigate their revenue losses.
Things will continue to evolve over the next few weeks. And these will certainly be tricky times to navigate. But we’ll get through it together. Again, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via our website if you need anything or have any questions.
Until then, here’s a meme that spoke to us. ☺
