CIPO and Remote Work (WFH)
In light of the recent COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, all of us here at CIPO want to let you know that our thoughts and prayers lay heavily with our community. Like all of you, we closely monitor the global pandemic and follow the instructions provided by all Federal, State, and Local agencies and are doing our part to help spread this nasty virus.
As you’re well aware, we have clients throughout Southern California who have been communicating with one another for their employees’ safety and well-being. Two of the larger municipal water agencies in the area have taken different approaches to manage risk with the virus. We’ve spoken to both about their issues of getting staff to work remotely.
The first agency has been struggling with having staff be able to log into multiple platforms from a remote location, all while keeping the agency firewall and internal data protected. Management staff worked tirelessly over the past two weeks trying to allow staff to access existing construction management and other software from their homes. The intent is to have all staff be efficient from home. Unfortunately, not all staff have the same computer or tablet system at home and thus made for telecommuting extremely difficult. They continue to struggle with allowing the flexibility to work remotely and have staff come in and out to sign paper documents.
In the opposite approach, the other agency was one of the first in the area to have the entire staff working from home. They took the time to put all the necessary means in place for the team to access all points of their CIP and projects in construction. This agency was immediately proactive with the pandemic and never skipped a beat.
One of these agencies was running CIPO. Can you guess which one?
In closing, construction and protection of critical infrastructure must go on. Issues with the coronavirus are dynamic and ever-changing. Still, with your help, maybe we can all assist in preventing the further spread by taking additional measures moving forward, such as:
- Adopting a “handshake free” policy
- Avoid close contact with people who are ill
- Avoid touching of any portion of your face
- Stay home and rest; be with family to reduce stress
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue
- Wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. Use alcohol sanitizer if available.
- Listen to local ordinances and follow all directions.