Business Desk
As the world is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, the idea of “business as usual” for many companies has been thrown into an upheaval. At the same time ensuring safety and well-being of employees have become crucially important to every organization.
And here stands Daraz Bangladesh, a concern of Alibaba Group and country’s largest online marketplace, managing through the crisis with an unwavering focus on employees' safety and wellness – physical, psychological and financial.
With these priorities in mind, the company asked its employees to stay at home and work virtually. Apart from implementing “work from home” Daraz Bangladesh continues assuring its employees of job security by providing full salaries, bonuses and other benefits on time.
Additionally, the company has transitioned to virtual job interviews and employed more than 650 people in this difficult time.
Also doing their part to help prevent the further spread of the virus, while supporting the needs of customers, consumers and communities.
“Employees are our biggest assets, right now our main concern is to ensure the safety of our beloved employees, delivery agents and customers. We are ready to serve our customers' needs at all times. At the same time, it is our social duty to help prevent the spread of the infection and so, the strictest guidelines of cleanliness are being upheld at our workplaces” Said Syed Mostahidal Hoq, Managing Director of Daraz Bangladesh Limited.
Where nearly 88% of corporate office staff and several of the field staff are working from home, Daraz also adopted a "necessary only workforce" structure at its warehouse and hubs, of course with the maximum health safety measures. The Dex delivery heroes who are dedicated towards safe and faster delivery to the customers doorsteps are also being recognized and incentivized which in turn has boosted the operations of the company.
Putting employee well-being ahead of productivity, the company has organized 6 in-house cross-functional trainings, 21 different sessions and offered 12 free online courses which includes- Excel, Fitness For Beginners, Creating a Perfect Morning Routine, Google Analytics, Human Health - Diet & Nutrition, Mini Course on Time Management, 7 Scientifically Proven Steps to Increase Your Influence, Transformational Leadership, Fundamentals For Mental Wellbeing etc. They also conducted 15 employee engagement activities online to keep their employees motivated and constantly engaged through- WFH Selfie Challenge, WFH Team Picture Challenge, Gratitude Box, DFLP TGIF Meeting, Health and Wellness Quiz, Online Bingo, Iftar from Afar, PUBG Tournament, and Meme Madness.
Notably, amidst the Covid-19 crisis, Daraz has successfully managed to launch 4 of their major projects/channels called Daraz First Games (DFG)- an innovative gaming platform, Dpharma (Medicine category) where necessary medicines and prescribed drugs are available; D-Mart where customers can easily order groceries and perishable goods and dExports- though which local SMEs can reach international markets.
Moreover, Daraz has successfully launched 13 more hubs nationwide and reopened 75 collection points across Bangladesh and maintained consistent food hygiene and supply with the help of Daraz Kitchen ensuring health and safety compliance.
