Al Masaood Group has deployed a campaign it dubbed ‘Project Wiqaya’ to join the UAE’s battle against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and help ensure the welfare of all its employees, customers, and the members of the communities in Abu Dhabi during the global health crisis.
‘Project Wiqaya’, which kicked off at the end of February 2020, contains a series of measures protecting the employees’ health and safety, in addition to the implementation of practical but innovative ways to serve the Group’s customers amid the uncertainties and challenging circumstances.
The project was rolled out to reinforce the preparation plans of Al Masaood’s group of companies, strengthening their capabilities to manage and timely respond to unforeseen events that may arise as a result of the still developing COVID-19 crisis.
“We activated our business continuity and pandemic plans early on based on the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. But as the novel coronavirus continues to spread and infect more people at a rate not seen before, the Group took action to help promote public health, protect our employees and customers, and minimize the impact of the crisis on our operations and services. With that, ‘Project Wiqaya’ was born and implemented across our divisions and service centres. Under this campaign, each of our companies has executed different programs in keeping with our set objectives and goals,” Ahmed Rahma Al Masaood, Vice Chairman of Al Masaood Group, said.
‘Project Wiqaya’ is based on four principles. These are protect the wellbeing of Al Masaood’s employees and customers; launch new and effective virtual ways of working and reduce unnecessary interactions; accelerate the adoption of new ways to work for the Group and its customers through technology and apps created by its business units; and anticipate global economic scenarios and take proactive measures to minimize the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the Group and its businesses. The campaign includes Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and precautionary initiatives.
As well-being of employees is primary concern for Al Masaood, various policies were kept in place including an updated travel policy for both work and personal reasons; activated a work-from-home system; increased safety measures and hygiene practices such as temperature checks, social distancing, wearing of masks and gloves, using hand sanitizer; daily review meetings by Al Masaood’s leadership and frequent internal communication; and cleaning and disinfection of all facilities and workers’ accommodation.
In line with this, Al Masaood Automobiles, for its part, unveiled its customer-convenient vehicle pickup and delivery service following the UAE Government’s home-quarantine order. Under this service, it now picks up the cars of its clients from their homes for scheduled maintenance and service checks. The vehicle is delivered back to the client’s residence.
Al Masaood Tyres, Batteries and Accessories (TBA) launched its free car sanitization service available at its AutoServ car care centre at the Sea Palace area in Abu Dhabi. The free service includes the sterilization of all surfaces inside the car to remove traces of dirt, bacteria, and germs that may stick to these surfaces.
Al Masaood TBA is offering free services to healthcare workers who are battling the coronavirus pandemic in the UAE. The initiative falls in line with the UAE Government’s ‘Thank you Heroes’ campaign. Whilst, Ducati is also providing free simple service for health workers who own Ducati bikes.
Additionally, Al Masaood Automobiles is offering a virtual sales option wherein customers can buy a car or book it online. Sales personnel can hold an exclusive video conference session with the customer and take them on a virtual sales tour--showing them the latest in the company's diverse portfolio of vehicles and related products.
For Al Masaood Power Division, it now has a dedicated team on standby through its 24/7 hotline (80068823) to make sure that the power supply for mission critical applications is kept in operations and fully functional. This includes hospitals, first aid centres, emergency services, and data centres.
Al Masaood Commercial Vehicles & Equipment increased its manpower to sustain its delivery of quality service maintenance and periodic checks for the truck units owned by the Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre – Tadweer, which are being used for the national sterilization program. Its team ensures the efficiency of its operations, as well as the provision of all spare parts that these trucks may need.
Ahmed Rahma Al Masaood concluded: “The world is facing unprecedented times. The outbreak of the COVID-19 has turned into a global pandemic affecting our families, employees, customers and our businesses at large. As the UAE Federal Government continues to take actions and steer course with the uncertainties of the COVID-19, Al Masaood remains committed to supporting the communities in which it operates throughout the course of the pandemic. Our priority is the health and safety of our employees and customers.”
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