THE CHALLENGE
As a company with offices in Puerto Rico and South Florida, Abarca has navigated more than its fair share of unforeseen events. That’s why we’ve engrained a culture of preparedness within our organization, and built a foundation that allows us to respond quickly and effectively in the face of uncertainty–no matter what shape it takes. This has enabled us to provide the highest level of support to our clients and members even during earthquakes, hurricanes, and other forces of nature.
When the COVID-19 public health crisis began, and lockdown measures were enacted, we knew that our business continuity plan would give us the flexibility to keep our operations running as usual for our clients and members, while keeping our employees safe.
THE APPROACH
Abarca quickly activated our nationally recognized business continuity plan to ensure:
- Employees were able to seamlessly transition into remote work, and had the tools and technology necessary to carry out their daily responsibilities.
- Team members were able to stay engaged and connected with each other despite working separately.
- Clients and members could continue to receive quality service without interruption.
- Our business continuity team members were in constant contact to proactively identify and address any issues that may arise and communicate effectively back to their teams.
THE RESULTS
As soon as the widespread lockdowns went into effect, Abarca seamlessly transitioned to remote work for all 400+ employees. And, when it became clear that we would be working virtually for a prolonged period of time, our Talent Strategy team swiftly implemented engaging programs to keep our team members connected with each other from home, including:
- Virtual coffee breaks throughout the week to allow employees to interact with each other outside of their daily responsibilities.
- An Abarcan-led storytime for children of employees.
- Taking employee recognition programs online to allow team members to show appreciation for one another from home.
- Adapting Abarca’s workplace wellness program to be more holistic–including lunchtime lectures from epidemiologists and life coaches, and virtual cooking classes.
Recently, a global HR consulting firm conducted an internal survey to gauge Abarcans’ perceptions of the organization’s response to COVID-19 in order to find ways to improve, and the results were overwhelmingly positive.
By following our business continuity plan, we were able to activate the necessary structures to facilitate ongoing communication and engagement across the organization, keep our technology operating without disruption, and offer a higher standard of service to our clients and members.
And, because our team and programs are constantly evolving, we are equipped to keep operating at this high level, no matter how long it takes.
99%of Abarcans believe the organization is responding appropriately to the COVID-19 crisis |
96%of Abarcans believe the technology provided by the organization allows them to work effectively from home/virtually |
91%of Abarcans report that senior leaders are demonstrating care and concern for employees |
91%of Abarcans report that they are able to get the connection and support they need from their workgroup |