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How a Grocery Chain in Texas Got Ready for the Pandemic
A lesson in preparedness
A fascinating article in Texas Monthly reveals how H-E-B, a Texas grocery store chain, is maintaining a remarkable level of stability for both customers and employees as the coronavirus pandemic wears on.
H-E-B started preparing as early as 2005, when it developed a company emergency preparedness plan in response to the outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu in China. The plan covered resource management, business implications, and, notably, how employees would be affected. It also created a full-time, year-round position dedicated to preparing for the next crisis.
The company began adapting their plan for Covid-19 as early as mid-January, when it was becoming a clear issue in China:
“The company began limiting the amounts of certain products customers were able to purchase in early March; extended its sick leave policy and implemented social distancing measures quickly; limited its hours to keep up with the needs of its stockers; added a coronavirus hotline for employees in need of assistance or information; and gave employees a $2 an hour raise on March 16, as those workers, many of whom are interacting with the public daily during this pandemic, began agitating for hazard pay.”
For cities and regions that have not yet been affected by Covid-19, it isn’t too late to follow H-E-B’s lead.
