We appreciate our responsibility and role as a company to prevent the continued spread of the virus. We are thankful for the recommendations local and global authorities like the World Health Organization are giving in relation to COVID-19 and follow them closely. The safety and wellbeing of our people, customers, partners and communities is our top priority and goes hand in hand with one of our core values, Care for Life.
Risk management on central and local levels
While we understand the situation is changing day-by-day, in Skanska Sweden, we have established a risk management team to monitor what is happening, help us prepare and respond where needed. Similar risk management teams have been established locally around Sweden, in other markets, and on Group level.
As a precaution, an international travel ban was put into place at the beginning of March, applying to all 35,000 employees. We have asked our employees to host existing meetings via digital collaborations tools.
Where possible, employees are encouraged to work from home. We’ve reinforced the need to exercise good hygiene, particularly hand washing, on all project sites and offices across the Group. Finally, we’ve asked any colleagues who show even mild symptoms of illness to stay at home. We have also made it possible for employees with a healthcare education to apply for paid leave, with retained salary and benefits, to assist Swedish healthcare for up to three months.
We ask our partners and customers to take similar actions
As a company there is much we can do to help in combatting the spread of COVID-19. But it’s important too that we all individually play our part in preventing the situation getting worse, and by doing so protect those who are more vulnerable in our communities. We ask all our partners and customers to do the same.
We can also see that the spread of the coronavirus is now directly impacting the real economy, with lower demand in many industries. It’s impossible to say how big the impact will be or how long it will last. With this in mind it is crucial that we, while making sure that safety is a top priority, also keep our projects and business moving forward. The need for what Skanska does – developing schools, bridges, roads, hospitals, workplaces, and homes will continue, even after this difficult time is behind us. Therefore, we must pull together, be careful, but stay focused.
We’re following the development of the situation closely, guided by our risk management team. We will keep you up to date here if the situation across the company should change. We encourage all to during this time stay informed, stay calm, and be safe.