Vox Vivacis, The Voice of Resilience - April 2021 - Rogers Mauritius
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Vox Vivacis, The Voice of Resilience April 2021 #3
Editorial
R EADY
to rebound?
At the beginning of the lockdown, I remember hoping that
all this would end quickly. Four weeks later, we’re still in
a blur about the pandemic, but with a silver lining: the
possibility of vaccination. At least we are clear that this
is the only way in which we can protect our families, our
businesses, our country and ourselves.
Our frontliners have taken the shot and they share with us
their good reasons for doing it in this first 2021 edition of Manish Bundhun
“Vox Vivacis”, our lockdown companion. As the vaccination Chief Human Resources Executive
campaign revs up in our subsidiaries, our team members
are setting the example for other colleagues who are
working from home.
To date, five out of ten employees in our group has been vaccinated and we hope that many
more will follow, so that we are better equipped to face the coming months—from a health
as well as from a business perspective. We must be ready to roll when lockdown is lifted and
getting vaccinated will pave the way for our borders to reopen.
A special thought for our colleagues at Velogic and UPS, working at the Freight Forwarders
Centre in Plaisance, who have had a close encounter with COVID-19 recently. While we are
maintaining constant contact with those who are quarantined, we would like to remind you to
respect all sanitary protocols to keep the coronavirus at bay.
Let us spare no effort for the greater good.
Enjoy the read.
Stay Safe, Connected and United!
OUR PEOPLE
Rogers steps up
the dialogue about vaccination
“The sooner we reach herd immunity, the sooner is available and knowledge about the different vaccines
we can return to a normal life. We need a collective is disseminated. Of course, taking the vaccine is a
will to build resilience. This will be achieved through personal decision for each employee based on their
vaccination,” says the Group’s Chief Executive personal circumstances,” says the Group’s Chief Human
Officer, Philippe Espitalier-Noël in a video released Resources Executive, Manish Bundhun.
on Monday 29 March 2021. He also encourages
Rogers staff to deepen their thinking on COVID-19 In addition to videos and talks by health professionals,
vaccination and eventually get the shot. employees are also encouraged to approach
company doctors for clarification.
As at 9 April, 1,863 employees in Mauritius (49%)
had already received the vaccine. Most of them According to Philippe Espitalier-Noël, there are
are frontliners, mainly in the Aviation, Leisure and various issues at stake when it comes to vaccination.
Hospitality sectors. It is not only about reinforcing our defences and
protecting our families against the virus; it is also
In other served markets, the various awareness a patriotic act. He believes that it is important to
messages have been well received and the numbers “(...) focus our efforts on achieving herd immunity
are gradually improving. “With a growing number of in order to reopen our borders (...) and especially to
COVID-19 cases across the island, we are making sure infuse new life into our companies, our country, and
that all useful information about vaccination procedures its economy.”
click to view video
page 3
OUR PEOPLE
THEY DID IT...
Many of the 1,863 employees who have already taken the vaccine wanted to share
their experience with us.
"I did the vaccination for “I have taken the jab. It's high
my daughter. I want her time to take the shot and live
to understand how much life fully. Our industry's future
prevention is important." depends on it!
Go, Go, Go for it !”
Cynthia Amic - Island Living
Eshan Dahoo – Rogers Aviation
page 4
OUR PEOPLE
THEY DID IT...
Wall of Fame Teaser
“I got vaccinated for my family”; “The vaccine represents
hope”; “Life’s too short, don’t make it shorter...” These are
just a few of the comments gathered after some 1,863
Mauritius-based Rogers Group team members took their
shot during the months of February and March.
They were happy – and proud – to share their experience
with us after they accomplished this “act of generosity and
patriotism”. Here are some of their thoughts on vaccination.
click to view video
page 5
OUR SECTORS
Air France continues cargo flights
Rogers Aviation’s Air France Cargo division is
not spinning in mid-air during the pandemic.
Three weekly cargo-only flights are currently
available using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
They are commonly called “mini cargo flights”
with a maximum capacity of 14 aircraft pallets,
two baggage containers and bulk capacity of
approximately 1.5 tons i.e. a total of 150m³.
However, cargo cannot be loaded in the cabin for
the time being.
For operational reasons, these flights take a detour
through Reunion Island on the return journey.
The Paris-Indian Ocean cargo is intended for the
Reunion and Mauritius markets, with an average of 15 tons each per flight. On the Indian Ocean-Paris route,
the entire capacity is allocated to Mauritius, i.e. an average of 30 tons. Traffic consists mainly of general cargo
such as textiles, perishable goods (fruits, vegetables, fish, etc.) and pharmaceutical products.
“Despite the COVID-19-induced drawbacks and challenges, we have managed to maintain this activity
thanks to the trust of exporters and our local teams, including the cargo staff, the ground handling staff,
and our colleagues from Air France Reunion and Air France Paris. Cargo operations have enabled us to
generate a Rs 11 million turnover over the last six months,” says Eshan Dahoo, Country Manager Mauritius.
Private charter flights for passenger services
Charter flights are a safe and efficient alternative for those who need to continue working and travelling
during the current challenging circumstances, including border closure and health restrictions. Rogers
Aviation has therefore been chartering aircraft for passenger transport in and out of Mauritius since
December 2020.
On 13 December 2020, a passenger flight using an Air Seychelles Airbus A320neo aircraft carried 134
passengers on the Mauritius–Antananarivo route. An Antananarivo–Mauritius–Antananarivo service was
also jointly operated on 14 January 2021 by Rogers Aviation Mauritius and Rogers Aviation Madagascar
with an Air Madagascar B737-800 aircraft catering to 75 passengers from Madagascar and 91 others
out of Mauritius.
Additionally, a private charter flight to the Seychelles operated by an Air Seychelles Airbus A320neo
aircraft was arranged for Club Med on 11 February, carrying 50 passengers. Rogers Aviation Mauritius
once again teamed up with Rogers Aviation Madagascar to fly 55 other passengers out of Madagascar
and the same number from Mauritius on 27 February aboard an Air Madagascar ATR-72.
Another passenger charter flight scheduled for 25 March 2021 was postponed due to the introduction
of national lockdown. However, two flights are scheduled on 17 April and 20 May respectively, jointly
with Rogers Aviation Madagascar and conducted by an Air Madagascar ATR-72. Rogers Aviation is also
planning to operate a passenger charter flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh in the coming months.
page 6
OUR SECTORS
Disaster
Recovery
as a Service
powered by
Rogers Capital
Technology!
One of the main lessons
learned from the COVID-19
pandemic is the need to have
a Disaster Recovery strategy.
Rogers Capital Technology
is providing specialist
services in this critical area
of security planning during
the lockdown period to
protect organisations from
the effects of significant
negative events.
“A disaster recovery strategy enables The cloud-based Disaster Recovery as a Service
an organisation to maintain or quickly (DRaaS) solution offered by Rogers Capital
resume mission-critical functions Technology helps businesses continue operating as
close to normal as possible. Its unmatched benefits
following a disaster. It could be include supporting business continuity with disaster
anything that puts operations at risk, recovery within 48 hours, ensuring hassle-free
from a cyberattack to power outages, 24/7 management of the relevant infrastructure
equipment failures and natural and bringing down costs with a Pay-As-You-Use
disasters. And also, a pandemic that pricing model.
leads to complete lockdown,”
says Dik Heeroo, Head of Cloud & Data Center,
For more information, send an email to:
Cloud & Data Center Services.
services.info@rogerscapital.mu
page 7
OUR SECTORS
Rogers Capital steps up their
employees’ welfare efforts
Rogers Capital has stepped up its staff welfare game the feeling of isolation. Rogers Capital has therefore
to ensure the well-being of its entire personnel and set up WhatsApp groups to share vital information as
help them deal with the waves of anxiety brought well as tips and tricks to navigate the lockdown with
about by the second lockdown imposed in Mauritius. all staff.
Several initiatives have been introduced to help them
through this COVID-19 induced period of uncertainty. A number of resources and ideas are being shared on
how to work from home efficiently, relax the mind,
Working from home has become an increasing reality set up morning routines, indulge in weekend self-
and the sector’s IT specialists are working hard to care and develop productive habits. The forthcoming
make life easy and hassle–free for everyone. Some of issue of the monthly staff newsletter, ReCap will also
the tools implemented include CITRIX, Zoom, Teams, focus on work-from-home, mental health and other
Skype for Business, VPN, Meet-Up Calls, 3CX as well relevant self-care and wellness topics to guide and
as an online credit and payment platform. “These support the staff in such trying times.
fancy tools are quite useful in keeping our operations
running smoothly and it’s safe to say that they have Additionally, Rogers Capital has applied for and
has been very successful so far,” says Evyn Valayten, received more than 120 Work Access Permits (WAPs)
Head of Digital Transformation. to enable its staff to turn up to the workplace whenever
their physical presence is required. “All safety and
Staying indoors and complying with the precautionary social distancing measures are in place for such cases.
and preventive measures remain the best way to WAP holders also have the opportunity to book an
keep safe against this invisible enemy. Being confined appointment for vaccination at some C-Care facilities,”
to the four walls of a house can however reinforce says Fabrice Baillache, Chief Human Resources Officer.
page 8
OUR SECTORS
Velogic acts swiftly to limit contamination
Frontliners are known to be at a To make contact tracing easier,
higher risk of contracting the the Group’s Logistics sector also
COVID-19 in these times of compiled and forwarded to the health
pandemic. Being aware of this risk, authorities a list of employees that
Velogic has taken a preventive could have been exposed. In addition,
approach by preparing a contingency Velogic has worked in collaboration
plan to deal with such a scenario. with the company’s doctor on a
protocol to enable employees to
The plan was activated as soon as get back to business in safe and
suspicion of possible infection was healthy conditions and has engaged
reported on Saturday 27 March in transparent communication with
2021. Even before the COVID-19 the staff, management and other
diagnosis was confirmed the next day external stakeholders.
for two employees, who have been
placed into the care of the Ministry of “In these difficult times, I would like
Health, the company had proactively to remind you of the importance of
asked all those who could have been getting vaccinated, in addition to
in contact with them to self-isolate complying with preventive measures
and get a PCR test as soon as possible. as well as sanitary and hygiene
Other preventive measures decided upon include recommendations, such as regular hand-washing
decontamination by a specialist company of all the using soap or sanitiser,” says the CEO, Vishal Nunkoo
places visited by the employees in question early on in an internal memo. He also wishes a speedy recovery
Monday 29 March. to the two employees who have tested positive.
Joining forces in challenging times
at Heritage Villas Valriche
Organisation, well-being and proactivity have been comfort of their home, despite the challenges that
the watchwords for the team at Heritage Villas some parents may face from having to manage home,
Valriche since the start of the second lockdown family and work at the same time,” says the Head of
in Mauritius. Residents are also well taken care of Finance & Administration, David Montocchio.
with regular maintenance services, food deliveries
or even moving around the estate under the careful With the hope that the Mauritian borders will be open
supervision of the on-site personnel. again soon and bringing back Heritage Villas Valriche
homeowners, tourists and investors together, nearly
Three team meetings the entire team has already been vaccinated.
are scheduled each
week to foster a spirit “We took the vaccine to protect ourselves, our
of collective work colleagues, our residents and our families, and we
while reviewing all truly think that this is the way forward for us to
departments’ ongoing bounce back! We are now waiting to receive our
actions. “For health and Work Access Permits (WAPs) to gradually resume
safety reasons, we are our activities on the estate and office work in Bel
working from home, Ombre. In the meantime, the team is adjusting to
which presents certain the circumstances by using alternative and virtual
advantages, such as methods. We even managed to sign two Deeds of
allowing everyone Sales and soon a third and a fourth during lockdown,
to move forward on totalising more than a million dollars in revenue,”
various topics from the says David.
page 9
OUR SECTORS
Click N Learn
for dematerialized learning
The Group’s hotel sector, VLH has launched Click N Learn, an in-house application
for e-learning through mobiles and computers, on Wednesday 24 March 2021.
This easy-to-use digital platform comes in
handy in the current lockdown situation. It
will allow the 1,600 employees of the sector
to stay connected and continue to learn from
home free of charge. For a more enjoyable
experience, employees have unlimited
access to a selection of fun content in the
form of quizzes, riddles, crossword puzzles,
etc. related to their field of expertise. This
platform also offers courses on practical
precautions to help protect ourselves as
much as possible against the COVID-19.
“Last year’s two-month lockdown and
the extended closure of our hotels have
encouraged us to develop a fun and
convenient digital solution for our Team
Members. It will not only allow them to stay
connected with the company but will also
allow them to follow generic and technical
training programmes remotely,” says the
Chief Human Resources Officer, Jean Cyril
Jullienne.
Click N Learn is available anywhere, anytime.
The platform is regularly updated to provide
employees with the latest learning aids. It has
been developed in-house with the support of
the HR, Quality and Operations teams, with
more than 70 modules to help employees
improve their knowledge of standards and
best practices while having a good time.
“We are confident that this platform will meet
the expectations of our teams and the needs
of the company. VLH’s digitalization strategy
involves implementing solutions such as the
Click N Learn to enable employees to enjoy
the benefits of dematerialisation,” says
Jean Cyril.
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