Friday, May 15

Copasst – a local committee in charge of promoting and monitoring standards in matters of safety and health within public and private companies – has been working to provide local companies with tips and safety recommendations in the workplace during these current conditions. We’re keeping our company updated with their advice:

1. Organize your time Some sources claim that getting up two hours before your workday allows you to organize your household chores and try it yourself!
2. Get ready like you’re going to the office We love tennis shoes and sweatshirts, but get out of the routine occasionally and put on your favorite workplace clothes.
3. Take breaks If your normal day at the office included drinking coffee, shooting a nerf gun, and saying hello to your coworkers, keep doing it. You can schedule similar activities like calling a friend, make yourself a drink, and looking out the window.

Friday, April 17

Cocktail hour!

As a fun Friday activity for our Zemogians, we’ve organized a three-part series where a Mixologist will be teaching our team how to create classic cocktails via Zoom, with a Q/A at the end of each lesson. In part three, we’ll be learning our own Zemoga signature cocktail!

Wednesday, April 8

We asked some of our team to create visual representations of these weird times we’re going through as individuals, as a team, as residents of the world 🌎 Check out some of the entries here.

Tuesday, April 7

A message from our EVP, Carlos Pardo:

Team, as some may have seen, the government announced the extension of the quarantine until next Monday, April 27. For now, Zemoga is keeping its offices closed until April 30 as previously announced.

We will continue taking it step by step. Since all this started, Zemoga’s number one priority has been to protect the health and well-being of everyone and will continue to be so until we have the confidence that we will not expose ourselves unnecessarily.

We will continue to monitor very closely how things evolve this month. Unfortunately, due to logistical issues and many new tests, it’s possible that the official information and data regarding infected cases and deaths do not reflect reality 100%. Many people are likely to fall into the error of thinking that if the quarantine is terminated it is because the danger is over and (hopefully not) the cases may skyrocket again. We must be very careful, and all decisions made at Zemoga will be for the protection of the team and our families.

I know that we all look forward to when we can go back out, see our families and friends, and of course, resume work from the office, but we have always tried to stay one step ahead, and this is no exception. When we have more information, we will share it with you in due course.

Wednesday, April 1

The snacks have begun to arrive! It’s a pleasure to be able to continue business with our vendors while at the same time continuing to provide our team with a few extra snacks to have at home.

Tuesday, March 31

A message from our EVP, Carlos Pardo:

Team, as everyone knows, we are closely monitoring the situation and the evolution of COVID-19 cases in order to always have as much information as possible and make the decisions that we consider can best protect the team and the company in general. With this said, I want to announce to everyone that Zemoga has made the decision to keep the offices closed and the entire team working from home until Thursday, April 30. We know this is not easy, we have all had hard days, but it is important to start thinking about these dates so that we can always be prepared. At this time there is no certainty of how the issue of cases in Colombia is evolving, nor is there 100% reliable information, and for this reason, we have decided to anticipate making decisions that always guarantee the well-being and health of everyone as a team. We will continue from HR giving all the support that we can to break the routine and improve the conditions of the WFH as much as possible. Take heart, when the time is right we will meet again. We will continue to monitor the issue very closely and we will notify you if there are changes on these dates.

Until further notice, we will continue working remotely until April 30.

Friday, March 27, 2020

We held our first remote All-Hands meeting via Zoom, which included all team members from our Bogota, Medellín, and Barranquilla offices. Current updates and new news were shared, including an announcement that each person would be receiving snacks for their homes, delivered by our provider of snacks for our office vending machines and common areas. We’re also discussing more remote get-togethers – our CEO is pushing for a remote talent show!

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Today we shared with our entire team information regarding the the availability of a mental health professional who will be working with Zemoga and with our individual team members if they choose to schedule time with them.

We know the isolation and quarantine is difficult, and we want everyone to know that they are not alone during these times of difficulty and uncertainty. We can all use someone to talk to sometimes, and with this new format we can gain an extra hand of support.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

We know that many have been with their children, nieces or nephews all around the clock, so for all the little Zemogians between 1 and 6 years old, we’ll be making time for the kids so they too can update their routine. We’ll be waiting with music, puppets and instruments the young ones with their families!

Friday, March 20, 2020

Below is taken from a message from our CEO, DJ Edgerton, to all Zemoga team members:

Team,

Together we will get through this.

I have never been more proud of this company and the people who I work with, all Zemogians, as much as until now. Everything we have done to build a sense of belonging and family is being tested and I truly feel that we are, and will continue to pass this test with flying colors. It will not be easy. In fact, it seems that things are going to get harder, but if we continue to stay positive, safe and support each other, we will come out the other side of this crisis better people, all of us…and that will make Zemoga a better company.

Following an extended message, Zemoga then received an update some of the measures being taken to ensure a safe and comfortable working experience for all during these times of uncertainty:

• Sick days are being added as needed to support anyone who happens to fall ill
• Zemoga’s HR team is currently organizing details to make available to any employee or immediate family member access to a mental health professional
• We are putting more focus on our Wellness programs and keeping connected
• We will continue to pay the salaries of those from our team who are unable to work virtually (ie. our cleaning staff)

We will continue to receive updates next week and see how our situation further develops.

Additional Medical Insurance Information

We have circulated the information necessary to understand during the times of Covid , as provided by our medical insurer.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Virtual Wellness Program

We may all be working remotely, but that won’t stop us from keeping connected as a team! We’ve designed a complete wellness plan for the entire company in which individuals can opt in to participate as they please, with activities led by members of our own team volunteers. A big thanks to the efforts of our HR team for shifting the planning and execution of our programs to be completely virtual.

Early Payroll

With all the additional expenses this crisis has put in front of us, Zemoga’s finance team decided to move payroll up a week and pay the staff in advance to make sure our Zemoga family has the money they need to manage the additional supplies, food, and any other unplanned expenses they might need.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Thinking about the health and comfort of our team, our team organized the deliveries of office chairs, monitors, keyboards, and any other items that would make for a more conducive working environment for our team members.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

An update from our CEO, DJ Edgerton:

Yesterday Zemoga began to test its Business Continuity Plan with our almost 200 staff in our 3 offices in Colombia. With offices shut down for one week as a test, I could not be more impressed with the results.

What began over 10 years ago as an employee benefit has proven itself to be another pillar of Zemoga cultural strength during this time of crisis. Our WFH benefit arms each staff member with the equipment and bandwidth at home to successfully WFH. They have what they need. But more importantly, the 10 years we have invested in getting the process, guidelines in place and making it part of the company culture is best illustrated by the moziac below.

To kick off the test, I asked every employee to send a “Deskie” (Selfie from you home workspace) to show solidarity and connection. Within 45 minutes I had almost 200 in my inbox. Each #deskie a window into what brings us together, even when we are apart.

zemoga #stayhome #buildbetter

Monday, March 16, 2020

A letter from our CEO, DJ Edgerton:

Hello,

On behalf of the Zemoga team, I wanted to reiterate to you our commitment to ensuring the business continues with minimal impact during this time of uncertainty and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is our mission at Zemoga to maintain full transparency and visibility with you regarding how we are managing the situation within the organization, the well-being of our Zemogains, and how they interact with others inside and outside our office locations, as well as you, the clients we service.

Our team is tracking COVID-19 developments on a daily basis and any changes the Colombian government might make to restrict travel or city-wide mandatory rules such as cancelling large public gatherings. Our plan is to have a response to any further changes that ensures our business continuity and our ability to deliver for our clients is uninterrupted.

Fortunately, to date no Zemoga employee, family member, close relative or friend has tested positive for the virus. At Zemoga, we are contributing to help control the outbreak by instituting the following collection of policies and practices:

• Zemoga has a robust and proven “work from home” (WFH) policy that we have had in place for the past 10 years. This policy is considered a “benefit” at Zemoga and the corresponding requirements for equipment, minimal connectivity and employee availability are already in place for each of our staff in all of our offices. Our WFH policy has created a culture of responsibility and commitment that ensures that any WFH policy instituted moving forward due to COVID-19 will be met with professionalism and diligence by our staff. This policy was further tested as a mandate for several days in 2019 during some country-wide political protests and was executed successfully without issue or consequence to Zemoga, or our clients business. To further test this procedure and ensure our business continuity remains intact during any longer term WFH requirements due to the pandemic, we plan to execute an ongoing test case. Beginning March 16th, all Zemoga offices will be closed and all staff will be WFH. This is not an unprecedented test as we’ve a) operated with working from home policies as a benefit (as indicated previously) and b) have sent up to 80% of our team members for 3 days to 2 weeks at a time in the past to validate our ability to operate this way should the need arise.
• All international travel is limited to those that are critical to our clients and discussed and agreed to mutually at a senior executive level.
• A self-quarantine period of 14 days will be required of any international travelers once they return to their country of origin, regardless if it was corporate or personal travel.
• We are providing our team members across all of our offices with the resources and information being recommended by the World Health Organization to prevent contagion and propagation of the virus in the workplace.

Ultimately, we know this is something that affects us all and we have to take the necessary steps to be prepared, but we wanted to communicate to you with our approach at Zemoga while you are actively focusing on ensuring your own team’s well-being. Operating remotely is in our DNA and part of our model since we started, so you can count on us continuing to provide the quality services you expect!

Sincerely, DJ Edgerton CEO Zemoga