Posted by: TAZ Networks on May 21, 2021 at 8:00 am
Because of increased vaccination rates, the state has relaxed many pandemic-related guidelines over recent weeks, including allowing offices to reopen May 24. As an “essential business,” TAZ Networks has sent consultants to necessary on-site visits for most of the past year. But now we can open the TAZ Networks office and get back to a little more “business as usual.” What does this mean for our clients?
Here are our plans for reopening the TAZ Networks office:
Reopening Date
We’re reopening June 1, with some adjustments for office visits.
Our office will reopen June 1. While the state allows for in-office work to resume May 24, holding off until after the Memorial Day holiday and the end of the month gives us an easy, clean start date. This also allows our remote staff to make needed adjustments to their working locations.
Improved On-Site Service Availability
While we somewhat limited client visits during the in-office restriction, effective June 1st all onsite client work will return to contracted terms.
Masks in the TAZ Networks Office
We ask that anyone who is not fully vaccinated against COVID, for any reason, continue to wear a mask in our office. By “fully vaccinated,” we are following health experts’ definition of at least two full weeks past the last required injection.
If you would prefer that our staff wear masks while assisting you in person, we will be happy to do so! Feel free to ask.
We also permit our staff to wear masks in our office if they prefer. We ask that others respect their personal decision.
Masks in Your Office
If your business requires masks for any reason, our staff is happy to comply when working at your site. Unvaccinated TAZ Networks staff are required to wear masks while at client locations.
We permit our fully-vaccinated staff to wear masks while visiting clients if they prefer, even if the client does not require masks. We ask that our clients respect this decision.
The Depot Table
We will keep the depot table for the time being. This no-contact option allows clients to bring in items needing service at their own convenience during normal business hours. Many people appreciated the contactless service, and it is convenient for our staff as well. We do ask that clients continue to call ahead to the Service Desk to arrange a drop-off time.
Staff Locations
We’re excited to implement a new policy, borrowed from General Motors – “Work Appropriately.” Our staff members will each work with their manager to coordinate an in-office, remote, or hybrid work schedule. We will continue to offer full coverage to our clients during standard working hours, from 8 AM until 5 PM, plus our emergency on-call coverage.
One of the benefits of cloud-based computing, that we ourselves have stated time and again, is the ability to work from anywhere with an internet connection. Many of our team have commented to management how much they enjoy working from home. And indeed, much of our support work can be done regardless of location. We’ve even coordinated and completed several complex projects using Microsoft Teams this entire time, so why not continue?
However, this change emphasizes the importance of using our ticketing system or calling the service desk (810-355-2280, option 2) for service. Your “favorite tech” might be based at home or at another client site that day. While they may be able to assist remotely, they may not be in our office physically. So, save yourself an unneeded trip, and contact us ahead of time before visiting.
Moving Forward After Reopening
When we closed down the office by state order back in March 2020, probably most of us thought it would be just a few weeks until we could get the pandemic numbers under control. Our hearts go out to all those affected by illness and loss over these long, difficult months.
But with vaccination numbers rising and COVID cases decreasing, we’re hopeful that the end of the pandemic is around the corner, at least in our area. Some of the adjustments we had to make quickly in March 2020 will become permanent. In the meantime, we’ll carry on with hope for the future. Please let us know how we can help you.