Recovery Readiness: A How-To Guide for Reopening Our Offices

RECOVERY READINESS a how-to guide for reopening our offices

executive summary

Dear Team, This has been a heck of a 7-week stretch and I think I speak for many when I say that I’m looking forward to being able to carefully venture back into the office! Thank you for handling yourselves with professionalism and great care during this time of ‘business unusual’. With your help, we have remained open for business in a responsible way, meeting and exceeding guidelines set by local and federal government, the CDC and OSHA. Your health and welfare have been our chief concern at every step, and will continue to be even, as your offices reopen in a very safe way and in line with the protocols put forth by those mentioned above.

We agree with the Governor and Homeland Security that real estate is an essential business, and at our core we help serve clients with their shelter, one of the three basic needs in life. We also understand how critical real estate sales are for the local economy, with each sale generating $88,416 (source: NAR) in economic activity, providing jobs and incomes to individuals and families across the nation.

There will be many opinions voiced on the proper way to reopen and some people will not like or agree with the steps we are taking. We would encourage every one of you to rise above the emotion of it all and not engage in any negativity, particularly on social media. We will be thoughtful and methodical as we always are and continue to evaluate our process based on the best information available.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. We are here for you.

Remember our core values: Advocate (for each other and our community).

Collaborate (together, virtually or in-person, we are better). And soon, together we will all Celebrate!

Much Love,

President and CEO

PREPARING FOR DAY 1 PHASE 1

MID JANUARY

EARLY FEBRUARY

MID FEBRUAR

initiated annual

turned focus to

evaluate offic

process to update

pandemic prep, revised

supplies and pro

our incident

plan and prepared

disinfectant w

management plan

for test run

EARLY MARCH commenced a series of emails to agents and employees on topics of health, safety, business continuity, and reminders of all the virtual tools available with bhhs

MID MARCH expanded the business continuity task force to all branch managers and department heads

EARLY MARCH shift mega open

shift company

house to virtual

business meetin

mega open house

mid-march provide agents with an abundance of data and social media content

MID APRIL

reconvene the

redesigned autoflow

initial task force

materials to reflect the

“back to office� plan

a weekly

virtual meeti

MID APRIL to prep the

EARLY MARCH

current

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situation

LATE MARCH

rolled out 5 days digital mastery pla switched to virtual showing open houses, an consultations

MAY

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LATE FEBRUARY reviewed roster and identified work

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EARLY MARCH

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EARLY MARCH assembled the business continuity task force to finalize and initiate plan

MID MARCH

prior to local orders, deployed all staff to work from home and

all in-person

closed the offices for

events

all but essential activities

EARLY APRIL

EARLY APRIL

initiate series of

modified autoflow

national speakers to

to keep content

augment our local

relevant and current

meetings

COVID-19 TIMELINE WE’VE COME A LONG WAY!

preparing for day 1 triggers:

Shelter-in-place order has been lifted for our area by state and local government PREPARING THE BUILDING: CLEANING, DISINFECTING AND SUPPLIES

• All offices will be cleaned thoroughly prior to opening with anti-viral specific cleaning products.

• Office admins will review current inventory of cleaning supplies to include toilet paper, tissues, paper towels, antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap, and disinfecting spray and order accordingly.

• Office admins will review current inventory of office supplies such as paper, post it notes, etc. and order accordingly within 1 week of opening.

• All staffed reception desks will have plexiglass barriers installed.

• All vendors will be contacted to resume normal operations such as shredding services, window washing, dumpster pickup, landscaping and office cleanings.

• All phones, keyboards and mice in the conference rooms and common areas will be removed. We encourage the use of mobile phones or laptop softphones for teleconference.

PREPARING THE WORKFORCE: WHO RETURNS TO WORK?

• At our branch office locations, only office admins and brokers will maintain regular hours. Agents may use branch offices for essential duties.

• Prompt identification and isolation of potentially infectious individuals is a critical step in protecting everyone. All employees and agents must monitor their temperature daily before coming into the office.

Those with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees need to immediately notify human resources or their broker and may not return to the office until they are fever free for a minimum of 72 hours - without fever reducing medication and exhibiting no other symptoms.

• Anyone experiencing any illness or symptoms of being ill, even if the illness is not thought to not be COVID-19 related, will stay home and not come to the workplace. Anyone exhibiting symptoms of any illness while at work will be asked to return home.

• Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or have been presumed to have COVID-19, is incoraged to report it to their broker or human resources and will not return to work until approved by human resources.

• Anyone that is in an at-risk category for more severe impacts of COVID-19 or are direct care providers for at-risk individuals should continue to work remotely.

• Due to the cancellation of the remaining 2020 academic school year, some staff at the branch offices and home office with school-aged children at home may work remotely. These individuals will still be fully accessible.

DAY 1 AND BEYOND: WORKPLACE HYGIENE AND SAFETY WORKPLACE SAFETY

• Masks will be required to be worn by all employees and agents while in communal spaces within the office.

A mask will be made available for you if you do not already have one. Individuals with a private office may remove their face mask once they have entered their office. Individuals who are sitting in a cubby with physical barriers on both sides and/or are at least 6 feet away from other individuals may remove their face mask.

• Clients will be offered a face mask if they don’t have one but will not be required to wear if they are not comfortable doing so.

• All staffed reception desks will have plexiglass barriers installed.

• To maintain social distancing requirements, agents should continue to avoid attending closings with

day 1 and beyond

• • • •

their clients and escrow closers. GTS will continue operations from Mandarin until further notice. We encourage the use of facetime or other virtual offerings to support your client during their closing.

We highly discourage the use of borrowing other people’s phones, desks, office equipment etc.

Common touch points will be reduced – interior doors (except for bathrooms) and supply closets will remain open when possible.

Refrain from congregating in the reception area (or anywhere) in any of our offices.

Each office will have a COVID-19 Block Captain: This individual will ensure each location is respecting precautions and protocols. Block Captains will also facilitate and maintain open communication with leadership and HR. The brokers/admins will function as co-captains for the offices and Andrea Nichols and Debbie Nuclo will act as captains for the Home Office.

WORKPLACE HYGIENE

• Employees and agents will wash their hands regularly throughout the workday and utilize provided cleaning products to clean their personal work surfaces daily.

• Office admins will do a complete cleanout of the refrigerators in each office.

• Anything that is brought into the office from home such as computers, tablets, back support devices, keyboard etc will need to be fully sanitized. Items taken home at night will need to be re-sanitized each time they are brought back to the office.

• If you choose to work at an unassigned desk, you are responsible for sanitizing the surface, arms of chairs etc upon arrival and before you leave.

• At the end of each day, minimize what is left on your desk and wipe down all surfaces.

• Office admins will have a detailed cleaning schedule throughout the day. They will be wiping down specified surfaces 3 times a day and documenting their efforts on a visible tracking sheet.

NEW OPERATIONS

• To maximize social distancing and the health of everyone, the break rooms and kitchens will remain closed for breaks, eating and congregating. Access will be available to water and coffee; however, employees and agents must wash hands with antibacterial soap before touching any common surfaces. Lunch should be taken outside the office or within your individual work area. All cups, plates and utensils should be from home. We will re-open these areas as soon as it is deemed appropriate to do so.

• Until further notification, vendors, visitors and other third parties will not be permitted into the offices.

Meetings with such parties should continue to be conducted over the phone or virtually. Essential meetings with clients are permitted.

• Office admins will monitor the number of people in each office so that we can comply with CDC occupancy recommendations.

• Personnel handling mail and parcels should wear gloves to receive parcels, mail and other deliveries. When possible, quarantine mail and packages for 48 hours. Offices should have a separate place for incoming and outgoing mail.

• All branch and companywide sales meetings and training sessions will continue virtually.

• Based on guidance from FAR and local government, all Open Houses will continue to be Virtual until further notice.

• As always, if anyone from the press contacts you and asks for a comment on anything related to the company, let them know that you will pass their information on to your broker. Do not, under any circumstance, make any comments to the press, regardless of how harmless those comments may seem.

DAY 1 AND BEYOND PHASE 2

day 1 and beyond

PHASE 2 IN ACCORDANCE WITH ALL STATE AND LOCAL GUIDELINES:

• Home Office employees who were not working in the office during Phase 1 will re-enter the offices.

• We will welcome all agents back into the offices.

• Social distancing and workplace hygiene must still be observed.

• We will evaluate opening common areas including kitchens and break rooms.

• We will evaluate the possibility of in-person sales meetings and training sessions at branch locations and the Home Office.

DAY 1 AND BEYOND PHASE 3

day 1 and beyond

PHASE 3 IN ACCORDANCE WITH ALL STATE AND LOCAL GUIDELINES:

• All common areas will open • In-Person office and companywide meetings as well as training sessions at all offices will resume. This includes Ninja installations, Masterminds (in person), New Agent Training etc.

We are looking forward to beginning the process of returning to normalcy. We are certain the coming weeks and months will teach us new things, and we look forward to sharing more ideas and updates to help all of us move forward through this unfamiliar territory.

ESSENTIAL, BUT NOT EXPENDABLE

Q&A

frequently asked questions

WILL I BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK AT THE OFFICE? A face mask will be required for employees and agents

entering our offices or in working in communal spaces. Individuals with a private office may remove their mask once they have entered their office. Anyone sitting in a cubicle with physical barriers on both sides and at least 6 feet away from other individuals may remove their mask as well.

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A MASK? A mask will be provided to employees and agents that don’t already have one.

WILL CLIENTS BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A FACE MASK? Clients will be offered a mask, but it will not be required.

WILL THE OFFICES BE CLEANED BEFORE WE REOPEN? All offices will be thoroughly cleaned prior to opening

with anti-viral specific cleaning products.

IF I DON’T GO INTO THE OFFICE BECAUSE I AM NOT FEELING WELL, DO I NEED TO TELL ANYONE? Anyone

diagnosed with, experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or been in proximity of someone who has COVID -19 should stay home and let their broker or human resources know.

EMPLOYEE SPECIFIC: MY KIDS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR. AM I REQUIRED TO GO BACK INTO THE OFFICE? Due to the cancellation of the remaining 2020 academic school year, some staff with

school aged children will consult with human resources and their broker to create a continued work from home plan.

MAY I BRING MY KIDS TO THE OFFICE IF I WON’T BE THERE LONG? During phase 1 we cannot allow anyone in

our offices except employees, agents and clients conducting essential business.

I USUALLY BRING FOOD THAT REQUIRES HEATING EVERY DAY…CAN I KEEP DOING THIS? At this time, the kitchen

and break rooms will be closed. Lunch should be taken outside the office or within your individual work area.

All cups, plates and utensils should be brought from home.

ARE WE GOING TO START HAVING CLOSINGS AT ALL OFFICE LOCATIONS? For now, GTS will continue to conduct all closings at the Mandarin office.

CAN I ATTEND A CLOSING WITH MY CLIENT? To maintain social distancing requirements, agents should not attend closings with their clients. We encourage you to use Facetime or other available virtual meeting programs to attend the closing virtually.

MY CLIENT HAS ASKED ME TO HOLD AN IN-PERSON OPEN HOUSE...IS THIS OK? Based on CDC and FAR recommendations, all open houses will remain virtual until further notice.

CAN I HAVE VISITORS MEET ME AT THE OFFICE? At this time, visitors/guests will not be allowed in the offices.

HOW OFTEN WILL THE OFFICES BE CLEANED AND WHAT WILL KEEP THEM SANITIZED IN BETWEEN THESE CLEANINGS? Each office will be cleaned 2 times per week by a janitorial company. In addition, office admins

will wipe down specified surfaces 3 times each day, documenting their efforts on a visible tracking sheet.

WHEN WILL WE START HAVING “IN PERSON” SALES MEETINGS? During Phase 1, we will continue to have

virtual meetings and training sessions. We will re-evaluate this based on direction from the Federal, State and local governments.

IF I SEE SOMETHING THAT I AM NOT COMFORTABLE WITH OR HAVE A SUGGESTION, WHO SHOULD I TELL?

Each office will have a COVID-19 Block Captain. These individuals will ensure each location is respecting precautions and protocols. Block Captains will also facilitate and maintain open communication with leadership and HR. The brokers/admins will function as co-captains for the offices and Andrea Nichols and Debbie Nuclo will act as co-captains for the Home Office.

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