A Covid-19 workplace readiness tool for organisations

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has developed an online self-assessment tool to measure Covid-19 workplace readiness of enterprises and offices jointly with the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).

The tool, https://covid.readiness.in/ , was prepared by the new centre at IISc – Centre for Networked Intelligence – established with support from Cisco Systems.

Readiness Indicator is an advisory tool that can enable organisations to understand their current level of preparedness and key risk areas. It will also help them plan and establish pandemic-specific policies, procedures, and necessary management practices, an IISc statement said on Monday.

The tool takes into account broad epidemic factors and social objectives, and suggests a simple readiness threshold that organisations need to meet or exceed in order to operate effectively, while managing their pandemic response.

The tool is simple and easy to use. An organisation can enter relevant information about their workplace and their current level of operation. Readiness is calculated using 10 specific indices, each with a maximum score of 100. These include infrastructure, precautions, outreach, employee interactions, transport, details of eateries, hygiene and sanitation. The overall readiness index is the sum of the ten individual readiness indices. The tool scores the organisation’s readiness across various categories and provides a consolidated report.

“The tool not only scores an organisation’s readiness, but also provides some targeted suggestions if specific weaknesses are identified,” said Nihesh Rathod, a Cisco-IISc PhD scholar at the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering, IISc, who helped develop the tool.

Karnataka government has recommended this advisory tool to various organisations in the State, as they begin operation in accordance with the Unlock-1 guidelines.

“The end of the lockdown does not automatically mean a return to the old ‘normal’ and the opening will take different shapes, with different regions and different business sectors opening up in different ways and at differing speeds,” said Manoj Rajan, Commissioner, KSDMA.

The tool also shows the organisation’s percentile with respect to other similar organisations. “Once enough organisations use the tool, each organisation can see where it stands among other organisations of the same kind. Such a comparison may induce organisations to be proactive and take more positive steps towards mitigating the pandemic,” said project lead Rajesh Sundaresan, professor at IISc’s Department of Electrical Communication Engineering.