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Corona virus away!

Finding the Silver Lining

From superheroes to the Smart Start playbook, Magna’s Mexico facilities deployed a wide range of strategies to ensure a successful restart following the COVID-19 shutdown. In the process, they found a “silver lining” or positive side to what has been a dire situation.

“We have suffered losses in the Magna community in Mexico, and we are in the midst of the biggest challenge I’ve seen in more than 30 years as a human resources professional,” said Irma Galvan, the director of corporate HR programs in Mexico. “But I’ve always believed you should look for something good in any situation, and see what you can learn. We’ve done that, too.”

The Magna playbook, with its industry-setting guidelines to guard the health and wellbeing of employees, proved to be an invaluable resource, and a template for handling any future crisis. The playbook served as the foundation for a smooth return to work for the 27 divisions in Mexico.

“I’m very proud of the measures that Magna has implemented through the Smart Start playbook and the creative approaches that various divisions have put in place,” said Galvan.

A comic book featuring the adventures of Magna superheroes was one of those innovative approaches.

Cesar Daniel Gomez, a communications coordinator at Magna Exteriors Queretaro created two characters – Super Honesty, clad in a red cape with the Magna logo, and The Lady of Truth – who battle coronaviruses and “Mr. Lies” in the kid- friendly comic book. The comic was a lighthearted way to reinforce the recommendations of the Smart Start playbook, urging all employees and their families to take precautions such as mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing at work and at home.

“We have suffered losses in the Magna community in Mexico, and we are in the midst of the biggest challenge I’ve seen in more than 30 years as a human resources professional. But I’ve always believed you should look for something good in any situation, and see what you can learn. We’ve done that, too.

“If you take care of yourself, you take care of us all!” said the Magna superheroes.

Other divisions in Mexico created videos urging employees to avoid after-hours gatherings and get-togethers to limit possible exposure to COVID- 19 outside of work.

The employee-inspired solutions encompassed every aspect of the workplace, with the aim of preventing the virus from gaining a foothold in a Magna facility.

At the San Luis Metal Forming facility, a mobile isolation zone – basically a trailer with two entrances – was set up to help identify and prevent sick employees from entering the building.

At Magna Seating Systems of Acuna, the 3,000 employees who ride company buses to work were given assigned seats.

Super Honesto comic, created by Cesar Daniel Gomez, a communications coordinator at Magna Exteriors Queretaro

“It helps to make sure people don’t rush to get on the bus, and allows for good contact tracing,” Galvan said. “This division went beyond barriers. They thought ‘What else can we do to ensure fast reaction to the virus?’”

In areas of Mexico where there is limited access to medical care, 15 out of 27 Magna divisions have hired more on-site nurses and doctors to help employees get COVID-19 testing and medical attention. In addition, Magna’s Mexico operations established protocols to help employees with short-term assistance when government assistance is not available.

“When the pandemic ends, there are some good things that I would want to continue doing, such as a new electronic version of our Employee Opinion Survey,” said Galvan. “We’ve also learned how to communicate quickly with the MyLife app. We will continue sending messages through that, especially if we ever have a bad storm or hurricane. Hopefully, we’ll never have another situation like this, but we know that we can respond fast enough to get things in place. And that is a positive lesson.”