COVID-19: Best Practices for Business

I’m not a doctor, a virologist nor an epidemiologist and I don’t pretend to be one on the internet. I’ve worked for some of the most well-known US corporations in China over the past 23 years, and I’m also the Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (or AmCham China), leading an organization of nearly 1,000 American and international member companies. AmCham China is a non-profit, non-governmental, private business association. Our members consist of Americans working for American companies here in China, and also a large number of Chinese and other multi-national executives that also work for those same American companies. We’re business people helping each other, but we’re also a community of families and we work hard to help each other with both business challenges and life challenges, too. It’s in this context that we became distraught watching things unfold back in America and around the world. We’d like to help.

I’m speaking to you in the video above from the couch where I’ve worked from for the past two months, as we’ve lived in self-quarantine at home here in Beijing. It’s been tough, but we’re getting through this – and you will, too. We’ve learnt a lot about doing business in a crisis – both from SARS back in 2003 and from this pandemic – and we’d like to help our fellow Americans back home who are now going through the same things we’ve just been dealing with.

We have a small and very dedicated staff, and an executive director all of whom are full-time AmCham China employees. The Board of Governors, of which I’m part, are all volunteers elected from within the member ranks. We have day jobs, but we help run AmCham China to help each other navigate a challenging place to do business. AmCham China has more than 30 working groups across multiple industry sectors and disciplines that share expertise regularly, and most of the past two months has been spent dealing specifically with the challenges presented by COVID-19 and the ways in which it has impacted our industries.

During this time we’ve helped each other do two things: First and foremost, to help keep our people safe with credible information and frequent liaison with authorities, and, secondly, to find a way to resume work and productivity to the extent possible in this difficult situation. Staying safe is most important, but, along with health, people need an income, and society needs a functioning economy. We hear a lot of new vocabulary these days like “social distancing” and Personal Protective Equipment or PPE. The overwhelming about of information out there, much of it confusing or just downright false, has created another new word – “infodemic”.

Beyond our website resources, we’ll also organize a number of webinars on best practice sharing on topics such as workplace safety, HR practices, legal compliance, special policy advocacy, supply chain management, and working from home. We have concrete measures to share, backed up by data, and a wealth of on-the-ground experience within our ranks. We’ll make these info sessions available to all, and try our best to answer any questions that you might have – from safety procedures, to remote working tips, to managing supply chains, and much, much more.

Sincerely,
Greg Gilligan
Chairman, AmCham China