PremiumNEW DELHI : The country's ongoing covid-19 wave is impacting frontline workers in the essential goods sector including delivery executives, distributors, traders, and retailers that may affect supplies which companies have so far managed to maintain.
Companies across fast-moving consumer goods makers, online grocers and business-to-business startups Mint spoke to said 5-15% of frontline staff could be affected by the virus. This, said companies, is creating a manpower challenge unlike last year.
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Premium “The exposure of our frontline sales staff is high, as they move across multiple locations through the day. As a precautionary step, we have already advised our sales teams to not go to market and work from home," Sunil Kataria, CEO, India & SAARC at fast moving consumer goods company Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL).
The situation is especially grave in markets such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi-NCR, said Venkatesh Vijayaraghavan, CEO and Director, Personal Care and Alliances at CavinKare.
Vijayaraghavan estimates that on a national level the number of frontline staff affected could be 5%. “But if I look at very state specific data, it could be as high as 15%," he said, adding that it was a cause of concern for the company. “There's a marked difference versus last time when people were able to move around with precautions. This time, there’s a very marked increase in terms of the front-end people getting affected including our own salespeople and distributors," he said.
“If the distribution system gets affected, the whole godown gets shut down and then you won’t be able to supply to retailers," he added. The company is trying to mitigate the crisis by ensuring existing staff can double up for those affected.
Vijayaraghavan said it is also seeing online retailers struggle with manpower crunch on account of the virus. CavinKare is extending support to those affected.
An executive working at a large business-to-business FMCG services provider said at least 10-15% of frontline staff including workers at distributors of fast-moving consumer goods and online delivery executives could be sick. This could prolong delivery timelines, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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Premium Premium Spokesperson for online grocery delivery platform Grofers admitted that the rise in the number of covid-19 cases across the country has led to an unfortunate impact on delivery, especially with the surge in orders being placed on its platform.
While it declined to share the absolute number of workers that are affected by virus, it said it is continuously monitoring the situation. “We have been (paying for and) regularly conducting RT-PCR and antigen tests for all of them. We are also covering the cost of vaccination for them (eligibility as per age). In the unfortunate event any of our delivery or warehouse personnel testing positive, the company provides paid leaves, medical benefits and hospitalization expenses," the spokesperson said.
To ensure timely deliveries, Grofers said it has already hired over 2,000 people pan India and plans to add over 7,000 workers across its supply chain.
Other companies too are taking steps to minimize field workforce. They are ensuring interventions like extending virtual orders, sending minimal frontline staff on field, stepping up localized hiring, and ensuring they follow more precautions on ground apart from providing medical assistance to those in need.
“Our regional sales offices have been shut and the teams are working from home. If anyone has to go to market for a truly exceptional reason, this can be done only with permission of their supervisor," said Godrej’s Kataria.
The maker of Cinthol soaps and Hit mosquito repellents said that over the last year its move to leverage technology to manage different aspects of its sales systems as well as engage with partners across its ecosystem is holding it in good stead.
Our CFA (carrying and forwarding agents) and distributors are working, and billings happen from the warehouses to distributors. Additionally, our regional commercial teams are operating online from home to provide commercial support," he said.
India is currently tackling one of the worst outbreaks of the pandemic. The country's daily caseload is touching record highs, leaving millions seeking healthcare services and medical supplies.
SnapBizz, that works with kirana stores offering them billing, retail analytics and distribution services, said a survey it did of 1,000 stores recently showed that small shopkeepers too are dealing with the virus. "Literally, everybody has somebody in the family sick," said Prem Kumar, founder and CEO, Snapbizz. As a result, shops too are getting constrained.
So far, most companies are not reporting any manufacturing-related disruptions. Kataria said that on the factory front, its workforce is mostly intact. “All our sites are running in full capacity. Since last year, we have instituted multiple safety protocols to safeguard the health of our workers," he said.
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