COVID-19 strategy

Year of learning, challenges and changes

In face of the COVID-19 pandemic, our main challenge was to protect the lives of our employees and their families, of contractors and of the communities. We strengthened our processes, we transformed ourselves and ensured the continuity of all our operations.

Delivery of humanitarian aid in different regions of Colombia
Delivery of humanitarian aid in different regions of Colombia
Delivery of humanitarian aid in different regions of Colombia
Delivery of humanitarian aid in different regions of Colombia

Why is it important?

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At GEB, we have established a temporary structure for response, recovery and stabilization during health emergencies, which was structured based on actions designed for the different stages of the emergency. This arrangement has been fundamental for our timely, safe and effective response.

The temporary arrangement for response, recovery and stabilization played a key role in our timely reaction to address the critical situation created by the pandemic, and to continue operating and assuring the efficient provision of the electric energy and natural gas services.

We designed the COVID-19 Response project, with the creation of the COVID-19 Assistance Department, led by the CEO of GEB. We also created a joint Crisis Committee for GEB and its affiliates to monitor the evolution of the pandemic in the countries where the Group is present. It has been a major challenge, because it requires the coordination and deployment of actions by the teams in coordination with the humanitarian assistance and shared value activities. All this in line with our main cultural attribute of Life Comes First, and supported by our solid corporate governance.

The challenges of the pandemic strengthened us as a Group and as people. We leveraged our strengths by working to support our employees and their families, our contractors and the communities in our areas of influence.

How we manage it

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Our first task focused on defining a management plan to respond to emergencies associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It included essential and top priority programs and activities, the starting point of which was the understanding that the implementation of the biosafety protocols at GEB and our affiliates was at the core of the entire strategy.

Programs

Response stage	Recovery stage	Stabilization stage
Structuring and implementation of the COVID-19 epidemiological surveillance system	Public health preventive program	Public health preventive program
Health, hygiene, preventive and mitigation measures for the COVID-19 emergency	Permanent health and hygiene measures	Processes and policies related to the Health Emergency Plan
Physical safety assistance during the COVID-19 emergency		Structuring of physical safety plans during health emergencies
Technology and information security during the COVID-19 emergency		Structuring of technology and information security plans during health emergencies
Working conditions during the COVID-19 emergency	Working conditions during the COVID-19 emergency	Working conditions to recover from the emergency
Service conditions during the COVID-19 emergency	Service conditions during the COVID-19 emergency
Communications strategy for the COVID-19 emergency		Communications strategy for assistance in health emergencies
Management of the environment and humanitarian assistance during the COVID-19 emergency	Management of the environment and delivery of humanitarian assistance resources	Structuring of social guidelines to assist communities in health emergencies
Assistance for suppliers and contractors during the COVID-19 emergency	Reactivation of business relations with suppliers and contractors	Guidelines for assistance to suppliers and contractors during health emergencies
Financial containment during the COVID-19 emergency		Structuring of financial guidelines during health emergencies
Management of government energy policy and regulatory entities	Management of government energy policy and regulatory entities	Structuring of guidelines
Risk assistance during the COVID-19 emergency	Monitoring of new business risks created by the emergency	Design of risk matrix associated with healthy emergencies - heat map

Stages of implementation of the ‘COVID-19 Assistance’ project

January
2020

Monitor and follow-up on the initial outbreak in China and follow OMS guidelines on the pandemic

First alert in information security

March
2020

Activation of the Crisis Committee

Rigorous social distancing actions
Strict lockdown for travelers
Work at home
Structuring and development of the contingency plan
Assessment of the emerging risk, risk matrix for the different businesses
Provisioning of PPE and other health care items
Assistance to affiliates

April
2020

Pandemic response guidelines

Development of protocols
Self-reports by employees and close family members
Monitoring of cases of symptoms and other risks
Assistance by experts from Gressa

May
2020

Communication of the risk and our activities

Dissemination of the protocols
Monitoring of recovery
Work-at-home guidelines
Epidemiological Surveillance Systems (SVE)
VidaRep
CoronApp pilot plan

Juny
2020

Risk monitoring

Systematic monitoring of epidemiological maps
Monitoring of cases, phase II Vida Rep
Certification of protocols
Drills
Begin analysis of pandemic scenarios, reduction of capacity

July
2020

Response to peak of pandemic

Testing protocol
Assistance in the regions
Launch of Tele-medicine
Certification of safe return to infrastructure
Start of distance work diagnosis

Start of stabilization phase

Response to outbreaks
Medical monitoring of cases
Definition of actions for 2021 scenarios
Structure strategies to return to the offices

In order to implement the COVID-19 Response strategy, we assigned a cross-disciplinary team of employees of GEB and its subsidiaries responsible for planning, executing, monitoring and controlling the proposed activities in each action line, under the leadership of the COVID-19 Assistance Department.

We also defined indicators for each phase of the pandemic, from initial response to the recovery phase. We worked on matters such as the design, approval and implementation of the biosafety protocols for GEB and all our affiliates.

In this process, we reviewed our facilities and determined the maximum occupancy capacity of personnel who could remain at the corporate and project offices of GEB and our subsidiaries. To this end, we took into consideration the recommended physical distancing of two meters between people. We also provided support for employees working at home by means of an initial contingency plan that enabled their adequate preparation.

With the support of experts in public health and epidemiology, and following the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the national government, we put in place a Protocol for the Reactivation of Construction, Operation and Maintenance Projects and Administrative Processes.

During the contingency, we assured provision of all our services at 100 % of their availability. Also, of the 300 positive cases reported among our over 2,300 Group employees, none produced any deaths. An achievement that demonstrates why at GEB Life Comes First!

During 2020, 300 positive cases of COVID-19 were reported among the over 2,300 Group employees (72 in Colombia, 204 in Peru, 9 in Guatemala, 15 in Brazil), and 2 deaths of contractors. No direct Group employees died due to COVID-19.

During the pandemic, we not only cared for our own teams, but we also reached out to the regions with our commitment of generating well-being and progress. We developed an intervention strategy in the territories of our areas of influence to prevent contagion, jointly with local authorities.

In this context, the Group’s Board of Directors approved a voluntary contribution of COP 10 billion. The funds were allocated to purchases of food packages, computers and medical equipment and materials.

We managed and worked jointly with the technology area to assist in the process of the digital transformation and the use of technological tools by our employees and executives who were working at home. The main purpose was to hold virtual meetings during the quarantines and lockdowns.

We monitored ergonomic and psycho-social health, we redesigned workstations and arranged sourcing support networks to sign contracts in record times, fulfilling all Group requirements, as was the case of COVID-19 testing.

During the pandemic, we worked on the design, approval and implementation of the biosafety protocols for GEB and all our affiliates
During the pandemic, we worked on the design, approval and implementation of the biosafety protocols for GEB and all our affiliates
During the pandemic, we worked on the design, approval and implementation of the biosafety protocols for GEB and all our affiliates
During the pandemic, we worked on the design, approval and implementation of the biosafety protocols for GEB and all our affiliates

Our achievements in 2020

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We responded quickly and adopted the biosafety protocols to continue providing efficient service while protecting the health of our employees.

Thanks to the implementation of strict protocols we were able to follow up and monitor the conditions to perform their work. This enabled maintaining low contagion levels and no deaths.
Thanks to the coordination, understanding and preparation in view of the measures taken by the authorities, we were able to anticipate and achieve less days of restriction for the Company’s activities. This enabled providing services with no interruptions and to assure business continuity.

Events that affected the continuity of business operations: Number of events that affected the continuity of business operations

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Note: At Argo, a maintenance intervention of a transmission line was performed later than the contractual time frame due to restrictions in transportation that affected the supply of materials. Even though the activity was rescheduled and correctly performed in July 2020, the regulator is reviewing a possible non-compliance with the established term for performance. An objection has been submitted to this possibility, and there was no interruption in service provision.

We obtained certification for the Safe Guard logo, following audits performed by Bureau Veritas Quality on the biosafety protocol and the implementation of measures at our administrative offices in Bogotá and Pereira.
We held meetings with 1,455 employees connected through Teams Live and over 657 suppliers and contractors on the prevention measures, handling of emotions, stress and grieving, and the status of medical research on COVID-19.
During 2020, there were 125,969 health reports by employees and contractors.
Over 90 % of our employees received training on the framework for structuring and implementing the Public Health Preventive Program, which we provided at all our affiliates.
(Own. Prevalence of Deaths due to COVID-19) We implemented the relevant biosafety protocols and were able to follow up and monitor the conditions for performing work, thanks to which the index of prevalence of deaths of employees was zero (per 1,000 employees).
We developed and implemented the COVID-19 Prevention, Control and Mitigation Model to enable the reactivation of GEB, thanks to which the prevalence of contagion was 139 per 1,000 employees, and the prevalence of deaths was zero.

Prevalence of contagion during the COVID-19 pandemic at GEB affiliates

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We held 46 Crisis Committee meetings to monitor the cases of employees, contractors and relatives, as well as the conditions in the countries where our affiliates are based, and the government measures and business continuity.
We developed the VidaRep application to monitor employee health status, which included modules such as population census, self-reports, psycho-social survey, checklists for contractors, visitors, family unit and workstations.
We developed additional tools to control the temperature of visitors to offices and dashboards to monitor health indicators in real time.
We included the Group and its affiliates in the CoronApp to monitor employee symptoms.
We developed a strategy of pedagogical fines, and an intervention strategy in the territories of our areas of influence to prevent contagion, and worked jointly with local authorities to design communications pieces, hospital kits and courses.
As a Group, we delivered 26,133 food packages for families in 40 municipalities in 13 departments and 11 hospital kits to 11 hospitals in 11 municipalities in 8 departments of Colombia.
Through TGI, we delivered 10,000 humanitarian aid food packages worth COP 1,306 million, to benefit families in 41 municipalities and 14 departments in our areas of influence.
In Peru, through the affiliates Cálidda, Contugas and Electro Dunas, we donated close to 4,000 food packages to the same number of families. And in Guatemala, through Trecsa, we delivered over 4,200 hygiene kits to indigenous communities.

At TGI and Transmission

We achieved 100 % of the Assistance Plan.
We identified the risks associated with the pandemic and developed an associated risk map.
We prioritized work at home for between 50 and 85 % of our employees, and work in the field was scheduled for essential and non-vulnerable tasks.
We developed and implemented the COVID-19 Prevention, Control and Mitigation Model to enable the reactivation of GEB, thanks to which the prevalence of contagion was only 139 per each 1,000 employees, and zero deaths.
We obtained certification for the Safe Guard logo, following audits performed by Bureau Veritas Quality on the biosafety protocol and the implementation of measures at our administrative offices in Bogotá and Pereira.
Preventive isolation was declared at two civil work sites to prevent propagation of the virus: Tesalia-Alférez and Hatonuevo.

At Cálidda

We prioritized the health and safety of our employees by implementing our biosafety protocols in order to enable the continuity of our services, which allowed us to continue operating with no restriction during the year and maintaining 70 % of our 396 employees working remotely.
Our employees had access to over 10,670 hours of training, receiving an average of 26.28 hours each, including talks on relevant information on COVID-19 and our actions related to the pandemic. We created a Plan de Bienestar Emocional (Emotional Well-being Plan) focused on the mental health of our employees; we provided psychological assistance and provided training on the prevention of COVID-19.

At Contugas

We facilitated the rapid adoption of remote work for 90 % of employees and established biosafety measures for employees in the field, thereby ensuring the continuous provision of the gas public services.
We additionally created a Plan de Vigilancia, Prevención y Control de COVID-19 (COVID-19 Surveillance, Prevention and Control Plan) to monitor cases in our operations.

At Trecsa

We developed a business continuity strategy and plans in response to the COVID-19 emergency.

At Electro Dunas

We developed an overall protocol for the Surveillance, Prevention and Control of COVID-19 at the Workplace.
In coordination with the Chamber of Commerce and private companies we made a medicinal oxygen plant available to the community in Ica.
We created a virtual application to control employee symptoms, which contributed to the early identification of positive cases at the company, which enabled taking actions in connection with the teams and people, and to monitor said cases.

Our challenges for 2021

We will design and implement a change management strategy to prepare our employees for the changes produced by this new reality.

Adapt the workplace infrastructure to the new work arrangements we have been evaluating to enable maintaining the physical distancing, effective control over breakouts and compliance with the biosafety protocols.
Define the installation of satellite offices, in line with the new work-related trends arising from the pandemic.
Use artificial intelligence to monitor and ensure compliance of the biosafety standards, in order to prevent close contacts and take epidemiological isolation measures for positive cases. We will assess the option of using bracelets that send information over the web and alert the user when he/she is too close to someone else (it also monitors variables such as temperature, heart rate and oxygen level).
Review the company’s cameras to optimize compliance with biosafety measures in aspects such as resolution and location.
Establish plans to optimize commuting and avoid infection of employees when they use public transportation, through schemes such as alternating days or weeks at work or the design of an application that enables optimizing the use of private vehicles through incentives for ride sharing, and promote the use of sustainable means of transportation such as electric bicycles.
Carry out seroprevalence studies to understand the behavior of the SARS-Cov2 virus at the company, the percentage of the population affected by the virus and the level of immunity developed.
Strengthen the VidaRep tool for reporting information related to COVID-19 by adding modules for medical monitoring, indicators and medical tests.
Enter into agreements with competent authorities to secure vaccines for GEB employees, particularly for positions that are critical for business continuity.
Deliver during the year three workshops and conferences adapted to the evolution of the pandemic in Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Guatemala, with national and international experts.