Ensuring safety in the workplace and safeguarding the health of Mondadori Group employees has always been one of the core purposes of the prevention and protection service. In 2020, the activities aimed at countering the Covid-19 pandemic took on a key priority for the Group Safety Coordination, a body set up by the parent company in 2016 to coordinate the planning and assessment of the ordinary legal obligations under Legislative Decree 81/08 – Consolidated Law on Work Safety.

Our crisis communication policy

The various measures taken by the Mondadori Group to combat the spread of the virus were readily implemented through the ceaseless work of the Covid-19 Crisis Committee, set up from the onset of the emergency and saw the ongoing participation of employers, the head of the prevention and protection service, the departments heading Human Resources and Organization, Procurement, Legal, Group Communications and representatives from the business areas: in addition to monitoring the developments of the emergency, the measures to be implemented immediately to guarantee the safety and health of all workers were assessed, defined and concurrently authorized, in collaboration with the coordinator of the competent medical officers, who played a fundamental role in setting the guidelines to follow.

All communications, news and information related to the Covid-19 emergency were circulated to all employees and associates of the Mondadori Group, both through e-mails sent to workers and by setting up an ad hoc website; in addition to the constant updates, the site also contains the latest version of the Group’s Anti-Contagion Protocol.

Our initiatives

In accordance with the regulatory provisions issued by the competent public authorities and, in particular, with the measure contained in Prime Ministerial Decree of 11 March 2020, as well as with the provisions, on 14 March 2020, of the Shared Protocol for the regulation of measures to combat and contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the workplace, the Mondadori Group drew up and validated its own corporate anti-contagion protocol, listing the measures adopted in 12 points:

Guidelines on entry to premises

By forwarding specific communications via e-mail and posting Our Rules of Conduct at the entrances to the offices, the staff and all those who needed to enter the company were informed of the no access notice for those who, over the last 14 days, had had contact with persons who tested positive to Covid-19 or came from areas at risk according to WHO indications.

Entry into the company was restricted to workers formally authorized by their managers, in compliance with the distancing between workstations set out in the plans agreed with the competent medical officer. External guests were allowed to enter the company only when strictly required.

In agreement with the competent medical officer and in compliance with privacy regulations, a system for monitoring body temperature at the entrance to the offices was set up, through installation of dedicated thermal scanners. All those recognized by the competent medical officer as experiencing emotional situations were released from on-site work until the end of the state of emergency ordered by the Government.

Guidelines on entry of external suppliers

All external suppliers, before entering the premises, signed and followed the entry and parking procedures, in order to reduce the possibilities of contact with on-site personnel; likewise, the couriers and truckers were made to sign the directives for guaranteeing the respect of an at least one metre distance from the personnel inside the premises to carry out loading and unloading operations.

Cleaning and sanitization of locations

The company increased daily cleaning and scheduled regular sanitization of the spaces, common areas, equipment and workstations, more often for the workstations actually used through daily reporting by the person involved. In the event of the presence/reporting of a person with Covid-19 within company premises, a cleaning and sanitization procedure was defined according to the provisions of Circular no. 5443 of 22 February 2020 of the Ministry of Health.

At the Mondadori Group offices, where it was technically possible, recirculated air was not used; all air handling units, their respective ventilation ducts and work environments were sanitized as a preventive measure.

Personal health precautions

Information was circulated regarding all health precautions to be implemented as defined by the Ministry of Health; the company provided all personnel with suitable hand cleaning and disinfecting equipment.

Personal protective equipment

All personnel were provided on a daily basis with surgical masks at the entrance of the premises, with the obligation to wear them in all common areas, corridors, lifts, stairs and whenever it was not possible to maintain the interpersonal distance of at least 1 m; in the different premises, more than 700 plexiglass panels were installed to separate workstations and further increase the level of containment of the spread of the virus.

Management of common areas

Access to the company canteen in Segrate was restricted and limited to workstations that were set up to guarantee an interpersonal distance of at least 1 metre and after booking one’s turn through a dedicated digital app; those who wished to do so could collect a packed lunch to be eaten at their own workstation or in another isolated place.

The tables in the canteen areas were sanitized always after being used and the push buttons on the vending machines, photocopiers and lifts were cleaned daily with special detergents. Beverage dispensers in the canteen and lift buttons were replaced with touchless devices.

Company organization

Agreements with company trade union representatives were fostered, encouraging and facilitating the resort to agile working: staff were readily put in a position to carry out their activities in smart working mode using the necessary equipment. A free online psychological counseling service was set up to help those going through a state of stress or discomfort related to the specific situation experienced.

Employee entry/exit management

Different entry/exit routes were identified to limit contact; hand sanitizers were placed at all entrances and in transit areas, in addition to signage for adopting the appropriate behaviour to contain the virus.

Internal movement, meetings, internal events and training

In-person meetings, when necessary, were limited to the persons strictly required in compliance with interpersonal distancing and the rules for the use of the rooms posted at the entrance to the premises; at the end of the meetings, adequate cleaning of the premises used was guaranteed; remote connections were given priority over in-person meetings.

Safety training activities, if not available via e-learning, were conducted in the classroom with a small number of attendees and in accordance with procedures aimed at containing the virus. Scheduling of all events with public attendance was suspended.

Management of a symptomatic person in the company premises

The Mondadori Group’s corporate code of conduct, which is constantly updated as new regulations are issued by the authorities, establishes that if a person physically present in the company develops a fever and respiratory infection symptoms, he or she must immediately report it to the company’s emergency number, which runs 24 hours a day, and to the dedicated e-mail address, in order to initiate the procedure for managing a symptomatic person, defined in collaboration with the competent medical officer.

Health surveillance / competent medical officer / WSR

Health surveillance visits, after a suspension imposed by the context, were rescheduled in accordance with the provisions of the protocols. In keeping with the measures adopted to combat the spread of the Covid-19 virus, in 2020 the Mondadori Group launched a diagnostic screening program, offering employees the opportunity to perform and repeat free of charge over 2,550 serological tests, molecular swabs and antigenic swabs.

Despite the difficulties in finding doses, free flu vaccine (approximately 1300 doses) was offered to all employees and their families in November 2020. The competent medical officer also administered the pneumococcal vaccine to all those over 55 and to people with particular pathologies who requested it.

Regulatory Enforcement and Assessment Committee

On 19 March 2020, under the provisions issued by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Committee for the enforcement and assessment of the rules of the regulatory protocols was set up: the core structure of the Committee saw the participation of the members from the Committee previously set up within the company on 25 February 2020, with the trade union representatives and the workers’ safety representatives; additionally, a safety contact person was identified for each location with the task of monitoring and reporting on compliance with the rules of conduct defined in Our rules of conduct.