In accordance with the Government of Ontario’s provincial lockdown mandate, Util-Assist closed its Newmarket office effective December 26, 2020. Our employees have returned to a full-time schedule of working remotely to help minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus and safeguard the health of our staff, clients, and partners.

Using innovative tools and effective communication to empower our remote workforce

Util-Assist, in keeping with its digital innovation vision, has adopted the sorts of secure, integrated, and distributed technologies we recommend to our clients. Our PowerAssist and SecureAssist teams, for example, have all the technology they need to continue to work around the clock to manage utility outages and to monitor substation security. Our professional services team has proven successful at using remote collaboration tools to engage stakeholders across a utility to make critical decisions.

We continue to closely monitor our professional services projects and managed services engagements to ensure we meet customer deliverables and achieve KPIs.

A recent pulse survey confirmed that Util-Assist employees have the tools they need to be effective in their roles and revealed that our leaders are keeping their teams up to speed on changes within our organization and motivating them to succeed. Finally, virtual company-wide events like town halls, online lunch gatherings, and our holiday party have gone a long way to enhancing employee engagement.

The road ahead for Util-Assist during the pandemic and beyond

The latest lockdown mandate from the Ontario government is scheduled to last until late January in southern and central Ontario. If the lockdown is prolonged, Util-Assist has the systems and processes in place to continue to minimize service disruption. Once our employees are able to return to our office on a part-time or full-time basis, they will benefit from the many ways we retrofitted our building with sensors and safety standards to keep everyone safe and healthy.

We encourage our customers and partners to contact us about any questions or concerns they have on Util-Assist’s response to COVID-19 mandates and conditions. The health and well-being of our employees and the community around us is a top priority for our company now and going forward. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to our office when it is safe to do so.

For more information about news, regulations, and best practices related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, please visit the Government of Ontario’s website at:

https://covid-19.ontario.ca/