ANTI-COVID-19 MEASURES

EMPLOYEE AND CUSTOMER PROTECTION

The Company’s sales offices in Moscow worked remotely from 30 March to 3 June 2020. All communications were conducted via phone or internet. In particular, our customers were able to purchase properties online. As a result, the share of online transactions surged over the reporting year and continues to grow in 2021.

On 3 June 2020, the Company’s sales offices in Moscow reopened for business, with extra precautions taken to protect employees and customers:

• offices are additionally furnished with recirculation systems, disinfection mats, soap and sanitisers;
• social distancing measures are implemented;
• offices undergo regular special disinfection;
• employees have their body temperature measured before the start of business;
• protective masks, gloves and goggles are available in sales offices.

Well-designed business processes allowed us to retain operational efficiency after transitioning to remote work, deliver robust annual results and exceed sales targets. We also managed to maintain strong employee relations. During the pandemic, we avoided lay-offs, preserved a full social package and offered employees additional sick leave payments.

Some employees returned to offices in late January 2021 when we ensured safe working conditions.

SAFETY AND SECURITY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES

An industry standard of sanitary and epidemiological safety on construction sites, including housing construction (jointly with BCG)

Regulatory and support measures for the recovery and development of the construction industry in Russia and Moscow (jointly with RANEPA)

Measures to improve the mechanisms and procedures for attracting foreign labour to the Russian economy and supplying the construction industry with the required workforce

INTECO initiated updates to Rospotrebnadzor’s guidelines on containing the spread of COVID-19 among the construction workforce and created an industry-wide regulation approved by Minstroy for implementation across all Russian regions. Thanks to this initiative, INTECO and other construction companies no longer have to halt construction if the epidemiological situation worsens. It also helped cut the direct costs of complying with epidemiological requirements by almost 30% and reduce the loss of productivity by сa. 70%. The updated guidelines helped minimise the number of COVID-19 outbreaks on construction sites.

Guidelines on containing the spread of COVID-19 among the construction workforce represent a joint effort of dozens of experts who specialise in construction, occupational safety, urban development regulation, healthcare and epidemiology as well as the representatives of BCG, an international consulting company. The expert group analysed global practices of managing construction processes during the pandemic and came up with a set of procedures customised for Russia.

Key measures:

• suspend access to construction sites for employees at high risk (aged 65+, with chronic diseases, etc.);
• introduce non-contact temperature measurements for those entering the construction site;
• set up areas for hand cleaning with sanitisers and provide each employee with personal protective equipment;
• create a schedule for entering and leaving the construction site to prevent congestion;
• ensure that administration offices, common areas, high-touch surfaces, shared tools and equipment are disinfected after every shift.

Thanks to these measures, the Company quickly adapted to new working conditions. On 12 May 2020, we resumed on-site construction operations.