T-Mobile’s involvement in the COVID era

In order to communicate with employees better, we launched a special website with all information about COVID — employees can find there, among other things, presentations of safety rules and tips on working in the new reality. We have also launched a special COVID HR Helpline for employees, the purpose of which is to respond to questions about the new situation, clarify doubts about the rules in force and regulations implemented by the government.

Therefore, we made it possible for our employees to borrow the company’s office equipment (such as chairs, monitors, etc.) to take it home. We also equipped employees with additional accessories, such as headphones. We removed broadband limits to make work over the internet easier. We improved our remote work tools, e.g., MS Teams. In addition, employees’ laptops had a new RAM upgrade in order to improve remote working. Furthermore, special parcels containing sanitizers, protective equipment and a set of healthy products were sent to the private addresses of employees working remotely.

In order to ensure safe working conditions for employees in our stores, who were most exposed to customer contacts and the risk of becoming infected with the virus, we constructed special desk barriers. At the same time, we provided all sales network employees with protective equipment, such as masks or sanitizer liquids. In order to limit contact with customer service staff, we offered the users of our network to contact the customer service via remote communication channels.

T-Mobile has also become a partner of Poland Emergency Medical Team PCPM operating at the Polish Center for International Aid under the aegis of the WHO. During the pandemic, the organisation, among its other activities, supported the medical professionals in Lombardy and Kyrgyzstan and, having gained valuable experience in the fight against the threat there, shared the experience with physicians in Poland and provided hospitals with its stockpile of protective equipment and sanitizers, disposable garments, gloves and hospital field tents.

The #READYTOHELP campaign was addressed to the elderly, whose health and lives are at particular risk during the epidemic. T‑Mobile Polska has set up a special helpline for seniors over 65 years of age who can call and get support, for example, use a helpline (telefonpogadania.pl service, prepared by the ‘Open Ideas’ (Otwarte Idee) Foundation together with T‑Mobile Polska), arrange for the preparation and supply of food and medications, get hot meals or technological assistance (operating a computer, finding the most important information on the internet, handled by T‑Mobile employees).

Especially for seniors who stay at their homes and cannot contact their relatives, T-Mobile has set up a free-of-charge ‘Have a Chat Helpline’ (Telefon Pogadania). The helpline was created as a result of collaboration with the ‘Open Ideas’ Foundation. Several hundred volunteers were involved in the campaign, including several dozen volunteers who encourage the elderly to stay at home and support them by talking to them. A free-of-charge helpline for seniors is available at: 800 012 005. Calls are answered by a group of volunteers between 3pm and 8pm, but the availability will increase as the initiative develops. The Foundation attaches great importance to making sure that the volunteers are well-prepared to hold the talks, and to developing sensitivity to the needs of the elderly.

• As part of our joint project with the Microsoft brand, we have made free-of-charge Office 365 and Microsoft Teams services available to students and teachers.
• T-Mobile, together with the Ściernisko Foundation, have donated 20 tablets to two children’s homes: one in Lubsko and one in Kożuchów. We have thus joined the #NotebookChallenge. It is an initiative created by the Ściernisko Foundation and Robert Motyka, a well-known actor of the Polish Paranienormalni comedy group. This is a response to major equipment gaps at children’s homes and child care centres in Poland which, during the pandemic, must provide means of remote education to children under their care.
• Teachers could expect cybersecurity training courses. Together with the Digital University Foundation, we have prepared BNET educational project. In 2020, 11 free-of-charge online cybersecurity training courses took place, and they were attended by a total of more than 300 pedagogues.
• Bachelor, Master and PhD programme students could use e-learning platforms owned by 32 universities in Poland without using up the data in their packs.Since 1 April, university e-learning platforms could be used without consuming the data provided under data packs of T‑Mobile customers.

As part of our cooperation with the ‘Dr Clown’ Foundation, we have donated more than 50 tablets which went to 40 hospitals and rehabilitation centres throughout Poland. There, they serve as means for carrying out the Foundation’s usual activities in a remote setting. The equipment donated will be used to operate a ‘Laugh Phone’ (Śmiechofon), which will be used by children to quickly and conveniently call Clown Doctors and schedule a virtual appointment full of smiles. The tablets also contain educational materials, including a video series: ‘Virtual Institute of Good Fun’ (Wirtualny Instytut Dobrej Zabawy), the aim of which is to help children have a nice time while staying in hospital.

In May, we launched a website where T-Mobile started publishing information and analyses on trends relating to the use of telecommunications services in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The data, that were developed in an accessible way, are to serve as a reliable source of knowledge for anyone searching for information about the accelerated digital evolution happening in front of our eyes. On the portal, visitors will find content such as interactive graphs showing data in the context of the consumption of digital and telecommunications services. The project website can be visited at covid19.t-mobile.pl.