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24-hour emergency response for staff

Recognising the need to empower and protect all its staff, the FirstRand Group has partnered with PanicGuard to create a 24-hour emergency response programme for employees anywhere in South Africa.

Together they have implemented an app-based platform which allows the employees to simply push a button or shake their phone to immediately dispatch the nearest response vehicle to their exact location. With a network of over 100 independent security companies and over 1 300 vehicles, help is never far away.

As most incidents which put their staff at risk take place outside of the traditional workplace, the company saw the need to secure their employees, regardless of where they are.

This move has not only allowed them to offer the staff greater peace of mind, but with an increasingly mobile and remote workforce, also equip them for the future as the banking sector moves into greater digital transformation. This is a clear indication of what needs to be implemented across organisations to stay at the forefront of changing business conditions.

“Rolling out this technology drives employee satisfaction and safety, which are all key to our ongoing success,” said Shirene Ruscoe, FirstRand Travel Risk.

Feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly in instances where the app has been required in real emergencies. Within days of the launch, Khumo Modise had this to say: “You guys are truly remarkable. I still don’t know how my family and I would have survived that evening without your assistance.”

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