NN responded swiftly to the Covid-19 outbreak with the aim to help ensure the well-being of our colleagues, customers, business partners, and society at large. We were able to do so given our strong starting position. The pandemic has tested our resilience towards business disruption. While some of our businesses were confronted with operational issues in the first two weeks, most of our businesses continued as usual using remote working and digital channels. This required a focus on clear and speedy communications, and considerable adjustments to the IT infrastructure. Employees were given the opportunity to receive facilities such as laptops, monitors, office chairs, etc., to make it possible to work from home adequately.
These activities were coordinated by the central NN Corona Coordination Team (CCT), which was installed to monitor developments, to advise the Management Board, and to support a safe and smooth transformation process. The vast majority of our employees have worked from home since the start of the pandemic. Only a limited number of staff worked in offices, as some activities needed to be done at NN premises for legal or logistic reasons. Also, employees dealing with specific personal circumstances were allowed to work in the office under strict conditions.
At the same time, the company focused on helping our customers, agents and business partners, and supporting the broader community. In several countries, such as the Czech Republic, we designed a digital sales and client signature process, enabling our sales force to remotely serve customers. Overall, sales processes have moved almost entirely online and we can serve our customers fully digitally.
In this process, we have changed the terms of many of our products to support customers in financial distress. For example, providing extra cover for restaurants that started delivery services and for the hospitality industry. Also, in the Netherlands, we have provided mortgage and consumer loan payment breaks to customers that experience financial difficulties. In Japan, we extended the moratorium period of premium payment for SMEs.
NN also supports the communities in which we operate. For example, by helping our local charitable partner organisations, or by providing laptops to children that do not have the necessary equipment for remote education. In Romania, we donated funds for ventilators and breathing monitors, vital for treating critically ill patients affected by Covid-19, and in Spain, we offered free protection to healthcare professionals against Covid-19. A full list of initiatives can be found on the following pages:
