Over the last month or so we have been watching the world news and observed the actions other countries have been taking to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The actions by our state and federal governments show a very strong need for us to control the spread of the virus within our communities and the country.

The AGA Group is a small business yet an essential part of our nation’s economy, so we will always strive to remain open for business. We have taken aggressive steps to ensure that all of our internal employees and [temps and long term contractors] are paid on time and that we are able to respond promptly to our customers’ needs.

Like all Americans, we did not anticipate the full extent of state and federal government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, but several weeks ago we began to fine-tune a strong contingency plan at The AGA Group with our business partners to ensure that our services continue to the fullest extent through this period of time.

First, to protect our employees and job candidates that come to our office, we have implemented virtual interviews to eliminate the need for personal contact. These video sessions allow our recruiters to interview top candidates in a timely manner. We have partnered with Validity Screening Solutions to provide our background checks and candidate drug screens. If our clients choose to interview candidates before making a hiring decision we have the technology in place to coordinate video conference interviews. In the areas of paperwork reduction, all of our hiring documents are electronic and the candidates will use docusign in lieu of having to sign paper. And finally, as a professional employer organization, we provide our temp employees and contractors major medical and dental insurance coverage. Please know that we also provide workers comp, liability insurance, and unemployment insurance coverage for all of our employees.

The AGA Group will continue to follow CDC guidelines and the mandates put in place by our local and federal government leaders. We are committed to protecting our employees and assisting them in securing employment opportunities that allow them to utilize those skills that are in great demand during this pandemic. We strongly believe Workers First in any legislation that is pending in Washington.

While the severity or duration of what our nation is going to face over the coming weeks is unknown, we do know that we first need to slow the spread of contamination and follow health department guidelines. By uniting our strength and resolve we know that by working together we will get through this.

Greg Ikner