COVID-19 Planning: GHG Reporting Update

An Update from the EPA

Mike

Mike Lee
March 23, 2020

The last week of March tends to be one of the busiest weeks of the year at Huco. Our consultants who work in our Greenhouse Gas Reporting Practice tend to find themselves swamped preparing reports for our clients. With the COVID-19 Crisis impacting most aspects of life, we reached out to the EPA to understand what affects this pandemic would have on reporting this year. We have copied their response below in case you have not heard this information yet:

“On March 13, 2020, President Trump proclaimed that the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States constitutes a national emergency. This outbreak has caused widespread disruptions as communities implement protective public health measures.

Due to this situation, facilities may encounter difficulties that prevent them from submitting their Annual GHG reports for reporting year 2019 by the March 31, 2020 deadline. The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program would like to inform these facilities that the e-GGRT system will remain open past this deadline for all first-time submissions and resubmissions.”

If you have any questions, need tips on working remote or even just need someone to talk to during this difficult time, please don’t hesitate to reach out. In addition, the EPA helpline is still open, and can be reached at GHGReporting@epa.gov. We understand that this situation is difficult for everyone and are always here to help!

Update (03/26/2020): Discretionary Enforcement

“The EPA does not expect to seek penalties for noncompliance with routine monitoring and reporting obligations that are the result of the COVID-19 pandemic” as long as companies “document decisions made to prevent or mitigate noncompliance and demonstrate how the noncompliance was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Visit the EPA press release for full details. 

Subscribe

Follow Us on LinkedIn!

Linkedin-in

Quick tips for productive telecommuting

Mike

Mike Lee
March 18, 2020

Are you new to working remote?

Review our top 7 suggestions for staying productive while working from your home office

You likely know that a unique aspect of our business is that we have been an entirely remote workforce since inception (2008). Huco consultants are spread across all US time zones, and even other continents.

Many Huco consultants have found that working from home is initially more challenging than working in an established office environment. We understand that this transition is even more complicated due to the unique circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 crisis.

Several of our customers have asked about our best practice tips for moving to an entirely remote workforce, so our consultant team compiled the following list of tips to stay productive while working from home:

Kate

Kate Crandell Consultant

Keep a normal routine

“I feel that it is important to treat working from home with the same importance as working in a traditional office. My suggestion is to keep a normal routine just as if you were heading in to a corporate workplace. 

Set a schedule just as if you were commuting. It should include start/stop times as well as when you plan to take a break or eat lunch. On a daily basis, wake up, have breakfast, dress, etc. just as you normally would so you are ready to crush the workday when you log in first thing in the morning!”

Mike

Mike Lee Marketing

Use a work plan

“I find that carefully planning my work week is essential to working from home. I use an Excel spreadsheet to manage my workload. I update it as I complete tasks, then every Friday afternoon I spend 30 minutes reviewing my calendar and planning the next week. During this process I also make a point to review my email history from the past week in order to make sure small requests don’t fall through the cracks. By preparing on Friday, I’m able to hit the ground running Monday.”

Katherine

Katherine Horn Sr. Consultant

Create an ergonomic workspace

“Be as ergonomic as possible – sit at a desk (or table – avoid the couch!). If possible, use a separate mouse and keyboard. Try to replicate the setup you’d have at your real office to avoid aches and pain from working in a bad position such as hunching over your laptop.” 

WFH1
WFH1_2
Sameer

Sameer Vyas Co-Founder

Use technology to your advantage

“The use of noise cancelling headphones with or without music is helpful to drown out distractions in and around the house. They are also useful both around the office, and especially on flights!

If you don’t already have a pair and are thinking of investing, over-ear headphones are the best at blocking out background noises and tend to work better than the in-ear varieties.”

Alice

Alice Harman Sr. Consultant

Stay Connected

“While you may not be able to poke your head out of your office and shout down the hallway if you have a question, there are a variety of digital tools that can keep you connected. At Huco, we use Microsoft Teams on a daily basis for meetings, ad-hoc calls and even to give kudos or share non-work related updates. Non-verbal communication is extremely important as well, so our best practice is to use video when possible. 

Your organization may have other tools such as Skype, GoToMeeting or Zoom, but if not, you can also use your own platform such as FaceTime or Hangouts to stay connected with co-workers that you will not see in person for a few weeks!”

Meredith

Meredith Boyer
Sr. Consultant

Communicate expectations

“When my kids were younger but still somewhat independent, I put a sign on my door that literally said “Unless you are hurt and/or bleeding or someone/something else is, do not come in until this time (time).” That’s kind of a joke but it worked. It’s sooooo hard to work with younger kids at home, but older kids or other relatives/ roomates (for my younger colleagues) can also be attention suckers. So communicating with your family about your expectations for work time/family time is key.”

marilva

Marilva Wedge Project Mgr.

Remember Yourself

“Schedule breaks and use one to take a walk. A quick change of scenery and some fresh air may give you the inspiration you need to finish filling in that spreadsheet or writing that report! 

Non-work hours are just as important! Something I struggle with is constantly feeling the need to reply same day. With co-workers working on the west coast, this can become dangerous because before you know it, you’ve ended up working past dinner time! One thing I’ve implemented is to turn off notification for my email on my phone in the evening. This keeps me focused on decompressing in the off hours so I am fresh and ready to go each day!”

To Recap

  • Stick to a routine. Going through the motions in the morning is a good way to get in the zone to crush the workday!

  • Plan your work ahead of time and use your plan to track your productivity. 

  • Create an ergonomic workspace with good lighting.

  • Use technology to your advantage, noise cancelling headphones are particularly useful when working around others.  

  • Stay connected with your colleagues by using digital tools to avoid becoming “siloed.” 

  • Communicate expectations for “quiet hours” with friends or family members you share space with.

  • Remember to take care of yourself!

Follow Us on LinkedIn!

Linkedin-in

Our COVID-19 Response Plan

Mike

Mike Lee
March 11, 2020

Our COVID-19 Plan

As fear and panic of the COVID-19 outbreak spread, many of Huco’s customers and vendor partners have requested information on our emergency response plan. Huco’s management team has been closely monitoring the evolving situation in order to best respond to this issue to keep both our customers and employees safe.

Many of our customers and partners are already cutting back or eliminating non-essential travel already. As a company, we have also taken steps to limit travel, and have shifted most of our on-site design and training engagements to be supported virtually. Our business model is based on our consultant team working remotely out of our home offices for most projects. This means our team is well prepared for any outbreaks and movement limitations or restrictions. In addition, our risk of infection is lower than other businesses who work from and commute to an office (especially in mass transit).

Business continuity is built into how we work. Because our teams are effective working remote from their home offices there is no change to our day-to-day operations. Our colleagues are well versed and equipped in using online methods and tools to easily collaborate while in multiple locations. We believe EHS & business challenges are more common than unique and our organization prioritizes sharing. We are happy to meet with you to share the strategies and best practices we employ at Huco for effective collaboration while working remote.

If an infection in Huco does occur, the affected team member will self-quarantine and be given appropriate time off and support in order to heal. Due to our telecommuting business model, the potential to spread an infection among colleagues is highly unlikely and would be isolated to the location of the team member should it occur. If a full quarantine is required, we will implement steps requested by the governing party (international, federal, state, municipality or other government body) immediately and continue to support our customers w/o interruption while providing the same response and quality.

Download as PDF

Follow Us on LinkedIn!

Linkedin-in