AcousticSheep® Response to COVID-19
AcousticSheep® Response to COVID-19
Dear valued RunPhones® customer,
In the interest of our world community's health, AcousticSheep LLC is announcing the following changes:
All office employees are working from home. (This started on March 17.)
Limit of one warehouse employee at a time, working to ship orders and process returns. Yes, you can still order from us. We are shipping orders on Mondays and Thursdays, so delivery may take a bit longer. You will still receive tracking info via email. We ship from Erie, PA, USA. Ordering from us directly (as opposed to third-party sites) supports an ethical, small, family-run business. (This started on March 17.)
Warehouse and offices are sanitized daily, following an extensive checklist and using hospital-grade sanitizer. (This started on March 10.)
All returns, incoming product shipments, and mail are held in a 3-day decontamination area before processing. (This started on March 10.) Please expect returns to take up to 7 days to process after we receive them. You'll receive an email notification when your return is processed or when a warranty exchange product is placed in the mail with tracking info.
All returns are handled wearing gloves. See Exchanges & Returns info here. (This has always been in place.)
Employees have been given 5 days of paid time off in addition to the existing 30 days in order to encourage staying at home when ill. (This happened on March 10.)
Management is committed to keeping employees physically and economically healthy.
Our customer service is still available via phone (877-838-4790), email (service@acousticsheep.com), or LiveChat (button on bottom right of page) Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm EDT.
These changes are in place until further notice.
What Do We Know About the Coronavirus?
Our founder and CEO, Dr. Wei-Shin Lai, has been following the situation closely since January. She has been a business community thought leader in this outbreak, featured as a medical expert on podcasts, radio interviews, webinars, and discussion groups. Her qualifications are as follows:
Provided patient care for 10 years as a board-certified family doctor
Offered job as an Epidemic Intelligence Officer at the CDC
Graduated from the University of Virginia Medical School
Graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Cellular Molecular Biology
2016 Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year in PA (SBA) as well as other entrepreneur and product awards
Dr. Lai's Coronavirus posts:
-Coronavirus Predictions and Business Impact: How Fast It Will Spread, Creating a Business Continuity Plan, and What You Should Stock Up On Written February 28, 2020, updated March 14, 2020.
-Doctor and Business Owner Answers Questions About Coronavirus: What You Should Do to Prepare
-Updates on the Coronavirus Pandemic Most Recent
Graceful etiquette while exercising social responsibility
Set boundaries and take your mind off of the virus (1). Boundaries around coronavirus can sound like:
"I am choosing to stay at home and limit my physical contact with people."
"I understand you are trying to be helpful with your suggestions, but I just need space to experience my emotions."
"If you are not feeling well, please don't come over."
"I appreciate how informed you are, but I don't want to receive links to articles and media coverage."
"I am currently not shaking hands, but we can air-five!"
"I don't want to talk about the coronavirus right now."
"I respect your opinion on this situation, but I am allowing myself to come to my own conclusion."
Tips for Working from Home
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Don't work in the same room or area of your house that you sleep. Set aside a place to get into work mode.
Maintain your usual morning and evening routines.
Take breaks.
Sunlight is your friend. Try to work by a window.
Get fresh air. Now more than ever it's important to get outside and go for a 10 minute walk or bike ride.
Maintain work-life balance. When it's time to shut down, don't look at work emails or messages even though they are easily accessible.
Google has shared helpful information about working from home now that this is the status of most workers. Here are some of our favorites: