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#WTP Staff Interviews
wethepixies · 4 years
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Welcome to part two of our interview series, pixies! Today, we’re presenting our interview with four of the flaptastic people who make this rewrite possible. They had a lot to say, so this post is rather long - keep reading to see the full interviews!
Our first two Game Creator interviews feature two of our beloved artists - Rachel and Ci.
How did you first find out about the WTP project, and what inspired you to start working as an artist?
Rachel: In a computer graphics class I took last semester, one of our projects reminded me and my friend of Pixie Hollow, so we were reminiscing about the game and I really wanted to see if there was a rewritten version of it. When I found WTP and saw they were accepting artist applications, I was super excited because I loved the game and was starting to get into animation at the time as well. I also just adore the process of game development in general, so I was thrilled to become a part of WTP.
Ci was introduced to the project by a friend who’s also a staff member!
What is your favorite part of your job as a WTP artist?
Rachel: My favorite part is being able to contribute my work to a bigger project. Seeing the art I worked on in the game is really exciting to me. Just knowing that the work you put in is helping to further the game is really cool. As for my favorite thing to work on, it’s really strange, but I enjoy creating the UI buttons and signs for different meadows or shops.They’re super small and no one really pays attention to them, but they’re also extremely necessary so I guess I just like to make them, haha. They don’t always take too long to make but I think they’re cute. Also, I’m especially excited for all the new meadows, as I really enjoy helping to restore the beautiful art for the meadows.
Check out this gorgeous sign that Rachel restored for one of our meadow teleporters!
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Ci: My favorite piece of art that I’ve created for WTP was probably a background I restored for a general winter theme/season back when I first joined. It’s not being used right now, but it’s pretty and you’ll just have to take my word for it :’)
How long does it take for you to work on art for WTP, and how do you fit that in your schedule?
Rachel: The time it takes really depends on how much of the project we have completed already. Oftentimes we’ll be working collaboratively and finish what other people have started. So if we are working on something from scratch it can take quite a while, but sometimes it’s just a matter of adding finishing touches and compiling pieces together to create a finished product. And each task takes a different amount of time. For instance, resizing something small will take a few minutes, but creating an atlas for fairy clothing can take hours, especially when you need to restore an item from scratch. Either way, I think it’s still beneficial for us to take our time to create the best product we can. Personally, I don’t always get to work everyday, but when I do, I’ll spend hours because I like to finish tasks in one sitting if I can, although I can’t always haha.  I think that working in moderation is always a good idea as long as you’re getting your work done, and knowing we have so many fans really pushes me to get tasks done and do them well. As for fitting it into my schedule, because of quarantine, I definitely have a lot more time to work on WTP, but during the school semester I would have to plan out what I needed to get done and when I needed to do it in order make sure I could get all of my school projects and WTP work done on certain days in order to avoid as much stress as possible. 
Ci: I don’t have time to work on artwork daily, but I do try to stay on top of what other people are working on, so a small chunk of my day is dedicated to discord. Sometimes I’ll be busy for weeks and do a whole bunch of tasks afterwards in one go, and sometimes I try to take on smaller things (pre-corona I’d sometimes spend time between lectures because that’s often the only time I have!). Some tasks are 5 minute jobs, like UI, but others, like adding clothing, take a few hours. Backgrounds probably take me the longest. A couple hours for a few days, if I have time to work on them daily. They’re really fun when starting!! but after day 3 it’s quite the grind. I like to sleep on those, since there’s so much detail in the PH backgrounds that I’ll inevitably miss something.
Rachel, you mentioned atlases and spritesheets - can you explain what they are and how you use them?
Rachel: An atlas and spritesheet contains all of the different variations of a clothing item or anything you can change on the fairy. So for instance, the hair atlas has all of the different types of hair you can choose when creating your fairy packed into one single file. So in order to make one you have to create all the hair pieces, position them correctly on a fairy reference, export each hair image, and then combine them all onto the atlas file. Then a json file is also created to describe where each image is in the file in order to use it in the game. The spritesheet is similar and is basically a horizontal version of the atlas with all of the images that we use in CAF to scroll through whatever you’re changing.
Do you start the graphics by hand or via some digital web design program?
Rachel: I almost always use digital programs. Sometimes I’ll plan something out quickly on paper but most of the time I’ll use Photoshop. We also use DragonBones for animation.
Ci: All of the research we do is online, so it saves a couple of steps and retains image quality to just keep everything digital. I also don’t have a scanner :’)
And finally, what’s the most challenging piece of art that you’ve made for WTP?
Rachel: The most challenging piece that I’ve done for WTP was probably the hair atlas for when a player creates a fairy because it was the first project I was taking on. All the hair was made already, I just had to resize, reposition, and fix any pieces that were lower quality, and although it was daunting at first, once I started, I was able to get the hang of it (even if it took a few tries), and now I’m super happy I learned how to do it.
Ci: We were missing a whole area of the CAF background (the part that shows up when you’re picking a name) that got passed around for one or two months, and eventually I got to work on it. It was the closest to a custom piece of art that I’ve made for WTP; the middle was a giant blur when I got to it. My motivation to complete it was honestly just being able to get it off the to-do list forever, when I was done I posted a before and after to the staff chat (which I try not to do bc it’s not really productive) because I was so excited about it :’))
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We had so much fun learning more about our artists’ jobs! Next up, we decided to sit down with WTP game developer and administrator Teresa!
How did you first find out about the WTP project, and what inspired you to start working as a developer? 
Teresa: A friend I made in the Pixie Hollow community said that her favorite mini game was Bubble Bounce, so I decided to make it for her. I had started prototyping and showing it around, and someone from WTP saw my work and invited me to join the team.
As we know, WTP is a voluntary project. How do you fit working on WTP into your schedule?
Teresa: I’m actually quite good at time management, and I’ve decided to make WTP a priority. That means that I can’t always say ‘yes’ to other things I want to do, but that’s ok.
What are some of the main things you look for when adding staff members?
Teresa: You need to be able to take criticism well and communicate effectively. A certain level of quality needs to be maintained to build a good game, and criticism sheds light on any blind spots you may have. If you aren’t communicating clearly and frequently, then your value to the team is very low – everyone needs to be on the same page so that work doesn’t get redone and wasted, and to keep an accurate development schedule. Being willing to devote more than a couple of hours a week is also a major plus.
How do you decide which parts of the game you should work on first?
Teresa: There’s this concept called the Minimum Viable Product. Basically, you just strip the project down to what is necessary and work out the kinks. Then you can add new features that enhance the gameplay.
What’s the most challenging issue you’ve faced while creating the game?
Teresa: There was a problem with the animation plugin that I was hoping would be fixed by the maintainers before the demo release. It was a really big deal, the game would be entirely unplayable. At the last minute, I had to dig into the plugins source code and figure it out myself. In the end, it wasn’t actually so difficult – but boy was it stressful. Really I would say that the biggest problems have stemmed from not having enough artists on the team! There have been multiple times where we had to delay updates because we didn’t have all of the assets ready for me to use in the game.
How do you go about fixing a game bug?
Teresa: Gather all the info I can from users experiencing the bug, and try to reproduce it. Just observing the behavior is often enough to figure out the problem. When it’s not, check the logs or step through with the debugger.
Have you ever worked on or made a game before WTP?
Teresa: I’ve worked a bit on some 3D open source game projects, never worked on the multiplayer parts before, though. I also make mods for games.
Lastly, what are your favorite and most rewarding parts of being a game developer?
Teresa: Pushing the boundaries of my knowledge and comfort zone, definitely. As a developer, I’ve learned a lot of new technologies and some new domains specifically for WTP. I also find being able to fix things that I don’t like about games very rewarding. Being an administrator has benefitted me as well. As an admin, I’ve had to cultivate skills in team leadership and project management.
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Finally, we interviewed Lavender Merryheart, our sound designer.
First off, how did you first find out about the WTP project?
Lavender: I found WTP from a Youtube video, and played the demo. I was excited to be able to re-visit PH and when I saw the audio designer application, I wanted to help out however I could!
Are you remaking the music from scratch based on any remaining audio from sources like youtube?
Lavender: Both! We salvage what we can, and re-create what’s needed if. In the future, there will be some new, original music too! When we need a sound effect or music, we first check to see if there’s a good quality clip preserved of the original. It needs to be clear and without extra background sounds. If we can’t find any, then I will dissect the sound or song and try to figure out how it was made, then recreate it.
You mentioned that you make new sounds if needed, how do you go about making them?
Lavender: New sound effects are made by piecing different recordings together, such as the audio you hear when you click the talent orbs, which was re-made from the sounds of a heavy book shutting and wind chimes. If we need to remake a song, I make a new track by re-recording each instrument’s part on a midi keyboard. Then it will be edited it in Logic Pro X, using instruments and synths from the Kontakt audio library.
What’s the part of being an audio designer that you’re most excited about?
Lavender: I’m most excited about getting to write new music for the game! I can’t reveal to you what it’s going to be used for yet, but in the process for the last WTP track I wrote, I thought about how to represent the area it will be used for and what instruments and mood would suit it the best. It was a lot of fun to try to both express my style and also give it that Pixie-Hollow-sound!
Finally, how do you fit working on WTP into your schedule?
Lavender: I keep a to-do list and project notes to help organize what needs to be done, and work on WTP between class assignments. To refrain from burning out, I try to spread out my different tasks and work on a variety of things.
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After we learned about what goes on behind the scenes on WTP, we wanted to learn a little bit about some future plans and hopes the staff have for the game. 
Art wise, what sorts of things will be designed from scratch in the future?
Rachel: Although we still have a long way to go before creating our own work as we have to replicate what was in the original game first, I believe that new clothing and hair might be designed from scratch in the future.
Ci: Right now, we’re still committed to restoring the game in its original form–this means that we try not to design anything from scratch. We’ve discussed the possibility of custom content in the future (items + clothing, pets, meadows, maybe even minigames?), and when the time comes, all of that will be built from scratch. That said, pertaining to the look and feel of the original pixie hollow will be a priority for those updates too.
What game feature from Pixie Hollow are you most excited to have?
Teresa: Personally, I am excited for the skill system and wilderness! We have some new ideas to try out, but I don’t want to spoil anything.
Do you plan to have seasonal differences and events, as well as competitions and activities?
Teresa: Yep! Can’t wait! We are already featuring player’s outfits in the shop catalogue, so that’s sort of a mini fashion spotlight, but there’s definitely more exciting things to come. Fashion spotlight was one of the most beloved competitions/events in the original Pixie Hollow!
In the future, will the game be available for mobile and/or consoles?
Teresa: You can already play WTP on mobile! At some point we will have options that allow the game to run smoother on mobile devices. Console versions won’t be a thing, though.
Is there anything that was in the original Pixie Hollow that you’d like to change in WTP?
Lavender: I would change the whisper noise it made when you got a message, it got a bit annoying. And it would be really neat if you could choose from a few different songs to have played in your fairy’s home depending on your mood! I had the ice themed house and have heard the music a few too many times!
Teresa: There are things I want to tweak, and fully plan to! We have already added a couple of small new things, such as the second sitting pose and featuring real player’s outfits in the shop catalogue. I hope everyone enjoys them!
The last thing we wanted to talk about is the staff’s personal feelings about WTP and about their jobs, as well as ask them about their inspiration.
Is there anything new that working on WTP has teached you?
Rachel: As an artist here I am definitely learning new technical skills and developing as an artist in general. Some examples of art skills I’ve been able to develop include creating atlases and spritesheets for fairy clothing and hair, getting familiar with DragonBones as I’d never used it for animation, and just gaining more experience in Photoshop. And I basically just learned all these things by trying them out and asking questions if I needed help.
Lavender: Through WTP I’ve learned more about creating sound effects, because when remaking the old sounds for WTP, I really have to think about what each one is made out of (for example, the pouch sound was re-created using a paper bag rustling, leaves crunching, and a bell synth).
How do you feel about the community growing so much in a short amount of time?
Teresa: I really didn’t expect it, and it has been a bit stressful, but I hope we are handling it well. I would never have imagined that a TikTok would be the reason either! Having more eyes on us makes me feel restless. We had to adapt the discord server to keep it safe and make information more accessible to new members.
What do you remember about Pixie Hollow? And did it change your life in any way?
Lavender: I joined right at the beginning, and loved how it really felt like you were stepping into a different, magical world. My favorite thing to do was decorating and creating/collecting items for my house, as well as the minigames and item crafting/ baking, I’m most excited to see these features again! Also, a good memory from the game I have is going to the summer pool party in the ballroom, and playing games in the tearoom with friends! The music in Pixie Hollow was one of my earliest inspirations for pursuing a career in film/game scoring. Currently I am studying for a degree in film/game scoring! I’m obsessed with fantasy games, nature, fairy tales, magic, and mythology, and I write music to try and illustrate the stories and have the listener feel like they’re visiting the scene. You can hear some of my original music on Spotify under the name June Westfield!
Rachel: I was so young that I have trouble remembering everything. I do remember sometimes getting on the phone with my friends and talking as we played together and explored meadows, which was really fun. I also really enjoyed completing tasks and playing the minigames. I have no idea why that was so fun to me, but I just liked getting achievements and beating my scores.  
Do you feel like some people may have unrealistic expectations for WTP? And do you think it can ever be as big as Pixie Hollow was?
Teresa: Yes, but I can’t blame them. So far I am the only developer to have actually worked on this game, so it’s a lot of pressure, but of course the players can’t know that. For some reason the things that everyone thinks will be the easiest to code are always the more difficult ones, funnily enough. For example, a flying mechanic like the original game is sort of complex, whereas adding new meadows is extremely simple. Do I think WTP will ever be as big as PH? Definitely not. Pixie Hollow had millions of players, Disney advertised it, and it had a full development team behind it. A lot of the original players will have moved on. I’m actually surprised that so many people have found us already!
Are there any artists that you look up to or are inspired by?
Rachel: I don’t have anyone specific in mind who I look up to, but I do watch a lot of cartoons and really admire animation and all of the work that goes into it. I get really inspired seeing different animated works and am super impressed by the entire process of it.
Ci: I used to actively make art outside of WTP and definitely had a whole list of people whose styles I looked up to, but now that I’ve moved away from that I mostly remember individual pieces. I had to dig some up for this question! loish, gawki, and Hethe Srodawa, are a few.
Lavender: Some composers that inspire me are Enya, Faun, Loreena McKennitt, and Secret Garden. They are all fantasy/new age genre artists that create enchanting music!
The WTP community is a great place to make friends! Is there a person in the staff that you’ve formed a strong friendship with?
Rachel: I’ve definitely become a lot closer with many of the staff members, whether it be looking up to certain people like our team leads, chatting with the other artists in DMs and helping each other out, or just having fun conversations with all the other staff members and sharing funny stories and pictures.
Teresa: Asteria is probably the best friend I’ve made at WTP, as we have talked the most. I have also met Kass in real life – she’s the sweetest! I love everyone on our team.
(Kass is one of our moderators - we’ll hear from her in the final interview post!)
And finally, What does working on a game that’s so loved by people mean to you?
Teresa:  It is so heartwarming to be a part of something that brings people joy and makes them nostalgic. Pixie Hollow’s fan base can make me a bit anxious at times. Sometimes a group of players will want one thing, and then another group wants the exact opposite and it can be hard to make a choice. There’s a lot of pressure in trying to stay true to the original game’s vision while also being fresh, but it drives me to deliver the best work I can. I put a lot of time into WTP, and have actually burnt out a few times already. Luckily, I love building things so much that it never lasts long.
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Next up in our interview series - our social media team and server moderators! Stay tuned to hear their answers to some of your questions.
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silagroup · 3 years
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Resuming Operations After The Lockdown for Offices
TYPE OF FACILITY
Office, Commercial Building, Commercial Campus, Retail Store
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this statement is to lay down the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be followed to resume operations post the Lockdown period.
PROCEDURE
Preparing the Facility before the reopening-
1) The Facility Management team must be informed 5 days prior to the opening.
2) 3 days prior to opening it is recommended that a deep sanitization cleaning is done.
3) 1 Day prior to the opening the entire Facility, a ULV Antivirus Fumigation using an FDA/EPA approved Anit-Viral chemical should be done.
4) The Frequently used surfaces including your washrooms, workspaces, lifts, door handles, railings, and other areas such as cafeterias and pantry will be sanitized and disinfected.
5) An adequate number of Digital Thermometers, PPEs, Sanitizers, Disinfectants must be procured prior to the opening. SILA can provide support with the procurement of the above-mentioned items.
6) An email must be sent out to all Employees working at the Facility to not report to work in case of any symptoms of the Flu. Employees residing in government declared Covid-19 hot-spots should not be allowed to resume work.
7) Advise Pregnant employees if any to continue to work from home.
8) A quarantined emergency room must be demarcated prior to opening in case any employee is found to have symptoms of the Flu.
9) All employees must be informed to report to work in masks and preferably gloves. In case the employees require masks or gloves to be procured by the company they must inform the company in advance.
10) Facilities must try and operate with a minimal no. of staff/occupants for the first month post the lockdown, and gradually increase the occupancy level over time.
11) Checking of all common critical amenities like lifts, DG, HVAC, UPS, RO Systems (or water dispensers) and Hydrant systems and Jockey pumps including filters and chiller water levels and refill the fresh water for proper functionality due to long time shutdown.
12) HVAC Systems – Cleaning the exhaust and air filtering systems before restarting operations thoroughly.
13) A quarantine/emergency room must be demarcated prior to opening in case any employee is found to have symptoms of the Flu.
14) Arrangements for additional transport vehicles to be made in advance. Physical distancing is to be maintained in each vehicle.
15) Admin/Facilities Teams must have medical teams on standby, be in touch with the relevant government authorities.
16) Staff must be requested to carry their own water bottles from home to prevent mass gatherings in the pantry once the facility re-opens.
General Guidelines to be Followed After Reopening the Office –
1) All the employees and service partners will need to submit a self-declaration about not showing symptoms of COVID-19 before resuming work. The declaration should also include their family members’ health status and any travel history or contact with an infected patient in the past 14 days.
2) Employees residing in government declared COVID-19 hot-spots should not be allowed to resume work.
3) Ensure sanitizers are available at most important and frequented areas of the office. All employees to sanitize their hands at the security desk. Insist on personal hygiene of all employees and mandate the use of sanitizers every now and then.
4) Any activities involving a gathering of people to be avoided and the same to be conducted via electronic media – Follow Social Distancing.
5) If any employee is found coughing, breathless, sneezing they must be immediately reported and shifted to the Quarantine Emergency room, and the Admin/HR must relieve them from the site and ensure the relevant government authorities or hospitals are informed of the same. The employee will not be allowed to reenter the premises until a valid medical report is furnished proving they are COVID Negative.
6) Employees above the age of 50 should be asked to continue to work from home.
7) Office shifts should have a minimum of a one-hour gap between each shift.
8) Mandating the use of hand sanitizers and wearing masks and gloves until normalcy resumes.
9) Advise Pregnant employees, if any, to continue to work from home.
10) Greet people our traditional way (Namaste) rather than shaking your hands with each other.
11) Continuation of training and awareness regarding precautions to be taken on a day to day basis.
12) Under the present circumstances, it is advisable to keep up to date with local rules regarding the control of the epidemic, closely communicate with relevant officials responsible for guiding businesses as they resume work.
Entry and Travel Guidelines
1) Transport vehicles to be sanitization by the transport vendor daily.
2) All employee transport services to be re-evaluated. Policies for employee pick-up/drop & bus services to be amended to keep social distance measures in place.
3) Employee transportation vendors must ensure all employees temperatures are checked prior to allowing entry into the vehicle (drivers included). The recommended range is 97.7 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. In case a person falls outside this range, he/she must not be allowed to enter the vehicle.
4) Seating charts of the seating arrangement must be displayed in the vehicle to ensure physical distancing.
5) All employees must sanitize themselves before entering the facility and be screened for body temperature using an infra-red thermometer. The recommended range is 97.7 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. In case a person falls outside this range, he/she must not be allowed to enter the premises.
6) Visitors, Guests, including candidates being called in for interviews must only be allowed into the premises with prior approval from the HR/Admin team/COVID Committee. They will have to follow the necessary protocol as mentioned above.
7) Biometric Access Control Systems & Attendance monitors must be disabled until further notice in order to reduce the spread of any infections that can be caused by touching a common surface (in this case, with the finger).
Cafeteria and Pantry Guidelines
1) Lunch and tea breaks should be extended to ensure that a minimum number of employees gather at the cafeterias at the same time keeping in mind social distancing. Cafeteria entry to be reduced to 50% of its total capacity.
2) Food & Beverage (F&B) Vendors to bring packed food to the facility until further notice. Cooking at the facility should not be permitted.
3) The F&B vendor’s employees must always be wearing all PPEs and following entry & exit protocol daily.
4) All employees must be asked to carry their own water bottles from home.
5) The pantry should remain closed, only water dispenser shall be made operational.
6) Mugs and glasses should be kept apart, and washed thoroughly immediately after each use.
Workplace guidelines
1) The office workspaces must be spread out as far as possible, or employees should be required to leave a desk space between each other since the facility will be operating at a lower occupancy level.
2) Operate fresh air fans for 2 hours before & after office hours, and operate of exhausts, pressurization, and ventilation fans as much as possible.
3) Designated Smoking areas will remain open, however, the entry to the areas must be restricted to ensure adequate social distancing.
4) Keep all the non-essential doors open permanently so that touching of surfaces can be minimized.
5) To avoid hard copies of files and paper being passed around at the office, all staff must be requested to correspond with one another and maintain records via emails.
6) All mailroom packages must be sanitized upon arrival and then left unattended for a minimum of 1 day before being picked up and delivered. Employees must ensure social distancing when receiving any packages from the mailroom.
Facility Management Guidelines
1) Increased frequency of cleaning of all high touch areas, using approved sanitization chemicals. Make the cleaning process visible to people occupying the office. This will give them comfort.
2) Anti-Viral fumigation treatments must be carried out (recommended weekly).
3) Create a separate area/bin to deposit used masks & gloves.
4) If you have a video display screens, create awareness about the COVID-19 and safety measures associated with it by displaying the necessary content (SILA can help with this if needed).
5) Lifts to be used at less than half their capacity to avoid crowding.
6) It is recommended to avoid Air Conditioning systems, however, if the AC is to be used, windows and doors should be left open.
7) A relative humidity level of 40% to 70% must be maintained to prevent the spread of pathogens.
8) It is advisable to provide MERV 13 or higher filters fitted into the AC Handling units.
9) All washable AC filters must be cleaned with 5% Cresol solution mixed with Water, or 1% sodium Hypochlorite solution.
10) If AC ducting systems are present, they must first be run on fan mode for a minimum of two hours with all doors and windows left open, and the filters must be cleaned before switching to Normal mode.
11) Toilets should be flushed and lids closed after anyone uses them.
12) In STP/WTP plants, the biocide treatment must be increased and tested with less than 25CFU/v.
13) Aerosol generation from any water source such as the STP shall be avoided. Face fit-tested elastomeric half-face respirator shall be used.
Procedure if an Occupant is diagnosed with COVID-19 after the Re-opening of a Facility –
1) The concerned occupant or Employee must inform the Admin/HR/COVID Committee of this his/her symptoms and test results immediately.
2) The Admin/HR/COVID Committee must inform the relevant authorities -the Government, SEZ, tech park, Industrial Park.  
3) The premises must be quarantined and kept closed with immediate effect.
4) All building occupants who have visited the premises over the past 14 days must be screened for COVID-19 symptoms, to check for the spread of cases within the office.
5) The facility must undergo a deep sanitization cleaning and fumigation, as mentioned in the pre-opening process mentioned above.
6) The facility must be opened for use only after getting a clearance from the relevant governmental & private authorities.
7) Transport vehicles used by the infected occupant must be sanitized and quarantined by the transport vendor. All drivers and personnel accompanying or travelling with the infected occupant must undergo a COVID-19 medical test as well.
Sila looks after Mumbai redevelopment with its South-Mumbai project and excels in real estate due diligence for its clients. SILA currently manages over 65 million square feet of Real Estate Assets across Commercial, Industrial, Retail, Hospitality and Residential sectors. For more information visit https://silagroup.co.in/
Read more at https://silagroup.co.in/blog/resuming-operations-after-the-lockdown-sop
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wethepixies · 4 years
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Hello, Pixies!
A while ago, in celebration of reaching so many members in the WTP community, the WTP Hype Squad started planning an interview with the staff members so that you all can learn more about the amazing team working on bringing back the magical world of Pixie Hollow!
When starting to plan our questions, we decided the best thing would be to have you, the WTP community, to submit any questions you would like to see our staff answer.
After collecting your questions and picking our favorites, we were finally ready to start conducting the interviews! Keep reading below the cut for the first two interviews.
Nora was a member of WTP's founding staff; she worked as a Discord and social media manager until 2020. Even after leaving in 2020 due to school pressure, she's still just as passionate about WTP and is an active member of the community.
How did We The Pixies come to be and how did it reach what it is today?
Nora: We The Pixies was started mid 2017. Two weeks after it was founded, I was asked to join. It started then to be what it is now, a Pixie Hollow rewrite that's forever free, family friendly, and fair to the players. At the beginning, development was a bit slow because we had no staff and no idea how to coordinate. We started by picking a physics engine. In the end, we chose one that was simple and easy to use.
We messed around with a lot of ideas back then (and we still do). How would we interact with the players and receive feedback? How would we host the server? We were teenagers. We didn't know what we were doing. I remember doing hours of research about this stuff only to come up empty handed. We were all new to this and worried we couldn't pull this off.
Then, in 2018 we switched developers. It turned out that our current physics engine wasn't suited for our goals, so we switched to Phaser 3. All of our progress was reset, but it was being rebuilt on a more stable engine. It was a lot of work and it worried everyone, but the game ended up better because of it.
It started off as friends reaching out to friends. Earlier the same year, however, we switched from asking friends for assistance to more formal staff applications.
In 2019, we released the first demo. It was our goal, once we'd done that, to open up a public discord server. I spent a few hours researching and configuring bots, and a few more sorting out roles and channels on the server. This brings us to where we are now, in 2020. I stepped down because of the pressures of school, but I still wholeheartedly support We The Pixies. I'm excited to see what the rest of 2020 will bring to the table for WTP.
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Asteria has been on staff for the longest time out of all current staff members. She started off as a moderator and is currently an administrator for WTP. She’s also a part of WTP’s social media team. Like everyone on WTP staff, Asteria is an unpaid volunteer.
What are some of your favorite memories from Pixie Hollow?
Asteria: When I was younger, I’d pretty much run home from school every day and play until I was forced off the family computer. Since I used to play with my siblings, Pixie Hollow was a huge part of me growing up and spending time with both my friends and family. It also opened the doors to the possibilities of forming close-knit online communities, which is something I didn’t originally think was possible. That being said, my best memories of the game all involve hanging out with my friends and hosting the legendary dare parties Pixie Hollow was known for! While I loved almost every single aspect of the original game (decorating, dressing up, playing mini-games), I’d have to say that the sense of community I shared with my friends was my favorite part of the Pixie Hollow experience.
What game feature from Pixie Hollow are you most excited to see again?
Asteria: Hmm, if I’d have to pick one, it would probably be decorating. I used to spend hours on end perfecting my fairy home (dyeable panels and mermaid fountains for the win!). Luckily, the demo has already teased what’s in store for decorating, so I’m really happy with WTP’s progress!
At the beginning of WTP, what inspired you to start working as a moderator?
Asteria: Originally, I joined the team back in 2017 as a moderator after being invited by the then-founders. Since the project was barely off the ground, I mostly joined as a way to continue socializing with a group of my friends. However, when WTP started to take off back in 2018, I was really inspired by the hard work and dedication of the team, which motivated me to continue my work as a moderator and eventually become an administrator in 2020. WTP has really helped me grow in terms of communicating with others and working within an ever-growing team.
What are some of the main things you look for when adding staff members? (As an administrator, a part of Asteria’s job is recruiting new staff members.)
Asteria: I’m usually very involved in the application/interview process, so when scouting for staff  members (especially moderators), I pay close attention to Discord activity, possible infractions, availability, and responsiveness/communication skills. However, our requirements for staff positions tend to change depending on the applicant’s potential role, though I think the application is pretty straightforward in terms of what we’re looking for. At the end of the day, skill and the ability to work well within a team are the most important.
How do you use social media to grow the community?
Asteria: For social media, I usually try to respond to players’ DMs (on Discord, Facebook, and Instagram) and keep players updated on WTP’s progress. However, much of the activity on our social media is courtesy of Lila Almondpetal, our genius social media coordinator. She usually creates fun posts and activities for players to try, which has been extremely helpful in terms of growing the community.
(We’re excited to talk to Lila about event planning in our interview with her!)
How do you fit working on WTP into your schedule?
Asteria: Usually, I fit WTP into every second of my free time (which can fluctuate from very little time to weeks on end of stalking the Discord). I try to prioritize WTP as much as possible because although it is a volunteer project, I still have a responsibility to both my staff friends and the players. But being completely honest, there isn’t much of a schedule to disrupt during summer break!
Before wrapping up our interview, we wanted to talk to Asteria about her personal connection with the staff as well as her personal feelings about WTP.
Is there a person in the staff that you've formed a strong friendship with?
Asteria: Interesting question! I try to form relationships with a lot of staff, but I’d have to say I’m very close to our Administrator/Developer Teresa and our Artist Victoria. I look forward to developing closer relationships with our newest staff members (especially my moderators because I love them very much!). You could probably guess this, but my favorite part of my job is talking to both players and staff.
How do you feel about the community growing so much in a short amount of time?
Asteria: Honestly, the exponential growth of the community was a little overwhelming at first. As most players have already experienced, moderators and administrators have to approve every single player into the server (even when we were getting upwards of 300-400 players a day!) I can’t say I was expecting it so soon, considering the early stages of the project, but I’m very happy to see our community growing so fast!
Do you feel like some people may have unrealistic expectations for the game?
Asteria: As a general rule, whenever someone receives a product, they’re looking at the finished state. Understandably, a lot of our players are not privy to the behind-the-scenes work our artists, sound techs, and developers put into remaking the game (essentially from scratch). While we do promise to recreate the game as close to the original as possible, it does take a lot of time and effort.
The last thing we wanted to ask you is: Do you think that WTP will ever be as big as the original Pixie Hollow was?
Asteria: Who knows! Considering the fan base of the original, it’s a bit difficult to reach such a massive audience. However, with the increasing importance of social media, I think, with the right advertising, it’s possible to reach even a fraction of Pixie Hollow’s audience! Wishful thinking! 
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Next, we’ll talk with our beloved game creators! Stay tuned for our next set of interviews, featuring game developer Teresa, artists Ci and Rachel, and sound developer Lavender Merryheart, where we ask them about a lot of interesting things - including how they’re recreating Pixie Hollow and their future goals and plans for the game!
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wethepixies · 4 years
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Welcome to the third and final part of our staff interview series! This set of interviews focus on some of our most social staff members - our Discord moderators and our social media team. Once again, these pixies had a lot to say, so we’re tucking all of it under the “Keep reading” link!
WTP’s Discord server is the main place for the community to come together - in fact, we just passed 6,000 members! It’s extremely important to keep the server as safe and friendly as possible, and that’s where our beloved moderators come through. Without them, we wouldn’t have the loving WTP community!
Our moderators are Lila Almondpetal, Gloria Flutterflower, Daphne Moonflower, Anastasia Foxheart, Rose Morningmist, and Kassie.
What are some of your favorite memories about the original Pixie Hollow? And what are some things that you’re excited to see again in WTP?
Daphne: If I had to choose only one favorite thing then it would be shopping in Pixie Hollow especially those GORGEOUS gowns from the Queen's Boutique. It was the luxury store of Pixie Hollow, and the gowns they had were on a whole different level. I used to play Pixie Hollow every day as a kid and I even convinced my dad to get me the annual membership. I was able to make a lot of friends from different parts of the world because of the game. My best memories of the game are of Camp Pixie Dust! As for what I’m excited to see in WTP, I am exhilarated about the Tearoom and Animal Derby coming back since those were the only places you could play with other players. They were always packed with other fairies and sparrowmen and I used to hang out in those two places the most.
In her interview, Daphne sent us some pictures of two of her favorite things in Pixie Hollow - a couple of screenshots of Camp Pixie Dust and her favorite gown from the Queen’s Boutique.
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Anastasia: Honestly? As a kid, I spent most of my time attending the parties. The minigames there were always so addicting! Gameplay wise, I loved baking and tailoring! I wasn't as invested in it as other Disney MMOs because I never was able to get a Pixie Hollow Membership, but I still loved to play it! It influenced my decision to play the DS games, as well as the Fashion Boutique mobile game! I will say that my love of the original Pixie Hollow has benefited my life in many ways as without it, I wouldn't have so many memories with friends I've made along the way. Also, I would've never found WTP! I think one of my best memories from Pixie Hollow has to be from the one party where I won almost all of the party games. I was pretty young when I was really into Pixie Hollow, so although it's a bit silly, I just remember feeling super proud and feeling like the queen of the party, haha! As a kid, I never really appreciated the quests (although I did do them), so I am excited for those to come back & relive that experience. However, since WTP will not have a paywall for any of the experiences from the original Pixie Hollow, I am incredibly excited to explore The Wilderness for the first time!
Lila: My favorite part of the original game was honestly how open and free it was! There was always so much to do in the game, but I never felt pressured to do any of it if I didn't want to. I could go crazy one day playing games and doing quests, and then I could spend the next day flying around, just admiring the scenery and doing absolutely nothing in terms of progress. There were no obligations at all - I think that's why I remember the game so well. I was also really invested in it - I actually kept a journal about what I did in the game, can you believe it? I would say it's made my life better in a couple of ways - when the game was still open, it was a fantastic stress reliever, and even now I love thinking about it (plus, it led me to WTP!). As for my favorite memory… well, there are so many! I'd have to say my favorite was the time a Sparrow Man and I flirted in the Tearoom using nothing but those preset Speedchat phrases. I don't know who started it, but I'm pretty sure we were both non-members at the time - maybe we were drawn together by those Arrival Day outfits. We ended up drawing a crowd; I remember seeing a lot of clapping emojis and hearts. It was insane! Sadly, we forgot to add each other as friends, so we never saw each other again. I just got out my old journal to check if I wrote down his name - and I apparently did! Figfig, my guy, if you’re out there, I was either Twilight Olivemist or Karina Lightningflame at the time. As for what I’m excited for, I'm super excited for all of the meadows to come back! I loved just flying around and seeing all of the gorgeous artwork. And multiplayer, of course - Pixie Hollow was such a social game. I loved those little things like sitting on a branch and chatting.
Gloria: My favorite part of the original game was definitely the community aspect! I made a lot of friends in Pixie Hollow that were really special to me. It was so much fun to play games and throw parties with other pixies in the Hollow! I played the original game from January 2009 to its closing in 2013. I was really invested in the game and played very often! It definitely helped me embrace my inner child and hold onto magic longer than a lot of my peers, something I am grateful for. One great memory I have of the game was the events. I specifically loved the Silly Days Event, which allowed users to access the Mermaid Grotto. And Camp Pixie Dust, of course! For WTP, I am super excited for questing! It was a really unique experience every time and led to neat storylines which allowed players to unlock some cool items. I really liked the added structure of quests in game.
Rose: I was mildly obsessed with Pixie Hollow for a good majority of my childhood. I was picked on quite a bit when I was younger, so Pixie Hollow became this sort of safe haven for me, where I could express myself without fear of judgement. I spent a lot of my time roleplaying with online friends, pretending to be waitresses in the Tearoom, or secret agents fighting crime and protecting the Hollow – it was a lot of fun. Some of my first ever story ideas came from some of those roleplays, which lead to me starting a blog and later pursuing a career as an author, so I actually owe a lot to the game and the friends I made there. My favorite thing was probably decorating my home – I loved creating different settings with all the furniture I had, from cafés to ice palaces. It was a lot of fun. I'm super excited for multiplayer – I’ve made so many friends through the PBC (Pixie Blogging Community) and WTP, so I can’t wait for when we can hang out in-game.
Kassie: I played Pixie Hollow starting in late 2008 until it closed! Every day after school I would grab my snack and head to the computer to play for at LEAST an hour. Narrowing down my favorite part of the game is so hard!! But if I had to choose I would say getting creative with outfits and color combos! I loved going to fashion contests and seeing other people's creations- that's actually how I met a lot of my friends. I think Pixie Hollow benefited me as a way to escape from the stresses of the real world. Middle school and early high school were difficult seasons for me and it was nice to venture into a mystical land where I felt people truly cared for me. One of my favorite memories was when I met my friend Strawberry. We were mutual friends with someone and we both went to her house at the same time. However, our friend was asleep (remember the lil z's?) and so we started talking and suddenly we became the best of friends! Over 10 years later we are still friends and catch up with each other once in a while. We don't live far from each other so we hope to meet each other someday! Honestly, I’m most excited to have house decorating in WTP! I remember people would spend HOURS decorating their homes and doing the coolest designs- I always concentrated more on fashion so I'd love the chance to redeem myself and design an awesome home!
How did you first find out about the WTP project and what inspired you to start working as a moderator?
Kassie: A lot of my close friends started up the project and eventually invited me to be a part of it as a moderator! In our friend group I tended to be the one to mediate conversations, so I think it was a no-brainer to ask me to moderate.
Daphne: When I got to know about Club Penguin rewrites, I thought there might be a rewrite for Pixie Hollow as well and I stumbled upon a YouTube video which mentioned WTP. I really wanted to help out with the project in any way I could so that really motivated me to become a moderator.
Anastasia: I actually found out about the WTP project through Teresa, on another Pixie Hollow site where she first posted the Bubble Bounce demo! She even DM'd me about potentially helping out as an artist, which I've always wanted to do! However, due to my schedule being a bit too busy to consistently help out with game art, I never felt like I could apply. However, I've always tried to help out in other ways, such as when I was an Event Manager & hosted movie nights! When it was decided that movie nights were going to take a hiatus, I really wanted to continue helping out in the community, and thus, I became a mod!
Lila: I first found out about We The Pixies when I joined a Club Penguin rewrite. I hadn't thought about Pixie Hollow in years, but then I wondered if someone else had rewritten Pixie Hollow, so I looked it up and found WTP! As for joining the moderation team, I'd been pretty active on the server when the application opened up, and I really loved the community. I figured I'd give it a shot - worst they could say was no, right? Well, I ended up getting the role! It’s been a really great job ever since.
Gloria: I found out about We the Pixies while doing some Google searches and checking out the Pixie Hollow community this year. I definitely jumped at the opportunity to apply to be a moderator because I have so much passion for the project and wanted to help out and connect with others who also had interest. 
Rose: I found WTP through Phoebe Bumbleflip’s blog – she published a post promoting the remake and the Discord back in October last year. I don’t have any skills that can really help with the recreation of the game itself, but I wanted to contribute in any way I could, which is what inspired me become a moderator.
(Phoebe is a member of the WTP Hype Squad, you can find her blog here!)
The WTP community is mostly positive, but have you ever had instances where you felt like server members weren't being the nicest? If so, how do you deal with it?
Anastasia: Since I'm new to the staff team, I've only ever come across a handful of issues involving the members, and most of them resolve with ease. Typically, directing people to the rules and giving them a warning is enough.
Lila: With so many people in the server, it's not unusual to see something that isn't so friendly - usually, if an argument starts up in the chat, reminding people of the rules or starting a new conversation fixes things. If things are really bad, I might talk to someone individually and ask them nicely to be, well, nicer.
Gloria: In my time on the staff so far, we have had a couple trolls and people who haven't complied with the rules, and in that situation, we generally like to calmly message the person and ask them to comply with the server rules. In my experience thus far, this usually sorts out the problem. However, if the issue persists, the moderation team would consult each other and figure out how to deal with it further based on the severity of the behavior.
Rose: They’re very rare, but we have had to deal with some disputes with upset or angry members. Usually us moderators will talk and discuss the issue and then decide the best course of action together.
Kassie: There's always going to be someone unkind who comes across the server every now and then. I think the best way to handle it is to tell them what rule they're breaking and WHY it's important that they adhere to the rule. Ultimately, our rules are about respecting everyone in the community. If we can help them empathize and understand respect I think that's making strides not only in the WTP community but hopefully in EVERY community that individual is a part of.
We've had a few events in the WTP community, how does creating one come about and how do you plan it?
Anastasia: Excellent question! As a former Event Manager, I'm the right Pixie to ask!
It all starts with the approval of administration. Once the admins approve of it (and other staff have no issues with it), you can go forward and begin scheduling a time. We typically don't do events without having a proper schedule or time frame. We also try to accommodate other time zones as best as we can, since we know that WTP has Pixies from across the globe! Then, you need to designate certain responsibilities to people. This was the purpose of the Event Managers, since we were in charge of hosting Movie/Game Night. I have a lot of good memories hosting movie nights with Alchemist (Lavender) and Asteria! With other events, staff members are chosen to have either a leading role or a helping hand in making sure the event goes smoothly. Even if they aren't in charge, it is important to note that all events typically require staff supervision. Now, planning it typically involves a discussion among the staff (and any other WTP players that may be involved in helping out). We usually try to make sure that the community voice is heard, and that they can get involved! Our main goal is always to bring everyone together while having fun, and that is the foundation of all our events.
Daphne: The Hype Squad is the creative mind behind all the events we have. Since we can not have in-game events (which we definitely will once the game is fully developed), the Hype Squad tries to come up with flitterific events to keep us in the pixie hollow spirit while we wait. Our former team of event managers was behind the shorter events such as the numerous game nights and movie nights.
Lila: Starting an event is absolutely a team effort - no matter where or who the idea comes from, we like to talk about it for a while first. For example, I had the idea for Meadow Madness one night out of the blue, and I made sure to run it by the staff and Hype Squad before I started anything up. It ended up being a huge success - we had an average of 200 respondents per round, which was pretty neat for something I came up with in ten minutes.
Rose: There’s quite a bit of planning that goes on behind the scenes for events – a lot of events are actually planned by the Hype Squad (which I am a part of) or our social media team. An idea will be presented by a team member, and then we’ll all discuss it – what our thoughts are on the suggestion, and how we’d go about holding it if it were to become an actual event. If everyone on the team agrees and the staff are okay with it, we’ll then start deciding dates for the event and preparing things like banners and announcement posts. Sometimes we’ll also have one of our members act as coordinator too, to make sure everything is running smoothly during the event itself.
Kassie: I'm personally not one of the head honchos who puts events together, but it comes down to listening to a bunch of ideas and trying to figure out which one best fits the needs and desires of the community!
How do you fit working on WTP into your schedule?
Daphne: I finished high school in April and I can't really start college until quarantine is over, so I pretty much don't have anything to do at home right now so it's easy for me to make time for WTP.
Anastasia: I try my best to moderate whenever I can- usually in my spare time. We get a lot of newcomers each day, so there always seems to be someone who needs help getting verified, or a Pixie who needs some other sort of assistance. That's the thing about having such a large community: we always seem to have some moderating to do!
Lila: I actually have the apps I need for moderation (and social media work) on my phone - now that I'm not in school for the summer, I'm traveling a lot, so I don't sit down and use my laptop very often. I think I use Discord on my phone more than my laptop, actually. Using mobile lets me check the server whenever I have a spare moment, so I can keep up with things wherever I go.
Gloria: I have a really flexible schedule in general as school and life goes, so I am able to make time to moderate and spend a lot of time online.
Rose: Mostly by multitasking – I’m almost always online, even if I’m doing other things, so it’s not too tricky to keep an eye on the server throughout the day.
Kassie: It's hard sometimes, but the easiest way for me to stay connected is to keep my notifications on when I'm not busy with the mandatory things in life like my job, planning my wedding, and investing in relationships outside of the community. Giving myself the chance to walk away here and there leaves me refreshed for the next time I log on!
Two of our moderators, Kassie and Lila, also serve on our social media team, so we asked them a special question:
How do you use social media to grow the community?
Lila: Social media is a great place to post about game updates and community events. I've found that few posts get people more excited than posts about new game features. Update posts also let people know that, yes, we are still up and running! Sometimes people think we've shut down already, and social media helps us keep the project alive.
Kassie: Social Media is all about messages. I think what attracts people to join a community is to send a message they resonate with! In WTP's case, nostalgia plays a huge part in growing our community- we are trying to attract people who are excited about something they wish they had again.
One final question for all of our moderators: what’s your favorite part of your job, and is there a way it’s benefited you?
Daphne:  Definitely talking and getting to know so many people from across the globe. I'm always down for making new friends! For me, the most impact moderating for WTP has had is on my people skills. As a moderator, you have to ensure that everyone is following the rules and sometimes people need convincing to follow a rule. It also involves solving any issues related to the game/Discord server and communicating with the members in general, which really develops your people skills.
Anastasia: Honestly, my favorite part of being a mod is being able to interact with the other staff members. They're a really lovely and creative group of people, and it's fun bouncing ideas off of each other and figuring out what's best for everyone in this community! I wouldn't quit WTP for the world! Working for WTP has benefited me a lot as so far, it's helped me work on the ways I can help organize a community. Also, it is helping me work on my time management skills, as well as my ability to work in a team.
Lila: I think my favorite part of my job is, as corny as it sounds, watching this community grow! When I joined, we had maybe 500 users in the server, and we're well over 6000 now. I never thought that so many people would remember the game, but they do. It's remarkable, really. Working for WTP is probably the best volunteer position I've ever taken up. Moderating has really helped me learn how to think things through and get help when I need it. Working on social media has also been great for my writing and graphic design skills - I've got to say that I've gotten pretty good at color combinations!
Gloria: My favorite part of moderating is helping people in the player server and sparking interest and discussion among users. It's so much fun to reminisce about the hollow with other fans. Though I haven't been on the team for a very long time, it has already been lots of fun and I have really enjoyed connecting with the community even more and getting others interested in the revival project. And the other staff members are very cool people that are really rad to work with.
Rose: My favorite part of my job is welcoming new people to the server! Being a moderator has definitely helped with my problem-solving skills – working out ways to handle situations on the server.
Kassie: Being friends with the staff is my favorite part. It is always a joy to log on to laugh and learn with friends. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Asteria and I have created a pretty strong friendship (hopefully she agrees, haha). We've known each other for about 4 years now. She makes me laugh out loud and we've been there for each other in our victories and failures. Her friendship is one I deeply cherish and I hope we get to meet sometime in the future! I care a lot about connection, community, and friendship, so for me, being a part of this team is a way for me to foster those things and be a part of it! I think I've benefited from WTP by learning how to guide hard conversations and disagreements in a respectful manner. Many people think moderators just manage the community, but a huge part of our job is to aid staff in having constructive conversations. There are definitely ruffled wings here and there, but we always get through and I've really grown through those processes!
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Thank you all so much for sticking with us during our interview series! We had a lot of fun answering your questions, and we hope you had a flaptastic time reading them.
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wethepixies · 4 years
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Hey there, pixies! Have you ever wanted to know more about our staff members? It’s your lucky day - the WTP Hype Squad has decided to conduct some staff interviews in honor of reaching 1000 Discord server members! We need your help, though - what should we ask them? Click here to submit questions through May 6th. We’ll pick our favorite submitted questions to ask our staff members, then post those interviews for you all to enjoy. Make sure your submissions are appropriate for all ages - if we pick your question, pixies of all ages will see it!
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silagroup · 4 years
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Resuming Operations After The Lockdown for Offices
Resuming Operations After The Lockdown for Offices
TYPE OF FACILITY
Office, Commercial Building, Commercial Campus, Retail Store
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this statement is to lay down the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be followed to resume operations post the Lockdown period.
PROCEDURE
Preparing the Facility before the reopening-
1) The Facility Management team must be informed 5 days prior to the opening.
2) 3 days prior to opening it is recommended that a deep sanitization cleaning is done.
3) 1 Day prior to the opening the entire Facility, a ULV Antivirus Fumigation using an FDA/EPA approved Anit-Viral chemical should be done.
4) The Frequently used surfaces including your washrooms, workspaces, lifts, door handles, railings, and other areas such as cafeterias and pantry will be sanitized and disinfected.
5) An adequate number of Digital Thermometers, PPEs, Sanitizers, Disinfectants must be procured prior to the opening. SILA can provide support with the procurement of the above-mentioned items.
6) An email must be sent out to all Employees working at the Facility to not report to work in case of any symptoms of the Flu. Employees residing in government declared Covid-19 hot-spots should not be allowed to resume work.
7) Advise Pregnant employees if any to continue to work from home.
8) A quarantined emergency room must be demarcated prior to opening in case any employee is found to have symptoms of the Flu.
9) All employees must be informed to report to work in masks and preferably gloves. In case the employees require masks or gloves to be procured by the company they must inform the company in advance.
10) Facilities must try and operate with a minimal no. of staff/occupants for the first month post the lockdown, and gradually increase the occupancy level over time.
11) Checking of all common critical amenities like lifts, DG, HVAC, UPS, RO Systems (or water dispensers) and Hydrant systems and Jockey pumps including filters and chiller water levels and refill the fresh water for proper functionality due to long time shutdown.
12) HVAC Systems - Cleaning the exhaust and air filtering systems before restarting operations thoroughly.
13) A quarantine/emergency room must be demarcated prior to opening in case any employee is found to have symptoms of the Flu.
14) Arrangements for additional transport vehicles to be made in advance. Physical distancing is to be maintained in each vehicle.
15) Admin/Facilities Teams must have medical teams on standby, be in touch with the relevant government authorities.
16) Staff must be requested to carry their own water bottles from home to prevent mass gatherings in the pantry once the facility re-opens.
General Guidelines to be Followed After Reopening the Office -
1) All the employees and service partners will need to submit a self-declaration about not showing symptoms of COVID-19 before resuming work. The declaration should also include their family members’ health status and any travel history or contact with an infected patient in the past 14 days.
2) Employees residing in government declared COVID-19 hot-spots should not be allowed to resume work.
3) Ensure sanitizers are available at most important and frequented areas of the office. All employees to sanitize their hands at the security desk. Insist on personal hygiene of all employees and mandate the use of sanitizers every now and then.
4) Any activities involving a gathering of people to be avoided and the same to be conducted via electronic media – Follow Social Distancing.
5) If any employee is found coughing, breathless, sneezing they must be immediately reported and shifted to the Quarantine Emergency room, and the Admin/HR must relieve them from the site and ensure the relevant government authorities or hospitals are informed of the same. The employee will not be allowed to reenter the premises until a valid medical report is furnished proving they are COVID Negative.
6) Employees above the age of 50 should be asked to continue to work from home.
7) Office shifts should have a minimum of a one-hour gap between each shift.
8) Mandating the use of hand sanitizers and wearing masks and gloves until normalcy resumes.
9) Advise Pregnant employees, if any, to continue to work from home.
10) Greet people our traditional way (Namaste) rather than shaking your hands with each other.
11) Continuation of training and awareness regarding precautions to be taken on a day to day basis.
12) Under the present circumstances, it is advisable to keep up to date with local rules regarding the control of the epidemic, closely communicate with relevant officials responsible for guiding businesses as they resume work.
Entry and Travel Guidelines
1) Transport vehicles to be sanitization by the transport vendor daily.
2) All employee transport services to be re-evaluated. Policies for employee pick-up/drop & bus services to be amended to keep social distance measures in place.
3) Employee transportation vendors must ensure all employees temperatures are checked prior to allowing entry into the vehicle (drivers included). The recommended range is 97.7 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. In case a person falls outside this range, he/she must not be allowed to enter the vehicle.
4) Seating charts of the seating arrangement must be displayed in the vehicle to ensure physical distancing.
5) All employees must sanitize themselves before entering the facility and be screened for body temperature using an infra-red thermometer. The recommended range is 97.7 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. In case a person falls outside this range, he/she must not be allowed to enter the premises.
6) Visitors, Guests, including candidates being called in for interviews must only be allowed into the premises with prior approval from the HR/Admin team/COVID Committee. They will have to follow the necessary protocol as mentioned above.
7) Biometric Access Control Systems & Attendance monitors must be disabled until further notice in order to reduce the spread of any infections that can be caused by touching a common surface (in this case, with the finger).
Cafeteria and Pantry Guidelines
1) Lunch and tea breaks should be extended to ensure that a minimum number of employees gather at the cafeterias at the same time keeping in mind social distancing. Cafeteria entry to be reduced to 50% of its total capacity.
2) Food & Beverage (F&B) Vendors to bring packed food to the facility until further notice. Cooking at the facility should not be permitted.
3) The F&B vendor’s employees must always be wearing all PPEs and following entry & exit protocol daily.
4) All employees must be asked to carry their own water bottles from home.
5) The pantry should remain closed, only water dispenser shall be made operational.
6) Mugs and glasses should be kept apart, and washed thoroughly immediately after each use.
Workplace guidelines
1) The office workspaces must be spread out as far as possible, or employees should be required to leave a desk space between each other since the facility will be operating at a lower occupancy level.
2) Operate fresh air fans for 2 hours before & after office hours, and operate of exhausts, pressurization, and ventilation fans as much as possible.
3) Designated Smoking areas will remain open, however, the entry to the areas must be restricted to ensure adequate social distancing.
4) Keep all the non-essential doors open permanently so that touching of surfaces can be minimized.
5) To avoid hard copies of files and paper being passed around at the office, all staff must be requested to correspond with one another and maintain records via emails.
6) All mailroom packages must be sanitized upon arrival and then left unattended for a minimum of 1 day before being picked up and delivered. Employees must ensure social distancing when receiving any packages from the mailroom.
Facility Management Guidelines
1) Increased frequency of cleaning of all high touch areas, using approved sanitization chemicals. Make the cleaning process visible to people occupying the office. This will give them comfort.
2) Anti-Viral fumigation treatments must be carried out (recommended weekly).
3) Create a separate area/bin to deposit used masks & gloves.
4) If you have a video display screens, create awareness about the COVID-19 and safety measures associated with it by displaying the necessary content (SILA can help with this if needed).
5) Lifts to be used at less than half their capacity to avoid crowding.
6) It is recommended to avoid Air Conditioning systems, however, if the AC is to be used, windows and doors should be left open.
7) A relative humidity level of 40% to 70% must be maintained to prevent the spread of pathogens.
8) It is advisable to provide MERV 13 or higher filters fitted into the AC Handling units.
9) All washable AC filters must be cleaned with 5% Cresol solution mixed with Water, or 1% sodium Hypochlorite solution.
10) If AC ducting systems are present, they must first be run on fan mode for a minimum of two hours with all doors and windows left open, and the filters must be cleaned before switching to Normal mode.
11) Toilets should be flushed and lids closed after anyone uses them.
12) In STP/WTP plants, the biocide treatment must be increased and tested with less than 25CFU/v.
13) Aerosol generation from any water source such as the STP shall be avoided. Face fit-tested elastomeric half-face respirator shall be used.
Procedure if an Occupant is diagnosed with COVID-19 after the Re-opening of a Facility -
1) The concerned occupant or Employee must inform the Admin/HR/COVID Committee of this his/her symptoms and test results immediately.
2) The Admin/HR/COVID Committee must inform the relevant authorities -the Government, SEZ, tech park, Industrial Park.
3) The premises must be quarantined and kept closed with immediate effect.
4) All the occupants of the premises that have visited the premises over the past 14 days must undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test with a certified government or private medical establishment, to check for the spread of cases within the office.
5) The facility must undergo a deep sanitization cleaning and fumigation, as mentioned in the pre-opening process mentioned above.
6) The facility must be opened for use only after getting a clearance from the relevant governmental & private authorities.
7) Transport vehicles used by the infected occupant must be sanitized and quarantined by the transport vendor. All drivers and personnel accompanying or travelling with the infected occupant must undergo a COVID-19 medical test as well.
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