NZ Post preparing for Omicron

NZ Post has reported that it is increasing its capacity in preparation for the possibility of a sustained or large-scale Omicron outbreak.

In a statement issued yesterday (17 February), NZ Post Chief Operating Officer Brendon Main said that the company brought on 800 extra people at the end of last year to deal with “the biggest Christmas in history for NZ Post”.

But now, added Main: “A sustained Omicron outbreak will mean different challenges for NZ Post.”

The NZ Post COO continued: “It’s too soon to tell what a large-scale Omicron outbreak might mean for in-store shopping, but we’re preparing for both an increase in demand for parcel delivery, as well as a decrease in resource, as it’s likely that at any given time some of our workforce will be unwell or self-isolating.

“In preparation for this, we’re getting ahead of things and increasing our capacity to deliver by about 10%, including bringing on more people in advance – and our focus will be to continue scaling up as quickly and safely as we can as the situation develops.

“We know how critical the role is that we play in connecting Kiwis, especially when many of us might be at home isolating, so we have plans in place to mitigate the impact on our workforce through careful case management and contact tracing.

“Right now the NZ Post network is operating very close to normal so Kiwis don’t need to do anything differently other than continue to be patient and kind as our people work hard to deliver. If the situation changes we’ll continue to update customers with advice on ordering online and any potential delays. The best place to check in the first instance is our website www.nzpost.co.nz.”