Grab leads take 20% pay cut to ride out COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on businesses worldwide. In response to this crisis, senior Grab leaders will take a pay cut of up to 20% to help the business and its partners ride out the impact of the pandemic.

In addition, to show solidarity with community partners who are financially impacted in this crisis, the Partner Relief Initiatives will be funded in part by voluntary Grab employee donations that are matched dollar-for-dollar by the company.

This comes as Grab has been working with governments across the markets it has presence in to render financial support among other measures. However, as countries and cities restrict movement and implement social distancing measures, the ride-hailing company aims to implement additional measures to support Grab’s community of partners.

This includes the expansion of GrabMart and GrabAssistant services to more countries in the coming weeks, as well as the reskilling provided to driver-partners to fulfil delivery orders and access other earning opportunities through the Grab platform. To meet the needs of customers who are not able to commute easily during this period, GrabMart will expand into the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia. The daily essentials delivery service is currently available in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand. In addition, users can browse GrabMart to purchase essential items from grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies without leaving their homes. In Malaysia, customers will be able to purchase fresh produce, meat and seafood via Pasar, a GrabMart partnership with the Taman Tun Dr Ismail Market.

Meanwhile, Grab’s on-demand concierge service, GrabAssistant, will expand into new cities in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand and relaunch in Vietnam. GrabAssistant differs from GrabMart in that it is a concierge service that allows users to hire delivery-partners to handle important errands, or help buy essential products at stores not listed on GrabMart. This gives users, who choose not to go out often, more delivery options to meet their daily needs, as Grab aims to continue monitoring the COVID-19 situation.

Separately, Grab recently tied up with Singapore’s Land Transport Authority to allow driver-partners to aid in increased food delivery and home essentials orders. Andrew Chan, head of transport, Grab Singapore told Marketing recently that up to 15% of its total pool of driver-partners can now benefit from the extra earning opportunities. 

“Thousands of Grab driver-partners have signed up for the programme. They will be able to deliver food and parcels during all hours outside the 7am to 10am time window on weekdays, and all day on weekends. While the situation remains fluid and uncertain, we will continue to monitor closely and will announce additional forms of support for our partners progressively,” he said. Grab also had introduced GrabCare - a dedicated, round-the-clock, on-demand service to enable healthcare workers to travel to and from hospitals in Singapore only.

Anthony Tan, group CEO and co-founder of Grab said as the business and communities continue to suffer the socio-economic fallout of COVID-19, everyone needs to band together as a society - businesses, leaders, citizens - to combat the worst effects of this pandemic. “Our support for our community of partners will evolve, and we stand ready to do what we can to assist them. Even as our mettle is tested, let us continue to care for each other so we can all emerge from this stronger,” he added.   

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Competitor Gojek recently also unveiled that its co-CEOs Andre Soelistyo and Kevin Aluwi will be donating 25% of their annual salary over the next 12 months to a newly-created support fund for its driver partners and merchants. Named the "Gojek Partner Support Fund", the fund aims to support Gojek's drivers, merchants and other partners whose income has been adversely affected by economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Besides Soelistyo and Aluwi's donating part of their annual salary, Gojek will also redirect its annual salary increase budget to the support fund. The ride-hailing company also said it will be setting up a process which will allow donations made by others, particularly by corporate partners.