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Changing how we work - to keep going through a crisis
As a business we are all about family, safety and healthy practice. This has been thrown into sharp focus recently of course as events have accelerated on a world-wide scale. We wanted to openly talk about how our working practices have changed – in the hope that it helps our customers understand how we are approaching this – but also to share our practices with others. You never know, it might be helpful for anyone operating a similar model to ours that includes office-based people, warehouse staff and crews of workers out in the field.
When this pandemic began, we reacted quickly. We appointed a senior member of the team - Ryan Gibson (pictured) - to manage the logistics of it and he immediately drew up guidelines for us all to operate under. We remember being slightly bemused at his request to spray and wipe down both our desks and regularly used surfaces. An ominous looking spray appeared in each room along with a big bottle of antibacterial gel. We were also, of course, urged to wash our hands!
The next stage was to notify everyone of the symptoms of Coronavirus. At first, no one dared clear their throats! Over time we settled into this extra level of vigilance and it became second nature. We were slightly ahead of the curve in many ways as Ryan had set out these measures in good time.
Of course, as self-isolation precautions grew more stringent so we upped our game further and brought in a lot of really valuable, new rules. These were no longer ‘guidelines’! It was really important to us that this wasn’t a one directional flow of information. We asked everyone for input, concerns and feedback at all times (and continue to do so) so this move forward had complete buy-in from all areas of the business. We have an amazing HR resource – Debra from Cadman HR – who works with us day and night to make sure we are operating ethically, legally and fairly.
Just one member of staff is uneasy about continuing to work during this pandemic and this is something we are seeking further guidance on. We are hoping to work things out to reach a conclusion that is fair to everyone. These are all challenges that we haven’t faced before, and like many businesses, we’re working it out as we go combining understanding with common sense.
We asked everyone to self-assess their situations at home which resulted in two of the team self-isolating. Of course, in line with government measures, we are paying SSP from day 1. And as soon as we released the second set of rules, we set up an evening call with every member of the company to discuss their position, concerns and worries with them. We had recently completed health assessments on all of the team so we were already aware of any related health conditions – asthma in particular. This was very useful to have.
I’d say communications are really important during any times of change. People like to know exactly what is being thought and they want to be part of the process. We have a business continuity plan in place that we’ve shared as well. This is not a time for exclusivity – we have explained everything to everyone who works for Smart-Space.
Fundamentally we are going to these lengths to be compliant of course but we genuinely want to look after our teams but also to keep the business going so everyone has a secure job to return to after this time has passed.
We are really lucky in that our business is UK-based with nearly everything we need being available quite easily from our local suppliers. We recognise that this isn’t the case for everyone and understand the pain levels that some businesses are going through in order to stay afloat.
“From start to finish the Smart-Space team has been brilliant”
