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We won’t be the first to say it, and we probably won’t be the last, but haven’t these last few weeks been strange? And that’s a huge understatement.
None of us working at i3Works – even our most ‘experienced’ personnel – can recall anything quite like the current Covid-19 situation. For many across the world, this has been a time of hardship, worry and, ultimately, of loss. There can never be an upside to such circumstances. However, lessons can be learned and our appreciation for those around us reinforced.
One of the things we have learned as a company is that adversity brings us closer together, even though we’re all far apart. From homes in Cornwall to Scotland, we’re proud of the way we have lived the i3Works’ family ethos by the way we have come together to support each other; to keep each other’s spirits up, communicating, co-operating and collaborating to make an unprecedented situation feel a little less alien.
Aside from the virtual updates we expect most companies have utilised to keep staff up to date, we’ve had online quizzes at the Isolated Inn; fun photo competitions for best isolation work attire and a younger self ID parade; trading of jokes, knowledge and interests; regular team catch-ups and briefs, and many more serious –and not so serious –items to keep each other informed and involved. We even have online exercise classes three times a week run by personal trainers, specifically for i3Works staff and associates, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to prioritise their mental health and wellbeing. Beyond these planned items, we have been in touch with each other, forming new bonds and reaffirming old ones, over Skype, Teams, WhatsApp, and by phone.
Another lesson we have learned is that, even in the most testing of circumstances, we are able to maintain our usual high standard of delivery for our clients. We have been advising and supporting them to keep their projects, programmes and portfolios performing, all while adapting to working in remote environments. Where clients have been impacted to the extent that they were unable to continue working, or projects have been delayed as a result of Covid-19 decisions, our staff have either been redeployed on internal i3Works projects, or in a handful of circumstances, furloughed on full pay.
What’s more, we’ve done this with reduced capacity having had reservists called upon to support the Covid-19 response. We are proud to call them colleagues and applaud their efforts alongside those of every key worker involved in providing services during the lockdown period.
Overall, we’ve risen to the challenges presented in these difficult and uncertain times, which is all down to the dedication, determination and drive of our staff. Like most, we wish we hadn’t needed to, but we’re proud of the way we’ve handled it.
