Our working lives here at Hobart Service have been changing positively for a while now, with the introduction of new technology and digital transformation being high on our agenda, to best serve both our customers and employees.
However, with the fast emergence of COVID-19, as a large business, we have had to quickly implement and adapt to change, uncertainty, and new challenges.
Where possible, we rolled out remote and flexible working arrangements, with the correct technology to facilitate remote working. Our employees have continued working as normal and communicate on a daily basis via conference calls and virtual chats - mostly led by the software Microsoft Teams.
To support our customers, our teams have worked diligently, adapted to new customer service systems and practices, to seamlessly serve our customers under
“work from home” requirements across many parts of the UK.
We’ve asked some of our team members to share their own personal experiences, challenges, and successes over the past five weeks:
Our change management and communications;
"The transparency Hobart have with employees is second to none. It’s thanks to this, paired with the robust planning and companywide communication that made transitioning from work to home as seamless as possible. Communication has been key to keeping happy, I never feel detached from my colleagues"
How we’ve used technology and digital;
"With the help of Microsoft Teams, we have been able to function as close to normal as possible. Whilst we were all a bit unsure of webcams at first this has become the new normal and we regularly enjoy face to face meetings with colleagues or catch up’s as we normally would – in some cases we have even improved collaboration because it’s just so easy to connect with others!"
“Technology has played a vital part in the transition and made it possible to connect with our colleagues, it is the way to future and we are part of that right now.”
“Our schedule of daily operational updates, team meetings and customer projects carried on; albeit via video conferencing but we hardly missed a beat! The Hobart Service team across the UK took it in their stride and I am immensely proud to lead such a flexible and professional team who put the customer at the centre of what they do.”
Adapting to the new normal;
“Now more than ever it is so important to live the ITW values; Integrity, Respect, Trust, Shared Risk, and Simplicity. Moving all our office operation to work from home was certainly a challenge, but one that everyone pulled together on to get the job done. I couldn’t be prouder of how our teams are adapting to our lockdown situation; we are not just ‘working from home’ we are all ‘being at home’ “
“I’ve found that creating a regular routine helps to stay on track, organised and avoid feeling overwhelmed, I have determined when and where in the house it is best work, and then I’ve set a regular work schedule around that time. Waking up early, exercising, showering, getting dressed, eating healthy breakfast, and then writing a task list for the day.”
Keeping in communication;
“My top tip is to keep socially engaged, just because you are working from home don’t lose the wider relationships you have built in the office, there is still a place for a catch up on how your weekend was (not that you went anywhere!)”
Staying motivated whilst working from home:
“Get up and get moving to stay motivated during the day when working from home, you don’t realise how much you do this in an office going from meeting to meeting.”
“I have managed my team through change by keeping them motivated, staying in touch regularly and offering my support throughout, leading with trust is very important to the success of a business/team as it is what holds a team together and gives reassurance that our leadership team is there to support us 100% and has helped as it gives us a positive outlook and a feeling of security, it also shows that as individuals we have been trusted to keep the business going through these uncertain times whether we are part of the management team, leadership team, service team and in general the Hobart team.”
Team collaborations and the future;
Keith Mackie, Managing Director, Hobart Service (UK & Ireland) expressed his pride in his team’s approach: “Hobart Service is a people driven, customer focused business so my concern from the outset was to ensure we maintained our team cohesion and continued to deliver for our customers during a very difficult period. Our operational transformation over the last 2 years, not least involving the uptake of remote working technology, enabled us to seamlessly exit our offices and become operationally capable in a matter of 48 hours.”
“We must also look to the future - an important focus I developed early on in the crisis is how to enable customers to get back up and running as efficiently as possible. This work is ongoing; I will ensure Hobart Service will be there for customers as we exit this difficult period”
Thank you to all of the contributors to this piece who continue to work tirelessly from home during the lockdown.
We would love to hear your own experiences and top tips about how you have adapted to change over the past few weeks - what has worked for you and your organisation? Or perhaps what hasn’t - there is no right or wrong at the moment and its important we all share, learn and support each other.