The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly been an unexpected situation for many of us and we find ourselves in unchartered territory in both business and our personal lives.
As discussed in our previous post, Metador have made the decision to stay open with skeleton staff in order to serve essential services during this difficult time, in particular the healthcare and supermarket sectors. We want these vital services to continue to function and our remaining team members have been working hard to ensure jobs for these sectors are top priority.
Below are some of the key Metador employees who are either working from home or still in the office, while following Government guidelines.
Metador’s Sales team are often the first port of call for customers. Despite the change in scenery, it’s business as usual for our dedicated Sales representatives, who are continuing to provide an excellent level of service to those contacting us, particularly the essential sectors.
Sales Manager Marcus Dixon is used to travelling across the UK to meet clients, but the pandemic means he is now operating from his home.
“As I would normally spend 80% of my time out in the field visiting clients, the lockdown has drastically affected my way of working in a general sense. However, it has given me opportunity to expand my contact base considerably ready for when are able to get back out there, so it’s certainly not wasted time, just challenging.”
Marcus says video conferencing has been key to continuing his job.
“Technology has obviously helped in this field to a certain extent, and I have had some great meetings via these channels. Nothing replaces a proper face-to-face!”
Adam Muswell from our Internal Sales team has been unable to work from home and is currently keeping his distance from others as he continues to answer enquiries in the office.
“It is very quiet in the office, with the majority of staff now working from home,” Adam says. “The main impact has been in terms of social/physical distance to the remaining colleagues in the office. We are sanitising our work stations twice daily and using hand sanitiser regularly when coming in and out of the office.”
Despite the challenges faced by the industry during this period, Adam has noticed a great response to those still operating.
He explains: “We have continued to manufacture and supply product on vital projects and the feedback from all stakeholders has been nothing but positive. There has been a very caring and supportive culture from everyone from suppliers to clients and its fantastic to see humanity reacting this way in such a difficult time.”
Carlin Evershed and Lewis Culmer, the Technical Consultants in Metador’s Estimating team, are now both working from the comfort of their homes. Carlin is the main employee providing quotes, while Lewis works on order confirmations.
“Once you get used to the fact you can’t just turn around and talk to the the rest of your colleagues, it actually isn’t too bad at all, we still catch up often throughout the day using different platforms.”
She continues: “I do miss seeing family and friends, but I believe the lockdown is all for the greater good and hopefully we will be back to normal again soon.”
CAD Technicians Luke Trueman and Matthew Hall continue to provide technical drawings for quotes and orders, with Luke operating from home and Matthew in a separate office from the other remaining staff members.
Matthew has remained at work in order to have a direct link to the production part of the process and says its business as usual despite most of his colleagues no longer being in the office.
“I can still keep in touch with co-workers whilst also following the Government guidelines,” he explains. “Communication is easy due to modern day technology. There are so many platforms for voice, video and group meetings that it doesn’t seem to be too much of a struggle.”
Luke has also embraced technology and has found the impact on his communications has been minimal.
Luke says: “The main difference is not being able to go and see colleagues when I need to especially when they are referring to an issue on their screen. Luckily screen sharing has been available.”
However, he has had to be extra-cautious outside of work due to his partner expecting a child very soon.
“We’re being very careful to isolate, wiping down all groceries, literally only going out for food and any outside exercise restricted to our garden,” Luke explains. “A pregnancy during this time is hard but we are doing our best, staying positive and focusing on getting to the other side of this situation. Looking forward to the meeting our little girl in the coming weeks.”
Operational Planning Manager Lindsey Rookes is still working from the office as her role requires close collaboration with the factory. She is the key contact between the production process and the customer, ensuring that urgent jobs for vital services are prioritised in the manufacturing schedule.
She says: “The lockdown hasn’t really affected the work I do, other than needing to check more frequently on stock due to suppliers closing.”
Outside of work, Lindsey reveals her tips for coping during this unusual time:
“Making sure I have a goal to achieve daily whether it be watering the garden, doing daily exercise, making sure I videocall family or friends – this is helping me cope with the drastic changes we are all facing!”
For those working in the factory, it is not possible to work from home. It is Operations Manager Paul Stonehouse’s job to ensure the small number of staff still remaining in the manufacturing side of the business are abiding by the Government’s social distancing and hygiene guidelines.
“We have implemented social distancing, additional hand washing stations, along with extra hand sanitisers. We frequently wipe down all hard surfaces with anti-bacterial spray and wipes,” Paul says. “Staggered break times are enabling greater social distancing. Regular staff updates of Government guidelines and the proactive steps Metador are taking ensure the health and wellbeing of our staff.”
Paul says that the pandemic has led to challenges surrounding prioritising orders for critical services, such as the NHS, the medical profession and food chain.
“We are fortunate to have a very proactive and professional staff base here at Metador and as such this ensures we have maintained the very best levels of service to all of our clients. Naturally our working and social lives have changed beyond recognition.
“However, being a forward thinking and innovative company means we are used to working around problems to find the very best outcome for our customers. We are made of stronger stuff.”
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