Although many services undertaken by industry participants have been deemed essential by the state and federal governments, numbers on sites have been reduced, some operations have been postponed and around the country workers have moved out of offices and into makeshift home set ups.
In Canberra, the entire APGA Secretariat is now working from home (WFH), with APGA CEO Steve Davies saying in his recent CEO message saying the team had found success engaging in daily stand-up meetings via Zoom.
AMS Instrumentation and Calibration CEO Dirk Kuiper said all his staff are currently WFH, apart from service and administration staff who are working on a roster.
“I must say it works pretty well and we stay in regular touch with each other, either by phone, Skype or GoToMeeting,” said Mr Kuiper.
“As a large percentage of our customers are essential service providers, we are requested by them to confirm our capability to remain open during this period.”
Similarly for STATS Group, both in Australia and overseas, the company said its business remains open and the company is taking a number of steps to still support clients.
“We’re updating our procedures on a daily basis, as required, based on the latest advice issued by international and regional governments and health authorities in the jurisdictions where we operate, as we strive to play our part in helping prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus,” said STATS.
“We recognise the importance of maintaining the continuity of services to our customers and with this in mind we have established coherent plans to:
- allow all staff that are able to WFH to do so
- ensure all our facilities remain open for business
- introduce split-shift operations in our workshops to facilitate appropriate social-distancing whilst enforcing strict hygiene procedures
- communicate regularly with our customers on our approach to the unfolding situation and to understand how events are impacting their plans and operations.
“Our objectives are to behave responsibly to minimise the effects of the spread of the virus.”
Living in the digital age has made working remotely easier than ever before and in a post on LinkedIn Fyfe made sure to thank its IT team for the work it has been during this period.
“Fyfe has been facilitating remote working/WFH for some time. We are pleased to report that our technology and systems have proven themselves up to the task now that almost all our staff are working remotely,” said the company.
“It is mostly business as usual for us, except a lot of that business is now coming from our home offices! With regards to our survey and fieldwork, this is continuing but with reduced direct contact with clients, strict adherence to the social distancing guidelines and with additional cleaning of our equipment.”
Nobody is sure how long this situation will persist, but for now everyone is doing their best to adapt to a work life that seemed unfathomable two months ago.
If you have news you would like featured in The Australian Pipeliner contact Managing Editor David Convery at dconvery@gs-press.com.au