As working in quarantine has been “astonishingly smooth”, PBT Group head of service delivery AndreasBartsch expects businesses and employees to be a lot more accepting of remote work after the lockdown.
ITWeb: How have you organised your operations during the lockdown?
Bartsch: Due to the nature of our services [data and analytics] we are able to continue with remote work with minimal/no impact. With most of our consultants residing at the client premises, we typically align with the clients’ “way of working”. We have for many years provided services and solutions to approximately 20 countries in a remote manner. Our ‘back-office’ interactions with the sales, HR and finance teams continue on a weekly basis.
ITWeb: What technical considerations did you have to get right?
Bartsch: All PBT Group employees have a secured laptop and we proactively ensure all staff members and consultants have the necessary remote connectivity. We addressed any challenges prior to the lockdown; for example, mobile connectivity devices and VPN access. Client-specific access for our consultants has been mainly arranged by the relevant client, in adherence to their respective security policies.
ITWeb: What HR issues did you have to consider?
Bartsch: There were no specific HR issues. All our staff/consultants are working successfully from home and to date, no special leave arrangements have had to be made.
ITWeb: Which platform are you using for virtual meetings?
Bartsch: PBT Group is mainly using Microsoft Teams and it has been working very well, subject to the odd connectivity challenge. All our internal meetings are conducted via MS Teams, as well as many of our client meetings. We have also continued with interviews and have even performed training via this platform.
Although most of our meetings are audio-based, there have been ‘fun’ initiatives with video coffee meetings, some ‘hat’ displays, or showcasing the most innovative ‘video background’. Virtual meetings on video pose a different challenge considering the participants’ home office arrangements, dress code or lack thereof, as well as the state of the hairstyle at that point in time.
ITWeb: What other tools are you using to keep track of projects/teams/monitor employees’ work?
Bartsch: This depends on the specific circumstances and client. In addition to the normal team or ‘stand up’ meetings, different tracking mechanisms are being used as per client preference. In some agile environments JIRA boards are being used, whereas we have had exposure to Project Portfolio Office in the plan-driven environments. All our consultants still capture their time allocation in the ActiTime solution.
ITWeb: How have your clients adapted to the new normal?
Bartsch: The adoption of the ‘new normal’ has been astonishingly smooth. The lockdown has ‘enforced’ a different way of working and it is yet to be seen what the permanent implications will be. The remote work does require a level of maturity to ensure we always remain ‘visible’ and present; ie, availability and communication is critical. I can imagine that, even after the lockdown, organisations and employees will be a lot more accepting of remote work − to those who can. We are very proud to have been acknowledged by our clients, for our consultants, who have excelled in these rather challenging circumstances.
ITWeb: What have you learned since the lockdown began? What has been a pleasant surprise, and what has been the biggest challenge to overcome?
Bartsch: Due to the social distancing, there is a different need between employees to interact and remain connected via the different media. We seem to become more in touch with personal circumstances and there is a genuine attitude of caring. A meeting with a barking dog or baby on the lap has become part of the new normal.
Some of the challenges are often of a physical nature; eg, obtaining a new laptop, having a face-to-face performance review, or negotiations with a client.
The non-work-related implications of the lockdown also have a significant impact. For families with scholars/students, the ‘home schooling’ and e-learning requires the availability of electronic devices and assistance with the new way of learning. Younger children, now homebound, demand a lot more attention and interaction, all during business hours − with potentially both parents also having to attend to the demands of the working day.
As mentioned, the pleasant surprise is that the remote modus operandi can work.
Share