Change can be hard for businesses. A successful company needs stability. It needs reliable employees, a coherent structure where processes drive towards a single goal, vendors that are dependable, supply chains that are consistent and above all a market into which it can trade.
As I sit typing at my desk, the birds singing in the garden, sun streaming through the dining room window where at the table the kids are doing schoolwork, it’s fair to say that stability is rather lacking.
Times are hard for everyone right now, each day brings new challenges, the future is uncertain in ways very few people have experienced before.
However, the whole 1st Technologies (Bargain Hardware & ICT Direct) family has come together to ensure we can continue to serve our customers. We may not be the first or even second line of defence in this crisis, but we can do our part by providing key public & private sector organisations with the tools to carry on working remotely.
We haven’t been able to carry on as normal though. Oh no! With each government briefing there have been new measures we’ve had to take. On Monday the 16th March, the Government informed the nation that anyone who can work from home should work from home. As the majority of staff left for the day, our Directors met to formulate a plan for the coming weeks. The 1st Technologies family is made up of just over 50 employees, split into roughly six departments. There are the office-based sales and support teams for Bargain Hardware, ICT Direct and 1st Tech Trade and the warehouse-based inbound, outbound and inventory control teams. Reducing possible infection points meant sending all office staff home who did not need a presence in our warehouse. Mitigating further infections points for those who still remained required implementation of physical distancing, new sanitisation procedures and the release of a policy covering sick leave for those required to self-isolate should the need arise.
The Home Workers
A major design feature of our offices at 1st Tech is flexibility via hot-desks. For several years now office teams have worked using Lenovo Thinkpads – taken from stock and we’re proud enough of our kit to use it as our daily driver – on docking stations. This left us in the excellent position of having everything to hand in order to work from home. We have a VPN set up already as some of us have to work remotely from conferences or when visiting company partners, and so remote workers have access to the internal network with the shared files and ERP system that we all need to do our jobs effectively. Adding capacity to this was simple enough and left us ready for the eventuality of having most staff out of the office.
With the VPN connection comes access to our VoIP phone system and when you throw Skype into the mix we’re able to pretty much work as normal. Meetings are held in group Skype calls, whilst any conversations between colleagues happen over the phone.
The only thing a lot of us were missing was a home-office setup, so we’ve borrowed bits from our offices in Ribchester and requisitioned additional items from stock to fill that need.
I’ve taken an additional screen, my favourite keyboard and, crucially, my nice, comfortable, office chair!
Other team members who don’t have a home work area have stripped bare their workspace in Ribchester, taking home everything they normally use to do their job.
So far things are running relatively smooth despite our teams now being spread as far South as Cheshire, as far North as Lancaster, on the coast in Blackpool and on the wrong side of the hills near Skipton – that is a quite staggering 1,500 sq. mile area - we remain in contact almost as efficiently as if we were sharing an office.
Group calls first thing in the morning set the scene for the day. Being responsible for I.T hardware in key-worker school hubs and public sector organisations, ICT Direct have had to move quickly to reducing the risk of infection as each day, with many of their suppliers and customers now only open with a skeleton crew of staff. Working out how best to supply customers with the devices they require has led to some creative solutions requiring input from all team members.
Similarly, the global move to home working has seen Bargain Hardware help supply laptops and remote access servers to major companies across the UK and Europe, helping to keep companies working despite these most difficult of circumstances. They've also found an increase in demand from data centres in correlation with the higher load on online services.
Whilst the Bargain Hardware teams operate with a degree of autonomy, being able to liaise between direct sales, customer support, web teams and warehouse teams is essential. 1st Tech Trade, who handle our purchasing have been working flat-out to procure enough devices to meet the requirements of the company. Often in challenging market conditions where prices rise sharply against everyday items when there is great demand. Each Trade Team specialist will field multiple calls from colleagues who need certain components, or specific models of devices purchasing on an ‘As soon as Possible!’ timescale.
These three departments work cohesively to keep the business ticking along, making sure that goods are coming into the warehouse to replenish those that other teams have sold. That they are able to do this without being on the premises is a testament to the quality and determination of our colleagues, but without the underlying technology enabling the interaction between the teams, none of it would be possible.
The Warehouse
The three warehouse divisions are the beating-heart of 1st Tech. They’ve been asked to come into work in circumstances that are uncertain, challenging and more than a little scary and it is to their credit that they continue to work with good humour, professionalism and to the very high standards that their team leaders expect.
Things have changed at our Ribchester base since the outbreak.
We’re taking every precaution possible to ensure a safe working environment for our colleagues. This is extended to our customers also as we try to disinfect every piece of stock that comes into and goes out of the building.
We now clean devices coming into stock with Isopropyl in addition to our standard surface cleansers and a solvent for removal of any sticker residue. This should remove any lingering pathogen from devices that are coming into 1st Tech. Not only that but our quality control team are cleaning devices with Isopropyl immediately before they’re boxed up to be shipped out to customers. This should reduce the risk of transmission to our customers with devices being thoroughly sanitised twice as they journey through the company and head out to their new users.
Each step is designed to limit exposure for customers and colleagues alike, everyone’s safety is of paramount importance, and lots of little steps taken to minimise risk can have a massive effect down the line.
New rules about keeping a safe distance in our workplace have been implemented, with colleagues now to remain 2 metres away from each other at all times. Team members who require access to certain areas of the business where space is more restricted must now only enter these spaces when they are not currently occupied.
To further these directives, changes have been made to breaks with each department now taking breaks separately and lunch being split into four sittings rather than two. As I mentioned earlier, small steps add up to far fewer potential infections points.
A Rush for Laptops
In the last month we’ve understandably seen a huge surge in demand for mobile computing and home worker solutions. The sheer volume of orders going out has not once phased our outbound team, nor have our inbound team missed a single beat whilst working flat out to ensure supply meets demand.
Our inventory team have had to work like never before. With new stock being processed as fast as possible and sales orders being released constantly, the inventory team are having to get creative with how they put away stock and get components picked for pending orders. Their hard work links inbound and outbound and makes sure customers receive their orders on time.
And yet, despite the challenge, despite being asked to come in to work when half of their colleagues have been told to stay away, despite the seriousness of the times we now live in, despite all of this, our warehouse team have shown just what can be achieved when everyone takes a challenge head on, works toward the same goal and faces adversity with good humour.
Speaking on the phone with some of my warehouse colleagues I’ve encountered the same good-natured banter and easy-going attitude as I always did in less-severe times. It’s been uplifting to see our team carry on so well. These times can take their toll however, and our team of mental health first aiders are there to help should anybody feel like they’re struggling.
What is important here and the one thing we can take away from an unprecedented situation like this is that modern technology and an open mind when it comes to adapting a workplace to challenging situations really can bring the best out in people and the business can continue to flourish as a result.
1st Technologies Ltd continues to supply the UK and Europe with the finest quality refurbished computer hardware ensuring our Education, Public Sector, Business & Retail customers have access to business-grade hardware that helps to keep people connected, helps ensure business continuity, and helps ensure that the flow of information is uninterrupted even as our daily lives are more and more restrained.
Remember. Keep safe and stay indoors where possible.
www.ict-direct.co.uk | www.bargainhardware.co.uk | www.1st-tech.co.uk
