Play > Pause > Reset
January 01, 2021
When we welcomed 2020 at the turn of the year few could have predicted that it would be full of challenges beyond the imagination. Most businesses would have been looking forward to executing their carefully planned business strategies full of anticipation and hope that 2020 would be one to look back upon. Fast forward to March and the world is in the midst of a global pandemic that threatens most if not all industries on a global scale, no travel, limited face to face contact, a non-existent tourism sector and a limited retail sector.
Gibtelecom executives and management teams are searching for the business continuity documents that everyone knows exist and do they include scenarios for global pandemics? Thankfully Gibtelecom was well prepared and had resilience in technology and processes to cope with such events.
First step, organise daily emergency response team meetings, remotely of course and including Exec Team, Heads of Operations, Technology, Customer Care and HR all included to ensure that decisions can be taken on the fly. Key areas of focus being the wellbeing of both staff and customers while at the same time maintaining and supporting the core business products and service levels, especially to key customers such as the Gibraltar Government and the Gibraltar Health Authority, the Covid response team and the wider community.
Alongside these business thoughts there are the personal ones, how does this affect childcare, how can I look after my elderly parents and can I even visit them, how am I going to work from home and do I have a place in the house or apartment I can turn into an office?
Looking on the positive side: over the last ten months we have been able to take a step back and re-evaluate our business. Both the structure and products, products and services have been assessed to see if they are right for today’s ever-changing marketplace. New products have been developed or planned based on this evaluation work.
It has been a time for resetting the agenda: we need to take on board the changes we have seen in business life, the remote working and reduced business travel leading to a better work life balance. The environment has benefitted during the pandemic, an opportunity we cannot miss to build on. Ultimately, we have been reminded what is important to us – our customers, employees, family and friends.
Article featured in Gibrael Chamber Annual Publication 2021