We chatted to Wayne Neary, MD of ICON Group, to get his take.
Wayne Neary: Our initial response was concern for our clients, teams and suppliers. Thankfully, we had the benefit of observing the process unfold overseas before it directly impacted us, which helped us manage and plan for the process.
Neary: The impact has been felt by all sectors of the economy and construction has been heavily impacted. Thankfully, we have a well-established business with resources built up and paid for over time which has ensured we've been largely sheltered.
Neary: We have purchased all required safety equipment, PPE, etc., and conducted extensive training on all aspects.
Neary: The challenges will be to ensure that we can restore full production while ensuring our employees, clients and suppliers remain safe. The opportunities are endless, with the pandemic forcing us as a nation and global population to think outside of the box and work more efficiently while commissioning new technology.
Neary: The lockdown has had a direct impact on all our staff, processes and policies. We have adopted a work-from-home policy where possible. We have also implemented social distancing, screening and hygiene regiments for all our essential staff.
Neary: We have embraced technology such as Zoom for meeting where necessary, but have always encouraged our staff to work independently while still driving team objectives.
Neary: Trends in our business are to have smaller more focused teams working in relay where possible.
Neary: Keep positive! Stay focused!
Neary: That is the million-dollar question. I think it will be challenging, but ultimately rewarding to find ways to overcome the adversity and come out the other end stronger as a result.
