Lockdown Thoughts 2.1 - Empty Halls

At 10pm last night I set the alarm, closed the doors to the main office and locked the gate behind me. For a few hours the building was buzzing with people collecting equipment to work from home, but when I left the corridors were silent. Within a few short hours we went from leading our normal lives to being plunged again into lockdown. I doubt the rest of the world will look on with much sympathy. They have been living this on a daily basis for 18 months. But for us it is an unwelcome return to uncertainty, restrictions and fear of what might happen next.

I personally support the government stance. They have steered us well to date and the fact that we lasted so long is something I will always remain thankful for. My wife Emma once said that we saved a year of our lives by moving to New Zealand and I have to agree with her. But with the Delta variant as confirmed in the community I will be surprised if the de-escalation from Level 4 will be fast. Let’s hope for at least Level 3 so we can continue to manufacture for our valuable customers who put so much faith in us.

The main thing at this stage is that we remain calm, follow the guidelines and support each other. Last time 88% of our team were isolating with friends or family, but the rest were on their own. Please look out for your teammates who may be in this situation. And feel free to let me know too so I can reach out to them. It will be a lonely place if this goes on for long.

I also note that many of you found working from home less than ideal with distractions and equipment issues. Please remember that we only expect what you can give at a time like this. We know you are doing your best. And let us know if we can do anything to help. If this goes on longer than 3 days we can work with you to upgrade equipment and improve your experience. Just talk to your SMT member or me.

In the meantime, I will start writing a daily article again. I am actually looking forward to it as I enjoy writing. I hope it helps just a little.

Ben Reed
Managing Director - HamiltonJet