As the COVID-19 clouds begin to part, businesses are slowly returning to normal from an on-site staffing standpoint. One such company is Offix of Gainesville, Virginia, which was given the green light per state guidelines and welcomed its staff back the week of June 8 after roughly a three-month hiatus.
While the company still operated in a remote fashion, the first week back in the office provided a high level of excitement. While there were many new wrinkles and procedures in place, the opportunity to resume any level of normalcy was embraced by the company’s staff. We spoke with company Marketing Director Matteo Recanatini to get a sense of the process and the path forward for Offix.
Was your decision to reopen Offix’s on-site operations based on state or local guidance? Please provide some insight into your decision-making process.
Recanatini: As an essential
business, Offix has remained operational, and immediately implemented a safety
protocol to ensure that our non-essential staff could work remotely, where
possible, and that our essential staff would be able to operate in a manner
that ensures their safety and security, as well as that of our customers and
clients. We did so by implementing work-from-home policies, staggered schedules
that ensured ample distancing and allowed for deep-cleaning activities between
shifts, and by providing a detailed protocol for our technicians. We adhered
(and will continue to adhere) to state and federal guidelines as a minimum
standard, and implemented a phased reopening when the Virginia Governor issued
Executive Orders 62, delaying opening of certain counties, and 65, easing
certain restrictions.
What accommodations, if any, were put into
place prior to allowing the balance of staff to return?
Recanatini: Offix has developed a
detailed reopening policy that includes providing workers with protective
equipment, monitoring staff temperature at the beginning of each shift through
a single point of entry before they are allowed to proceed to their
workstations, and limiting personal contacts through internal and customer
meetings to what is absolutely necessary and can ensure social distancing.
Where necessary, we also reconfigured workstations to ensure social distancing
protocols are observed.
While it is hard to find absolute
consensus regarding the appropriate time for employees to return to work, how
would you characterize the general feeling from your employees?
Recanatini: Thanks to the open communication culture that distinguishes Offix in general, our staff has been able to ask questions and make suggestions throughout the implementation of all our COVID-related procedures and protocols. During the most recent implementation of our “reopening” protocols, we conducted a virtual town-hall meeting that included training, an explanation of our new policies, and an opportunity for all of our team members to address concerns and ask questions. This ensured a smooth transition into the reopening phase, and the ability for all staff to feel comfortable with Offix’s level of support to the staff and its customers.
How would you characterize the initial days since the “reopening,” from an internal and external standpoint? Also, do you get a sense that clients/prospects are more accessible or are gravitating toward “business as usual” relations?
Recanatini: The word that comes to mind is “excitement.” During the first week, the company leadership organized a virtual all-hands meeting for all of our locations to ensure social distancing. We presented an overview of how the company navigated the often-uncertain waters of the previous three months, outlined the path forward we are now charting, answered questions and addressed concerns from our team members. Just as importantly, we thanked each and every one of our employees for their commitment to our mission during these months.
The return to what is currently an “interim normal” life was met with the same sense of excitement that can be experienced when seeing friends for the first time after a long time apart.
As a member of a family-owned business, one of the things I was most proud of was that, in our return to work, Offix was able to avoid furloughs and layoffs of any kind. We welcomed back 100% of our workforce, ensuring their ability to continue to provide for their families.
We have also kept our customers informed of our new protocols, which allows for virtual communication any time a customer prefers and, in some cases, even remote support. We see a broad spectrum of preferences and having procedures that allow to accommodate every segment of the spectrum is certainly met with appreciation by our customers.
Finally, we have implemented a screening questionnaire, which was developed for new and prospective employees.
What do you see as being the key(s) to normalizing business in the weeks and months ahead?
Recanatini: I would summarize this answer with three concepts: talent, preparedness and communication.
Talent: We want to make sure we nurture the best talent on the market. Continued, explosive growth has put us in the unique position of continuing to hire, even during the pandemic, in order to adapt to the changing levels of demand and product/service needs.
Preparedness: We want to continue to monitor our level of preparedness, both from a product and service standpoint, by being able to offer products that are meaningful and relevant, like the temperature detection and monitoring kiosk we have been offering for the past month. From a process standpoint, we wanted to make sure our staff continues to be productive and efficient, no matter what the market climate.
Communication: Clear and straightforward communication with our staff and customers means knowing that they have a clear understanding on what they can expect from Offix at all times, that they are confident of our understanding of their needs and challenges, and that they can count on us when they need to. This is one of the key elements to allow them to focus on business growth and success.
