feature
GHD During and After COVID-19 It has certainly been a very interesting, challenging and at times stressful year, not only at GHD but in companies around the world. We have all gone through many changes under the duress of the pandemic. The focus for GHD in Waterloo has of course been the health and safety of our employees and the communities in which we live and work. GHD established internal regional COVID-19 response teams around the globe, keeping track of the ever changing provincial/federal/municipal guidelines and regulations. These regional teams established training for staff either working from home, occasionally accessing an office, or working in the field. In addition, GHD developed a contact tracing app to elevate engagement and awareness with employees and to evaluate potential transmission should there be a potential positive case. I am amazed at how adaptable the workforce is, not only at GHD but also with our clients in municipalities and industries. The ability to adjust and pivot (my new favorite pandemic word) to the added parameters of health and safety, distance working, communication with colleagues and clients while maintaining a level of sustainable efficiency is very impressive. Spawned out of this resilience were several silver lining moments. We have been working towards a paperless office for years, this past year has re-set the bar for what may be achievable. Another item that was long debated was the evolving work from home policies, all the security, communications, connectivity, and management issues resolved themselves over a three-week period and bam we were working from home. Also, every school age child now knows what asynchronous means. However, it is important to note that even as we were becoming adept at working from home, the wellbeing of our employees came to the forefront. Whether living alone, or with significant others and/or children, new stressors were emerging. Significant changes to routines and being quarantined with or without others adds tension. It became for many that our rocks, our stabilizers, our happy places became less so. GHD took a holistic approach, reinforcing a robust wellbeing program, recognizing early on the ramifications that the pandemic was having on the mental
health of the employees. The evolution and commitment to the wellness program for the strength and stability of our workforce is crucial to continue to the end of the pandemic and beyond. What will the work environment be like when the pandemic is a thing of the past? I am not convinced we will see the end of the impact of this for some time, as I am expecting potential repercussions and ongoing monitoring long past the vaccine wave. In addition, based on the efficiencies developed and the flexibility provided to employees, I don’t believe we will be back to work in the same manner as pre-COVID. The ‘normal’ we refer to is likely a thing of the past. There will be a new-normal and I predict that the agility and flexibility of the employer/employee relationship will be paramount to continued survival/success. When the time is right GHD Waterloo will repopulate our offices. There is a desire from both the company and employees to return to the office, to work in teams, to collaborate and socialize with colleagues on a more personal face to face level. This re-opening will coincide with regulations relaxing and will be conservatively staged to ensure safety for all involved. It is anticipated that the employees will return to office maintaining some flexibility to work in the field, from home or really from anywhere providing we continue to provide service to our clients. It will be an exciting time to be leveraging the efficiencies that we've learned during this period and re-connecting on a personal level with clients and colleagues.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Ferguson, GHD John Ferguson is a mechanical engineer that has worked in GHD's environmental group for over 25 years. Mr. Ferguson is the Waterloo office manager for GHD, which employs approximately 700 people in the region.“
advocate May | June 2021
17
