Posted: 26 / 08 / 2020
By Emma Rettig, Head of People & Culture at Sedulo
The coronavirus pandemic has presented organisations with huge operational problems, from pivoting to remote working, changing entire delivery models to impacts on supply chains. Sedulo were not exempt from this, however, we were able to use our all our values; personable, integrity, innovative, holistic and deliver beyond expectation to guide our decision making and respond positively to an unprecedented situation.
We pride ourselves on being a personable business both externally with our clients and internally as a team. The sharp shift into working remotely and no longer being able to visit client premises was a huge shock to the system. It was key that we adapted quickly and implemented activities, communities and channels to ensure everyone remained connected and continued to live our personable value.
As a business, we were already using Microsoft Teams which soon became the platform for our ‘Quaran-teams’ social channel. Through this, we hosted virtual quizzes, drinks, coffee catch-ups, running clubs and HIIT & yoga classes. Aside from the social element, daily virtual team catch-ups, virtual meetings and a wide variety of training sessions ensured our teams could continue to learn, develop, and be part of the Sedulo community.
Just some of our team sharing a virtual coffee break!
It was clear that in such challenging times our clients were going to need our support more than ever. At the start of lockdown, we quickly established a Task Force to drive our organisation’s response to the pandemic. This became a channel for key representatives across the business to work holistically, taking a joined-up approach in ensuring our clients were kept informed with government announcements and the relevant support packages.
During a period of such uncertainty, we managed to hold ourselves true to our integrity value by being upfront and honest with our clients, helping them find a solution tailored to them. The cohesive approach of our Task Force allowed resource to be adequately distributed, ensuring we continued to deliver a professional, timely and quality service for our clients.
Our drive for innovation meant that we were able to seamlessly deliver work for our clients throughout lockdown. Whether this was through making full use of our digital platforms and cloud-based technology, such as Xero or Quickbooks, or from departments coming together to pivot processes to match our new virtual world. It was key that our team collaborated to make innovative changes, enabling us to continue to operate as close to normality as possible. We even managed to interview and onboard fully remotely, including hosting a Corporate Induction Day for 20 new team members!
Many teams across the business joined forces and individuals stepped outside of their comfort zone seconding into other teams across the business to ensure we could provide adequate resources to those areas who needed it most. As a business, we recognised the hard work and often longer hours team members were working to ensure they were there for their clients. As a thank you, we sent out Zoom boxes containing gifts to each team member for delivering beyond expectation.
Personalised Zoom boxes with treats
As restrictions have started to lift we have followed our ‘sensibly, business as usual’ approach with the reopening of our offices and will continue to do so, putting the safety of our team members first.
COVID-19 has been incredibly difficult for everyone but drawing on our values has allowed us to respond positively and pro-actively to the challenges of lockdown. Some of the changes we’ve implemented have had tangible business benefits and in many ways has brought our teams closer together, even though we have been further apart.
Sensibly, business as usual in our Ambler and Regency Clubs
Our challenge now is to take all these positives and bring them into the future for Sedulo. By continuing to stay true to our values, we know that we are coming out of this situation stronger than ever before.