The current pandemic has impacted all facets of our lives—schooling, jobs, shopping, really everything. D3G is no different. But while this has been a curveball for employees and clients alike, it’s also been a learning experience. We sat down with Beth Petersen, our HR Director, to get some insight into how the company has changed and innovated to best suit in the current climate.  

 

As you continue to manage, respond, and navigate through the impact of COVID-19 in the workplace, what have been some of the major barriers D3G has come across in implementing new policy and procedure? 

 

Beth: I think that one of the major barriers has been the lack of historical knowledge or protocols to reply upon and follow. This is new for companies and everyone is learning as they go. Another barrier has been keeping current with new information and protocols as they change, which seems like every day at this point.  The ability to continue to educate ourselves around COVID-19 and pivot to meet the ever-changing landscape has certainly presented some challenges while maintaining business continuity. Lastly, realizing that every person reacts differently to the pandemic and there is a lot of emotion around the changes to people’s day-to-day lives. We have to balance the health and concerns of our employees, while also fulfilling our business needs and productivity.

 

Can you share your thoughts on the difficulties of meeting the demands of business and while also keeping employee safety a top priority? How has D3G overseen these two things? 

 

Beth: During this time, we are navigating personal health concerns, business needs, heavy reliance on technology, as well as taking a proactive approach to hiring and training. As an organization, we have always prided ourselves on our ability to meet our client’s needs, however, we need to acknowledge and focus on the safety of our employees, especially related to travel and inspections during this time.

 

 

How has D3G leveraged different technologies in the workplace to ensure that communication and productivity remain constant in this time of remote work?

 

Beth: We use Microsoft Teams and Go to Meeting as our virtual platforms, as well as SurveyMonkey for our survey tool. Teams have enabled our employees to leverage tools such as Chat and Teams Meetings to stay connected during this time. Whether a brief check-in or a more structured meeting, Teams has served as a great platform to easily stay engaged and share business information among project teams within the organization. In addition, we have leveraged both of these platforms for employee engagement activities such as trivia nights, photo contests, as well as for sharing fun social posts. Lastly, D3G has committed to gathering continuous employee feedback during this time and we have created several surveys that focus on working remotely, as well as thoughts around employee’s comfort levels around returning to the workplace. The information that we have gathered has been instrumental as we continue to navigate the workforce during these times.

 

D3G has continued to hire in the midst of COVID. How has D3G been able to successfully onboard new staff, while also responding to workforce management changes? 

 

Beth: Communication and flexibility have been key! Using our internal technologies, we have been able to virtually interview and onboard new employees. During both the interview and onboarding phases, we have emphasized D3G’s commitment to the health and safety of our employees, as well as the specific measures that we have been putting into place both in our office and during site inspections. In addition, we have been fortunate to enable remote training for new employees, as well as introduce them to the organization through virtual Meet and Greets.

 

What has been your greatest take away as an HR Director in the age of Coronavirus; either personally as it pertains to your role or companywide? 

 

Beth: Helping to lead an organization through this pandemic has probably been both one of the greatest challenges and opportunities for professional growth as an HR leader. The power of networking and sharing of best practices can never be underestimated during times of crisis. I am proud of the personal and safe approach that D3G has taken with our employees during this time, and that D3G is an organization that can quickly pivot, adapt, and grows in an ever-changing landscape.

Interested in joining our team, or learning more about the company and culture? Check out our website and see the faces behind the scenes! We value our employees, their safety, and their work. We look forward to continuing to adapt to whatever is thrown our way.

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