With more than a year having passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to reflect on some of the essential safety measures Lanes Group has worked hard to put in place - throughout the multiple lockdowns and in line with government restrictions. 

With many people’s typical working routine and environment being disrupted, and new safety regulations being introduced, we understood the importance of adapting our way of working at Lanes Group. 

In this blog post, we will discuss some of the challenges we faced as a business, particularly at the start of the pandemic and how, how we overcame them. Throughout the pandemic, we have done everything possible to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our staff were prioritised at all times. 

Adapting Our Safety Procedures 

The main challenge we have faced over the past year has been adapting our depots to meet newly introduced COVID-compliant safety requirements. This was something that was not only new to us as a company, but new to everyone and it brought about a completely new way of working. 

Our depots have been made COVID-secure by us actioning the below steps: 

Social Distancing Measures 

• Reducing the number of people in offices where employees are not able to socially distance safely and implementing a rota. 
• Limiting the number of employees allowed in social areas such as kitchens and toilets. 
• Limiting the number of people engineers are in contact with by introducing ‘a work bubble’ and reducing contact with other employees. 
• The rearranging of workstations to ensure social distancing measures are in place.
• Limiting our vehicles to one engineer per vehicle. Where this wasn’t possible, we were cautious to avoid swapping or mixing staff. 
• Operating a one-way system in some depots to avoid engineer congestion within both the depot and office. 
• Limiting our operations desk to two engineers per desk and encouraging ‘drop and go’ for any important paperwork and working documents. 

Enhanced Sanitation Procedures and PPE

• Utilising the Teamleaf app system to avoid the need where possible, for work instruction and the passing of documents. Jobs can be taken straight off the app. 
• Introducing COVID sanitisation stations before staff enter the operation reception areas. This includes masks, sanitiser, wet wipes, and paper towels. 
• Implementing temperature checks prior to staff entering the office using an electronic thermometer. 
• Providing COVID cleaning stations throughout our offices. 
• Providing engineers with extra PPE, such as masks and sanitisers. 
• Ensuring all members of staff wear their masks when moving around the building. 
• Deep cleaning of all vehicles on a regular basis to reduce the risk of being infected by the virus. 

Prioritising Staff and Providing Support

At Lanes Group, our staff’s mental and physical health is our number one priority, and this is something we have continued to focus on throughout the duration of the pandemic. 

We have taken the following steps to ensure that our staff feel fully supported and safe at all times: 

• Any vulnerable employees that received government shielding letters were placed on furlough leave to ensure they didn’t have to make the difficult decision between shielding and working. 
• Each depot has specific support systems in place to encourage working together during the pandemic but in a safe and socially distanced manner. 
• We have encouraged employees to work from home where required, particularly if they felt vulnerable or worried about attending the workplace. 
• Where possible, we have also provided support to those working from home and struggling to arrange childcare as we understand the pressure and stress of balancing work and home commitments. 

Keeping Our Customers Safe 

As well as ensuring our employees are safe at all times, we have also been doing everything possible to keep our customers safe. The whole team has worked hard to keep our services running at a consistent and high standard throughout the pandemic, and we have been going the extra mile to put our customer’s minds at ease. We have taken the following steps to achieve this: 

• We have avoided face-to-face meetings where possible, but have also carried out an increased triage of calls by our key accounts call centre, insurance and depot teams to keep up our strong communication with customers. 
• All staff members working in restricted areas are always wearing full PPE. 
• We have removed or reduced the need for customers and engineers to handle or sign paperwork where possible by using the Teamleaf app instead. This is not only safer but it is also much easier for our clients. 
• Our services have continued while remaining compliant with the client’s personal protocols (some are more rigorous than others). 
• Our private customers all receive calls ahead and complete triage questions en route to avoid unnecessary face-to-face meetings and also confirm it is safe to carry out the required work. 

Doing Our Bit 

We are proud to have put our staff and customers at the forefront of our work by prioritising their safety without compromising on the level of service we provide. The team also carried out essential drainage work in Glasgow, which was required for the temporary Louisa Jordan hospital. This has now become a vaccination hub for those living in the area, and we are proud to have been involved in making this location safe and fit for purpose during the pandemic.  

Get in Touch 

If you're interested in working for Lanes Group, browse our current vacancies here, or get in touch with our team today by using our contact form.

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