Since the beginning of June, the workforce of luminaire manufacturer Brumberg has been back at the Sundern plant. After almost 10 weeks of working from home, they are once again working on light and lighting solutions at the company headquarters in South Westphalia under strict hygiene conditions. Read here how Brumberg is taking long-term measures to ensure that this step will last.
"We are delighted to welcome our colleagues back to the company after three months of home office," Johannes and Benedikt Brumberg state. Together with managing director Andreas Meisterjahn and personnel officer Andreas Hölter, the two managing directors have developed a hygiene concept that protects employees, visitors and customers alike. Disinfectant dispensers in all WCs, at the entrance and in the public areas of the company ensure the necessary basic hygiene.
In addition, the business premises are thoroughly cleaned every day. The company has also created orientation guidelines for employees at the plant with clear rules on distance and conduct. "We are also appealing to the personal responsibility of our colleagues. Even simple hygiene measures can achieve great success in containing the pandemic. These include regular hand washing, observing safety distances, and sneezing and coughing etiquette," say the brothers, who are the fifth generation of the family to run the company.
Successful reunification.
There have been a number of changes for employees as part of the company's repatriation: There are Plexiglas screens on the desks to protect against spitting, numerous meeting rooms have been converted into offices, and the mouth-nose protective mask is now a familiar sight in the corridors. Even in meetings, the distances are greater than they were at the beginning of the year - preconditions for a successful reunion. "But the physical distance doesn't mean that cooperation suffers. Quite the opposite. Teleworking has already shown that we are all pulling in the same direction and working closely together," says Andreas Meisterjahn, taking positive stock of the situation.
Successful home work.
The time spent in the home office also presented the company with challenges. For example, Brumberg had to compensate for the cancellation of this year's light+building via digital channels. In no time at all, the Brumberg media library with product videos and on-demand training was created. Following the trial-and-error method, the Sauerland-based company also tested options such as YouTube or Facebook Live Sessions. "We also saw the Corona pandemic as an opportunity to introduce new processes and implement plans we'd had in the drawer for a while," explains Marketing Manager Werner Laux. "Sure, we also tried some things out and released some things already, although we weren't quite at 100 percent yet. But done is better than perfect. According to this motto, we generated versatile content with a pioneering spirit and numerous good ideas," he adds. Even though there is still room for improvement, the company is moving forward, developing agile processes and digital mindsets.
Overall, those responsible draw a positive conclusion. "The time spent in the home office has shown that we deliver. No matter where we work from," say Johannes and Benedikt Brumberg. Digitization is also being driven forward structurally. For example, the company has also been connected to Telekom's fiber optic network since the end of May.