Should I Stay or Should I Go?
As we slowly emerge from the throes of the global pandemic, the question of "Should I Stay or Should I Go?” back to the office is on the minds of many employers whose staff have been working remotely for the better part of two years. The question, and the song by the same name, made famous by The Clash in 1982, is certainly rolling around in the minds of Utility Safety Partners’ leadership.
Over the past two years, USP operations has taken on new challenges unifying resources with the former Alberta Common Ground Alliance and the Where’s the LINE campaign, introducing two new At Large Board members to the Board of Directors, securing ISO Certification and developing and rolling out a new revenue structure to name a few. And, during all of that, USP’s Contact Centre experienced some of the highest number of locate requests in recent memory – and it was all managed remotely. To the public, our members and the frequent users of our system, it was business as usual and we never missed a beat. That wasn’t just a happy coincidence, though. The shift to remote operations has been in the works for a very long time.
Given the nature of USP’s core "Call / Click Before You Dig” operations, USP introduced permanent Work at Home Agents many years ago. Over time, seasonal Agents who met performance targets were also provided with the opportunity to work from home. And more recently, with the onset of updated software, Agent performance had increased to such a high level that virtually all Agents – permanent and seasonal – were able to work from home. With their Teams working remotely, Team Leaders were also provided with the option to work remotely and eventually, that same option was opened to all roles. Prior to moving to our new office December 2019, it wasn’t uncommon to see only a handful of staff at the office. Standard operating procedures were revised accordingly and remote engagement technology allowed operations to carry on as usual. In effect, all of this allowed USP to pivot quickly to complete virtual operations when we closed the office March 15, 2020 due to the global pandemic. Now, two years later, we are wrestling with the question of whether or not to return.
Operationally, there have not been any negative implications to USP’s virtual operations. In fact, the evidence is overwhelming that USP has continued to meet or exceed Corporate Performance targets, goals and objectives – and that is attributable to USP’s dedicated and professional staff who recognized and successfully facilitated the challenge shift to virtual operations.
Now, as the pandemic appears to be diminishing, we’re looking at the USP office and asking ourselves if we should return to the way things were. Operationally, there’s no need but the implications of not returning will have a domino effect on local, municipal, provincial and national economies. What happens if 20%, 40% or even 80% of all businesses decide not to return to full office capacity? The economic impact to office leasing, municipal transportation, corporate taxes, restaurants, coffee shops, catering, etc. will be cataclysmic. Already, so many business that relied on the corporate world for survival have disappeared and those remaining won’t last if post pandemic office space remains vacant.
Compared to most of the 850 members who have registered their energy and utility assets with USP, we are a small employer with a small economic footprint; however, the moral and ethical dilemma we are facing in this regard is identical.
Mike Sullivan - President - Utility Safety Partners