Caitlin O’Riley, Marketing Manager, Derbigum Manufacturing

What have you enjoyed the most about working from home?
I’ve enjoyed the flexible working hours. It’s also great to have access to your fridge for the occasional snack.

How did you build camaraderie and stay connected during lockdown?
Our whatsapp groups have kept us in contact and the occasional phone call to another staff member has helped.

What do you envision as the new normal for construction professionals?
I think anyone that works primarily in admin or marketing roles should be encouraged to work from home and that the introduction and use of certain technology to remain in contact is necessary.  On site, elevated PPE requirements and hygiene protocols will be the way forward as well as regular monitoring of workers health.

Top 3 tips for staying resilient in the face of current situation.

• Try not to succumb to negative press and look for solutions instead of focussing solely on the problems
• Make a to-do list to keep you focused, we have prioritized ours from low to high priority and keep it on Google Drive where our other colleagues can see our progress to keep us accountable
• Take an unpresumptuous look at old systems, products or processes and assess whether they are fit for purpose in this new era, discard things that don’t work and embrace those that do

How do you cope?
I’ve taken to enjoying my breaks in the garden, focused on meditation practices to calm and centre myself and made sure to move my body most days (even if it’s just stretching for 10 minutes).