Aditya K Mishra on Covid19 & TCE BE Response

Covid-19 has affected all of us, not just the medical fraternity, all companies on businesses, and it came upon us so swiftly that we had hardly any time to prepare for this. The first thing we did around March 2020 was to work on the business continuity plan and modify it so that we could survive this current situation. We started daily meetings at all levels across the organization, from the senior-most level up to the project manager level. We worked and enabled our employees to work from home, both hardware and software. We created protocols to ensure smooth audio and video calls. We equipped employees with collaborative tools so that they could conduct their project reviews online. At the same time ensuring that network security was not compromised. We also realized that we needed to add some new measures to our balance scorecard. So while making the new BSC for FY21, we have added some new ones which we believe will not only help us tide over this situation but also keep us ready to bounce back as soon as the situation is recovers. While doing all this, we saw the working times keep increasing and creeping up. As an organization, we have brought about policies to ensure work-life balance. At an individual level also, all of us have had to make some changes. I, for one, decided to have a place in my house which is in a corner where I can work quietly all day long. I also take frequent breaks of 5-10 minutes, maybe every hour and a half or every 2 hours, and I ensure that I do not have any structured meetings between 1 PM and 2 PM. While the COVID situation continues, we continue to face challenges and we need to reinvent and renew ourselves, which we are doing. In the true spirit of continuous improvement and business excellence.