Company

Working online

Dear Colleagues,

We decided to share with you the experience of our colleagues who worked on shift during the quarantine period and how our office colleagues felt themselves when working online. You can read the full interview with colleagues in the second issue of our corporate magazine. Here we share the views of field workers and colleagues of the HR department.

Field workers

How was it to work during the quarantine?

In general, the work proceeded in a standard, routine mode. We introduced several mandatory procedures: checking the temperature and other symptoms of workers, installed sanitizers throughout the territory, increased the number of shifts for dining to avoid crowds and other necessary precautions.

What were the difficulties?

In connection with the increase in the days spent on the shift, the psycho-emotional and physical load on the workers increased. And other factors, such as the aggravated situation in the country, ambiguity, information about the increasing number of infected people in the regions of Kazakhstan – all of this added a certain fear and anxiety.

How did you overcome them?

Anxiety and fear tend to disappear when there are people around to cheer you up and support. This is exactly how we coped: joint efforts with the team helped a lot.

How did the process of "re-shifting" go?

We took the process of re-shift with maximum responsibility. Having heard about cases of contamination at western oil fields, we tried to take into account all the risks and prevent their likelihood. In general, the re-shifting went smoothly, except for a bus breakdown.

What lesson did you learn for yourself?

In the company, while working through various scenarios of crisis and risks, we tried to calculate and plan appropriate actions to guarantee the business continuity. It seemed that we foresaw all the cases, but did not expect that such a thing could happen. This proves that in our time it is necessary to be ready for anything.

What will you need to pay attention to in the future?

Rapid decision-making by management and joint coordination for their implementation.

Office workers (HR)

How did it work for you in the remote format?

The quarantine regime has changed the rhythm of life for employees. For successful work, employees of all functions had to rebuild to a new format. The usual way of life has changed. As with any other format, online regime required full adaptation and we had to comply with all necessary legal requirements. The HR and the Information Technology departments needed to do detailed work in the shortest possible time in order to ensure further smooth functioning and pain-free adaptation of employees to the "new" working environment. We must pay tribute to our employees that faced the new realities, they did not lose the previous level of communication and rhythm for successful functioning and uninterrupted work. Mutual understanding and support was felt from everyone.

The HR department organized a number of useful webinars on organizing online work and improving soft skills, and also provided a database of free webinars to choose from.

What were the difficulties?

It does not matter what innovations are provided in the sphere of communication, we are used to live communication and we desperately needed it.

How did you overcome them?

There was constant continuous communication between employees. The HR department held weekly “HR Wednesday” meetings with each department, with employees of the Contract Territory and employees of off-shift, thereby increasing the involvement of personnel to resolve issues of relevance to the Company.

What lesson did you learn for yourself?

The pandemic has shown us that we need to be able to appreciate even the simplest, mundane things that are part of our daily routine. And eventhough if at times some days seemed like “groundhog day”, they were still unforgettable and beautiful.

Were there any positive aspects for the business?

The coronavirus crisis has given everyone a clear understanding that there is still room for further improvement in the business. Automation and digitization is an integral part of the business that needs to be developed and implemented.

It should be noted that there were very few positive aspects for the business, but there was a big risk. The crisis due to the coronavirus has affected all types and areas of business. But, despite these disadvantages, the management made a decision in favor of the employees and not only did not cut jobs, but also left the wages unchanged. Taking this opportunity, we want to thank the management for this on behalf of all employees.

What will you need to pay attention to in the future?

1)     Maintaining team spirit.

2)     Ability to maintain a balance between work and home when working remotely.