At the end of the first full week of working from home, I would like to share my experiences of it so far.
Let’s begin by saying that my partner, an NHS matron, picked a bad time to return from maternity leave. In regular times, she’d be working two shifts a week, for a while, then three, then returning to full time work. As it stands, she’s been plunged straight back into full time work, and is out of the house for around 12 hours each day – leaving me alone with a two-and-a-half year-old and a baby who will be having her first birthday next week.
Earlier in the week, I attended an online webinar hosted by KRAIBURG TPE, which I recorded for editorial purposes. When it came to transcription, I found sporadic bursts of screaming and giggling over-riding the audio.
Both kids were involved in the Monday afternoon conference call too. My daughter by sitting on my knee and cooing at my colleagues, and my son by removing the metallic frame from around the fireplace, which he then brandished around his head like a berserker.
I was hoping to use the extra time spent with my children in teaching my daughter to walk and teaching my son to eat something slightly healthier than crisps and biscuits. So far, we’ve made only moderate progress.
Even as I type, the latter is hanging on my arm crying because his balloon popped, and the former is climbing up my trouser leg, also crying, because she’s tired, and teething, and is suffering with ‘Sticky Eye’. The Calpol should have kicked in by now. Excuse me one moment whilst I put her to bed for a nap.
via Shutterstock
Home truths
Right. Now I can hear myself think. By and large, industry news has been notably slower than usual, and most of what I hear involves the current pandemic. On a positive note, plastics seems to be returning to its halcyon days, with plastic packaging for food and medical applications being remembered for its once revolutionary functions. With the prospect of food and medicine shortages, one wonders whether all the ‘plastic bashers’ are reconsidering their strategies.
Additive manufacturing businesses are also stepping up to the challenge through rapid creation of medical parts such as ventilators and valves, amongst other things, that can be swiftly distributed to where demand is highest.
The biggest impact to the industry remains in the events and trade fair sector, with more and more postponements coming through. AGMs and stakeholder meetings are all being held remotely as industry players do their best to restrict the spread of the Coronavirus, which shows no sign of relenting yet here in the West, where people have become so used to everyday freedoms such as interacting with friends and family, often in crowded public spaces, it’s difficult for them to change rapidly.
We all have our difficulties to face in this unprecedented era, whether working from home, working on the frontline, or – as in many cases – not working at all. As my old dad always says: “There’s always someone worse off”. For my part, I am lucky to have the option of working from home (however clingy and disruptive my children are). As ever, it’s business as usual for us and the team and I have just put the finishing touches to the April-May edition of EPPM Magazine, which will be published soon. In the meantime, catch up with the February edition, as well as previous editions, here: https://www.eppm.com/magazine
Stay sane, stay safe.