(Home)Office during Corona times – We are system relevant

Emergency: Complete loss of the team due to Corona

After it became known at a technical test centre in my area that the test centre manager had had contact with a person infected with the corona virus, all colleagues from the immediate vicinity – i.e. the entire test centre team – had to be sent home immediately. At least until the test results of the test centre manager were available. That couldn’t take very long, could it? In reality, the task of obtaining a test result was unfortunately much more difficult than the reports in the media suggest. The waiting time for the result was five days. Five days of uncertainty. Five working days with significantly fewer colleagues.

The appointment calendars were well filled, the smaller workshops in the vicinity were counting on us, not least to save their existence. “TÜV preparation” with necessary repairs is their business. Without TÜV, no business.

So, after the test site had been thoroughly disinfected, it was time for me to put on work clothes, turn up my sleeves, and get to the ” frontline “. One colleague showed himself more than flexible to support me in this turbulent week. A big thank you for that! My conclusion: it was fun.

Vehicle tests are system relevant

On the following weekend, everyone was eagerly awaiting the message from our Chancellor Angela Merkel. The essence of the message was: “Extensive no-contact policy”. Many parts of the economy were restricted, shut down. Thank goodness the federal states and the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure are of the opinion that carrying out regular technical inspections serves road safety and is necessary to maintain the system relevant logistics chains. Furthermore, the use of public transport (local public transport) is very limited or even non-existent. As a result, many are once again increasingly dependent on individual mobility.

After initial concerns as to whether the test centre may remain open and we could continue our work, it is now clear to us: we may and we do. We are important! We keep the system stable as long as possible. We keep the wheels turning. We countered the fears of some colleagues of becoming infected through customer contact with extensive hygiene measures prescribed by the company, which we all strictly follow.

New day-to-day work: checking, educating, encouraging

And from one day to the next we have mutated from a pure examiner to an all-round talent. We are listeners, psychologists, politicians, educators. Where under normal circumstances the trip to the TÜV is often seen as unpleasant, we now receive thanks and encouragement that we are still here and that we will continue.
For some customers the “TÜV visit” is an exciting change from their own four walls. Finally get out and see other people. Through our internet presence and notices on site, we sensitize customers to keep their distance and to behave appropriately according to the current situation.

We also think of those in the home office, for whom this time is certainly not easy. Keyword: “Social Distancing”. But we must not lose sight of our colleagues who continue to work tirelessly and show courage every day. Thumbs up. 👍

A team of musketeers

I am more than just a little bit proud to work with such a great team. We also had heated discussions and differences of opinion, but in the end we understood that it depends on everyone.

Each individual has a responsibility to make his or her own contribution in order to survive the crisis in the best possible way. Let me quote a sentence from the novel “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas: “One for all and all for one!” As a child, that quote gave me goose bumps and I think it’s more relevant than ever…

Watch your health!