Coronavirus is serious. Panic is optional.
We haven’t said much in the past week as it felt like there was a wave of coronavirus posts and people rushing to tell the world that they have now learnt how to wash their hands in the workplace. We were not sure what useful information we could add to the conversation. Now that everyone is getting used to the new government regulations to beat this awful disease we wanted to share an update with you.
TeamO is taking the view that Coronavirus is very serious, but panic is optional.
We had been having on-going conversations with the production team at TO HQ as the coronavirus numbers in the UK started to go up. Many were feeling understandably nervous about continuing to come in each day, and some have vulnerable family who absolutely must be their priority. Everyone here is passionate about this little business and no one wanted to close the factory, but there are more important things in life than lifejackets.
Having listened hard, we made a plan. It’s not possible to make a lifejacket at home. But it is possible to do a lot of the preproduction work from your kitchen table. Last weekend we moved a couple of rolls of fabric and tools around to the right places and this week we have been trialing our first ever Production From Home processes. Only our directors will now make the journey in to work and even then only when necessary to support the production team.
This means that production is slower, but still going. Everyone is keeping their jobs and we’re moving forward together. We have put in place extra quality control checks as production-ready pieces are sent back to TeamO, and by doing this we can keep the wheels turning.
We have some stock already packed which means we can carry on dispatching orders taken via our website and some of our retailers are still open too. We would suggest allowing a few days extra for delivery when you order as some couriers are running reduced services.
We’re missing the chat and laughter in the TeamO building but we know that when it’s safe to do so we’ll all be back, ready to crack on. There is a saying ‘in the depths of winter, plan for summer.’ We’re hoping that by summer we will all be venturing out on the water again, and we’re planning to have lifejackets and safety equipment ready for you when the time is right.
Best wishes from everyone at TeamO.