COVID-19 Team Blog: Calum MacGregor

4 minutes to read.

We’re proud of what our teams are achieving at Carpenters during the coronavirus pandemic. Written by colleagues across multiple divisions of the company, they hopefully provide a small insight into our continuing working practices and values as we all adjust to our new world.

Here is the ninth in the series from Head of Carpenters Scotland, Calum MacGregor. 

Nobody left behind

"In the immortal words of the youngest ever elected President of the United States of America, John F Kennedy , “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future”. These words are germane to the current unprecedented times we are living in and a stern test of a business’s fortitude .

The lockdown has presented many different challenges to the business as we navigate unchartered waters. We are fortunate that we have a dynamic and progressive business model which focuses on sustainability and expansion.  Underpinning that has always been an innovative and pioneering approach as to how we work which has in many respects made us the successful business that we are.

We have coped brilliantly with the lockdown and team playing is very much at the core of that success. From IT to First Response Unit to Finance to HR to Payroll to General Office to our various Pre-lit and Litigated teams, a strong management team and beyond have all played an instrumental role in achieving success in adapting to the new ways.  The speed and efficiency at which we set up remote working, and all the various facets that involves, was impressive.

Whilst I am not working remotely, I am in regular contact with the team and familiar with the various challenges associated with working from home. For example, those with children are wearing three different hats as parent, teacher and last but not least employee! This has been supported by the business’s flexible approach to the pandemic in assisting our team cope during these demanding times. These include a regular weekly management email update and of course the ever-helpful intranet. It is important that people feel valued to maintain a positive morale in difficult circumstances. It is highly commendable that we have managed to achieve that.

From a Scottish perspective, the issues we face as a business are similar to those south of the border. We have managed to secure a workable system in Scotland that ensures we deliver the best service possible to our clients during these trying times. This has involved keeping abreast of the various updates from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service regarding Court work and liaising with our medical and rehabilitation providers to ensure we deliver continuity of service for our clients. In the main this has involved Skype /Zoom applications to tailor the needs of our clients . We also need to keep a watchful eye on various insurer behaviours regarding Covid, on an individual basis where specific action may be necessitated depending on the circumstances.

Unsurprisingly communication is key in many respects and that cuts across our clients, inter-department issues and teams within the business to our client insurers. In these challenging times client vulnerability is an issue for us all. This includes not only those with a pre-disposition but also recognition that some may be struggling to adapt for various reasons such as isolation and health issues, either physical or mental, and the more difficult to spot and deal with, mental health issues.

I am very proud of all of the Glasgow team who have performed admirably in difficult and challenging times, which I think I am correct in saying, also runs across the business as a whole which is welcome news.

Returning to my opening JFK quote in the context of a successful and sustainable business, we have to adapt or be left behind. As a result of hard work, speedy forward thinking and planning and orchestrated teamwork, neither Carpenters nor our clients will be left behind."