It’s a Lock Opener, not a lockdown

RR Global is one of India’s leading electrical equipment companies with a vast portfolio of over 900 products and presence in over 85 countries. Shreegopal Kabra, MD, RR KABEL in this intriguing article tells us how the group is staying connected and ensuring business continuity while staying safe amidst COVID-19 crisis. He tells us why we should look at the current situation as ‘Lock Opener’ and the life lessons we can learn from the crisis

The last month or so has thrown us all out of gear. COVID-19 has highlighted the unpredictability of life, something we have all taken for granted far too often. As we made (and rightly so) our professional and personal plans for the next year or even the next decade, this scenario came about and told us all to stop, wait, rest & introspect.

Like with most organizations, the challenge at our end was to make sense of the situation, then (and most importantly) accept it and thirdly, ensure that we make the most of it. I am a strong believer that there is a ray of opportunity and hope even in the darkest of times, this one is no different. Therefore, at RR Global, we were able to make the transition rather quickly to ensure that we were better prepared to handle ourselves and business COVID-19.

Our first priority is the safety and well-being of our people – my staff and those who rely on us for their livelihoods always take precedence over business. Without people and the relationship we have developed & shared there is no business. And for this reason we have made great strides to ensure the financial safety of all our stakeholders, clients, suppliers, transporters besides our staff by ensuring on time and full payment of salaries and dues. These are very critical times for all MSME and service providers, they in turn need to ensure there is enough cash flow to pay their staff and vendors. We are all part of one circle and if one element does not work, it can severely disrupt the movement of the economy as a whole, hurting each one of us.  RR Global has been built on the values of trust, loyalty and ethics. These highlight our brand’s personality and in these exceptionally difficult times, your true character is always revealed.

In line with the Government of India’s lockdown initiative, we have, over the past few weeks highlighted the importance of staying home and practicing social distancing by using our social media handles to communicate this message to our global audiences. I have had the opportunity to hold positions of highest responsibility with various industry bodies like IEEMA and have major influences in many others.

Using this position, I have appealed to my industry colleagues to follow the RR Global model and ensure there is no disruption to our industry and to the greater economy. We believe every little initiative helps in ‘flattening the curve’ and stopping the spread of this deadly disease at the same time sustaining livelihoods.

Staying Safe, Staying Connected

To ensure that work continues as efficiently as possible, the concept of ‘work from home’ has never played a more vital role. It is a relatively new idea for our industry but one that I think will catch on, considering the amount time and finances it can save. Regardless, it does take some getting used to and to help our staff get used to it and stay connected and most importantly motivated, happy & hopeful from a personal and professional standpoint, our HR team along with sales and area heads through regular interactions over the phone or through video conferencing ensure our team and their families are keeping safe.

We have developed an e newsletter called ‘Opportunities Unlimited’ that is both interactive and informative and acts as fun read for the entire family. We have also ensure our health insurance covers all costs related to Covid 19. All our offices and factory premises are being fumigated on a regular basis as per guidelines. In line with measures outlined by the Govt of India, all social distancing and health requirements are being made to ensure safety of our staff once the lockdown ends and office resumes.

Investing in Upskilling

On a professional front, we have developed tutorials and internal training programs conducted on a daily basis by the sales and area heads as well as the technical team. We decided to use this time to help brush up our team’s product, brand and market knowledge as well as communication and marketing skills. This lockdown has provided us with the optimum opportunity to keep target based training on the backburner and rather focus on interpersonal and relationship building, which we believe will only benefit our staff and the company in the long run.

The current scenario has created a changed in culture, where I believe companies and individuals alike will invest in the future not just for monetary gains but for their health, their relationships and for the broader society. Over the years, we have all been in such a ruthless, frantic race to earn more materialistic wealth that somewhere along the line we forgot the real meaning of life. That life goes far beyond money. That it is our relationship with ourselves, our family, our society and nature that is far more important. Some may call this wishful thinking, but I do expect that there will be a big change in our collective thought process for the better. These are some values we impart to our staff during our training and through our conversations.

In hindsight, the lockdown isn’t really a ‘lockdown’ per se, I see it as a ‘Lock Opener’, it has helped us open our minds to a more caring, more beautiful world. May we continue to learn from it.