An Employee’s Point Of View
The Coronavirus Pandemic has been a global challenge for people everywhere and has been a strong reminder of how much we rely on the support of others, be it in the workplace or elsewhere.
Moreover, it also brings to light what valuable work means to us as individuals; not only to provide financial security, but also to give a sense of reasoning and belonging. Key Workers have risked their own lives, increased their workload and many have even faced the additional challenge of home schooling whilst working full-time; all for the purpose of ensuring the safety of others.
The crisis is also driving organisations to rethink priorities and quickly adapt to the increasing pressures. Part of Briggs Marine’s Vision and Strategy is to deliver marine services to the highest standards of safety and quality, this remains paramount in every job that is completed. Throughout the pandemic, our main priority has been the well-being of our employees and therefore we have adapted effectively and changed our policies and procedures in line with UK and Government Guidelines. Our people have responded by maintaining our critical services in line with our new policies and procedures whilst continuing to exceed our clients’ expectations.
To this, we say thank you to our employees for maintaining our critical marine services operation and we are proud of the passion and dedication injected into every job. Below, hear from a handful of our employees of their experiences when working throughout the crisis.
Mark Harding
“During these uncertain times I have found my role challenging as we have had to adopt new ways of working to keep our crews and the pilots safe. We have introduced new husbandry routines and reduced capacity on the launches, and this has led to an increase to workload for the crews. It has been a balancing act between increased workload and pressure of home life. I am father of two young boys who like many others have found themselves at home and have taken on the challenge of home schooling as well (I now know why I am not a teacher).” He added, “We all take a great deal
of pride in knowing that during this global crisis the crews in Liverpool have risen to the challenge and kept the port open and the ships moving
Kirstie Michie
“I recently became an Aids to Navigation Technician and have progressed through a training programme which has helped me gain a greater understanding of the AtoN industry. On a day to day basis I am part of a team, led by a senior AtoN Technician, ensuring we follow strict health and safety policies and procedures throughout the various projects we undertake, including buoy and lighthouse refurbishment.”
She added, “In addition to current health and safety protocol, Covid-19 has required us to take make essential changes to the way we work. Covid-19 risk assessments are carried out and there are new procedures to follow which includes social distancing, as well as wearing additional PPE such as a face covering and gloves. These measures are particularly important as some of the lighthouses we work with are accessed by the general public. It has been a challenge progressing into my new role during the pandemic, but we have all adapted well and continued the critical AtoN service.”
William Little
“Throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic, Briggs Marine’s Vessel, the Forth Hunter, has been involved in work that has presented new challenges for both the crew and our ways of working, which has been crucial to adapt to. We have been involved with providing 24/7 emergency response and other key services to the Port of Liverpool. This has seen us working with the Briggs Marine Dive Team and the Aids to Navigation Team, conducting relights to the River Mersey’s Buoyage; all critical to the Port.”
He added, “Maintaining the social distancing has been paramount for us on board, ensuring that the work is completed as safely as possible. Throughout the pandemic, my thanks go out to the team that I work with for being able to adapt so fluidly.”
Suzanne Grimes
Suzanne Grimes, a Project Manager for our Subsea Cables Department, shares her experience.
“Our Subsea Cables team have continued to remain very busy throughout the pandemic. One of our main projects was still live when lock down first happened. This was quite challenging to say the least – trying to manage manpower and materials on the shore ends. We have all still managed to work full pace from home throughout this period, whilst still working as a team. Some of us were also faced with the the challenge of caring for of our children and home schooling whilst working full time. This was particularly challenging, but feel we all managed to adapt fairly quickly (much to my
kids disappointment!)”