When most members of the Indesign, LLC team started working from home in the middle of March, we were expecting it to be a relatively short term event. However, this did not turn out to be the case, as we are now entering our 7th month of working during COVID-19. Protecting the health of our Indesign team, their families, and our clients has been our primary goal during this period.
A Well-Prepared IT Infrastructure
Fortunately, Indesign, LLC was well-prepared with our IT infrastructure for our team members to be working from home since the beginning of the pandemic. Members of our product development and project teams have been able to access all of their development tools from their home offices and work seamlessly during this period.
For our hardware teams – electrical and mechanical – most of our work continues to be performed inside our facility. Indesign has been considered an essential business because of our types of projects and clients, so our hardware engineers have been able to work from Indesign, as needed, since the start of the pandemic.
It has been critical for our hardware engineers to be able to work at Indesign, since most of the tools and equipment for their work is in the labs. This includes a wide variety of electronic measurement / test equipment, mechanical measurement / test equipment, and a lab where we assemble printed circuit boards.
New Ways of Operating & Staying Connected
We have developed some new ways of operating during the pandemic to ensure that project work continues without interruption. One of the biggest changes is that all of our project team meetings are now web based meetings, using Microsoft Teams, Webex, or Zoom. Being able to connect with our project team members and clients in video meetings has been very important in keeping everyone aligned and up-to-date on projects. On-line chat tools have also helped us stay connected.
For new clients who would normally visit Indesign, LLC we have implemented live virtual tours of our facility. These tours allow two way discussions between our engineers and a remote client. The tours also allow our clients to see all of our facilities without leaving their own home office.
For our Indesign team members the new work-at-home environment has offered some advantages and some disadvantages. One of the advantages is that the commute to one’s home office is very short…less than a minute…which provides for more personal time. However, we have heard from many team members that they really miss the spontaneous social interactions that occur at work. Those unplanned meetings in the hallways, breakroom, or over lunch allowed our team to get connected on a personal level and not just a project level.
Looking Ahead
We are very fortunate to have a great team and a great workplace, having received a Best Places to Work recognition BPTW Award for 11 consecutive years. We are confident that our team will continue to support each other, even when many of them are not physically together. Keeping that strong “team” environment…including our teaming with clients…is essential for us personally and for our business during these unusual times. Contact Indesign, LLC at (317) 377-5450 to learn more about us and our services to get started today!