A Year Since Lockdown - Andy Langley

Tuesday March 23 marks a year since lockdown and the start of a series of restriction on our lives unknown since the Second World War. For the rest of March we will be taking business owners to share their experiences and thoughts of the last 12 months.

Today we're talking to Andy Langley who is the CEO, of Ntegra Ltd, Digital Transformation Consultancy based in Swindon. A company employing people locally and overseas to provide innovative and sometimes complex tech solutions to some of the biggest national and global brands. 

What are your memories of March 23 2020?

Opening up our first management meeting in Microsoft Teams and realising this was the future and not changing any time soon.

Thinking back, how did you anticipate the way forward for your business over those first few days? 

The pace of change/news increased exponentially day on day - we quickly realised that normal reporting/management cycles were not fast or responsive enough. 

As a consequence we immediately changed our approach to planning - moving our forecasting horizon from quarterly to weekly. 

We made similar changes to governance - weekly management meetings and monthly boards moved to daily 30 min stand-up. Our daily question was - whats new/what do we know now that we didn't know yesterday and whats the impact.

What actions did you take to save/change/pivot/support your business? 

We tried very hard to look after our staff. We ran a broad selection of social events. We enable staff to set their own working hours around home schooling commitments etc. 

We provided desks, chairs or anything else that was required to make working from home more tolerable. Our digital services became more and more relevant to our clients, leading to hiring of 12 staff during lockdown.

Name positive outcomes of the last year for your business? 

Stronger team - we've been through a lot together; the strength it has given us is incredible.  We made 10% salary reductions early on that we were able to return in full at Christmas.

We ‘battle tested’ our digital services and saw growth.

Realised we can run some of our face-to-face events more effectively online.

Name positive outcomes for you personally over the last year?

• Satisfaction gained by solving problems and leading through lockdown - its been hard, but rewarding.
• Not spent lots of wasted time on trains, at airports or on the road.
• Got my evening back – no after work receptions, dinners etc.

What do you most look forward to doing IN BUSINESS as we slowly move out of lockdown? 

Meeting team face-to-face - I've never physically met some of our new staff!

What do you most look forward to doing IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE as we slowly move out of lockdown?

• Going out for dinner
• Days out and holidays

What are your predictions for business generally in late 2021 into 2022? 

I believe there is pent up demand - hope the economy is a 'coiled' spring ready to bounce back
However, I recognise some sectors will not be the same – high street retail, gyms etc.

Name one person who has been a lockdown hero for you over the last year? 

Struggling to name a single person – I think science and scientists have been amazing. Vaccine development and roll out has been something to be proud of

Name one business which has been heroic for you or your community over the last year? 

Might sounds bizarre, but WhatsApp has been amazing – we setup a neighbourhood group during lockdown and its been really helpful.   Everybody looking out for one another/helping one another. Without tech companies like WhatsApp this would have been really hard to do.

Find out more by visiting www.ntegra.com