{"id":1786,"date":"2021-05-28T21:56:12","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T19:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/?p=1786"},"modified":"2021-05-28T21:56:12","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T19:56:12","slug":"d-business-trips-corona-uhlmann","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/d-business-trips-corona-uhlmann\/","title":{"rendered":"Busi\u00adness trips in times of Corona"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most people prob\u00adably asso\u00adciate busi\u00adness travel with \u201creal\u201d people trav\u00adeling to \u201creal\u201d places on busi\u00adness. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, tradi\u00adtional busi\u00adness travel has been increas\u00adingly replaced by virtual busi\u00adness trips.<\/p>\n

The fact is, though, that new tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies often simply cannot replace being phys\u00adi\u00adcally present on site. That\u2019s why tradi\u00adtional busi\u00adness trips at home or abroad are still \u201calive and kicking\u201d.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example from an assembly assign\u00adment: Instead of phys\u00adi\u00adcally assisting the assembly tech\u00adni\u00adcian, some colleagues are starting to test virtual reality (VR) glasses for machine accep\u00adtance tests on the customer\u2019s site. This allows them to see the machine through their own eyes while working from home, or show infor\u00adma\u00adtion to their colleague on site, using a small display.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

General COVID-19 travel warn\u00adings and busi\u00adness travel<\/h3>\n

Travel and safety warn\u00adings<\/a> for specific coun\u00adtries have been in effect since October 1, 2020. The German Robert Koch Insti\u00adtute (RKI) also provides updates on rele\u00advant travel infor\u00adma\u00adtion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the German Foreign Office continues to warn against non-essen\u00adtial tourist travel to numerous coun\u00adtries. However, some offi\u00adcial trips are still neces\u00adsary and are there\u00adfore permitted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The RKI provides infor\u00adma\u00adtion to trav\u00adelers, including quar\u00adan\u00adtine, regis\u00adtra\u00adtion, testing and docu\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion require\u00adments when entering Germany, or COVID travel warn\u00adings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Busi\u00adness travel since the COVID-19 outbreak: colleagues from Uhlmann Pac-Systeme share their stories<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Marcus Gehring embarked on the China busi\u00adness trip adven\u00adture under corona condi\u00adtions in October and November 2020<\/h3>\n
Marcus Gehring<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

\nTrav\u00adeling to China during the COVID-19 pandemic first entails a lot of discus\u00adsion \u2013 and it already starts in Germany where you have to fill out the health QR code form.<\/p>\n

In my case, it all worked out, but, to my surprise, the code remained red! Maybe it was because we did the test at the airport test center rather than at Cento\u00adgene. \u201cYou\u2019re barred from entry\u201d, \u201cYou\u2019re free to proceed\u201d, \u201cYou\u2019re barred from\u2026\u2026.\u201d, and then, as soon as the next \u201cYou\u2019re free to proceed\u201d appeared, I quickly scanned the ticket and crossed the cordon to board the plane. \u201cSTOP! You\u2019re not allowed in\u201d \u2013 \u201cOh yes I am, your colleague said so\u201d, I replied, quickly disap\u00adpearing up the stairs. And here I was at last, sitting on my plane in Germany waiting to take off for China.<\/p>\n

During the flight, you\u2019re checked for fever, but other\u00adwise every\u00adthing is as per usual, that\u2019s if you don\u2019t count having to wear a mask non-stop for almost 12 hours \u2013 unless you need to eat or drink some\u00adthing.<\/p>\n

Once you arrive in China, everyone at the airport pretty much speaks fluent English, so commu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtion is not a problem. You have to go through the whole proce\u00addure \u2013 but that only goes in one direc\u00adtion: So you want to choose a quar\u00adan\u00adtine hotel? Seri\u00adously? The next one with a free room is yours!<\/p>\n

Marcus Gehring sporting a mask at the airport.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then in the hotel, no one spoke English anymore. Fortu\u00adnately, fellow trav\u00adelers from Germany helped me fill out another online ques\u00adtion\u00adnaire (in Chinese only) and show the QR code to the staff.<\/p>\n

Finally, I was inside my room. Time to take a breath of fresh air and remove my mask. Actu\u00adally, it wasn\u2019t quite as simple as that. All the windows were locked! Just as well I had brought along my multi\u00adtool and was able to open them. A glance out the window told me that everyone knew about this tool. All the windows were open.<\/p>\n

Enjoying the view from the \u201cprison window\u201d.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first meal came: no knock on the door, no phone call, no infor\u00adma\u00adtion at all. All of a sudden, I just found it waiting outside my door. This happened every day and with every meal. Break\u00adfast was served from 7 a.m. or earlier, lunch was served at 10:30 a.m. at the latest, and dinner never arrived after 4 p.m. So you either got a hot brunch or cold lunch.<\/p>\n

Full board in this hotel meant: You get food, but if you want some\u00adthing to drink, you have to order it your\u00adself. That\u2019s not easy if the staff don\u2019t speak English and you can\u2019t speak Chinese (Fun Fact: Coke cans were only avail\u00adable in a 48 pack). At some point, thanks to our subsidiary, I got hold of the hotel manager\u2019s phone number and was able to order some bottled water.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>

Break\u00adfast in China<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>

Lunch in China<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>

Dinner in China<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

After 14 days of \u201cdeten\u00adtion\u201d (including video surveil\u00adlance and secu\u00adrity personnel throughout the premises), every\u00adthing was back to normal. With one excep\u00adtion: there was no longer any need to wear a face mask \u2013 except in the subway. Freedom at last! I would like to take this oppor\u00adtu\u00adnity to say a big thank you to our subsidiary for supplying me with different tasting foods and cleaning uten\u00adsils.<\/p>\n

Would I do it again? Sure I would!<\/p>\n

And I\u2019ll tell you why. It\u2019s because, even though being holed up in my hotel room was tedious and stren\u00aduous, it certainly helped me improve my chop\u00adstick skills! Our Shanghai colleagues did their best to provide us with every\u00adthing we needed. Our customer was aware of our situ\u00ada\u00adtion and was most accom\u00admo\u00addating. For example, we were allowed to choose whether we wanted Chinese or \u201cWestern\u201d food.<\/p>\n

And to all my colleagues out there: I hope that your next trip will be an enjoy\u00adable and safe one again!<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kai Kathan orga\u00adnizes trips and makes sure our colleagues can travel safely \u2013 even under COVID condi\u00adtions<\/h3>\n
Kai Kathan, Team Leader Field Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/i> I am respon\u00adsible for orga\u00adnizing busi\u00adness trips and ensuring trav\u00adelers\u2019 safety. This so-called Travel Risk Manage\u00adment, which has been in place at Uhlmann since 2019, includes services like the external Travel Risk Manager, an alarm ticker, the travel agency, the travel orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion, or the 24\/7 helpline. We are charged with ensuring that trav\u00adelers enjoy maximum safety during their busi\u00adness trips.<\/p>\n

In this context we always apply the regu\u00adla\u00adtions of the state of Baden-W\u00fcrt\u00adtem\u00adberg or those of the desti\u00adna\u00adtion. Since these rules can change on a weekly basis, my biggest chal\u00adlenge is to keep up to speed with them, and also to trans\u00adlate them into a language that everyone can under\u00adstand.<\/p>\n

During the first two months of the lock\u00addown, we saw a drop in the number of trips for assembly assign\u00adments. From May onwards, we were back to normal. For the year as a whole, the figure was maybe 15% lower than in the previous year.<\/p>\n

The number of trips for consulting purposes and busi\u00adness trans\u00adac\u00adtions, on the other hand, really fell dramat\u00adi\u00adcally, showing a decline of around 90%. Never\u00adthe\u00adless, as travel risk managers, we are just as busy as ever, because the job of orga\u00adnizing trips has become much more complex, which means our work\u00adload has gotten a whole lot bigger. <\/i><\/p>\n

Number of trips for assembly work and for consul\u00adta\u00adtions, busi\u00adness trans\u00adac\u00adtions and other activ\u00adi\u00adties over the past finan\u00adcial years<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Claudia Maier provides trav\u00adelers with infor\u00adma\u00adtion on every aspect of COVID-19<\/h3>\n
Claudia Maier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/i> At Uhlmann I am in charge of every\u00adthing to do with coro\u00adn\u00adavirus. This involves working closely with the girls from the travel depart\u00adment, and with the external travel risk manager and the Corona task force.
\nMy work includes issuing infor\u00adma\u00adtion to trav\u00adelers before and after completing their trips, working with external travel risk managers, and managing the hotline number.<\/p>\n

This is the gateway for all coro\u00adn\u00adavirus inquiries, like general queries on how to deal with colleagues or infected indi\u00advid\u00aduals, arranging appoint\u00adments for in-house testing which is now avail\u00adable at Uhlmann or external testing, queries about trav\u00adeling to and from different coun\u00adtries, and about any short\u00adages of masks or self-tests. I also manage our corre\u00adsponding e-mail address: coronavirus@uhlmann.de.<\/a><\/p>\n

Our hotline is also the go-to place for employees who have concerns about upcoming trips.<\/p>\n

Mean\u00adwhile, I also orga\u00adnize the large number of cases that fall under our company\u2019s coro\u00adn\u00adavirus travel policy which I put together and pass on to the HR depart\u00adment.<\/p>\n

These are not easy times at the moment and each indi\u00advidual is affected by the pandemic in very different ways, either privately or profes\u00adsion\u00adally. But I think we can all be proud of the disci\u00adplined approach and caring spirit we share within our Uhlmann commu\u00adnity. <\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Last year, Peter Aubele spent November thru December working on an assembly job in Mexico<\/h3>\n
Peter Aubele, Assembly Tech\u00adni\u00adcian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

Before we set off for Mexico, we received various infor\u00adma\u00adtion, for example, from the external travel risk manager and our internal travel office, including hygiene regu\u00adla\u00adtions and on-site quar\u00adan\u00adtine require\u00adments. You obtain a lot of details at rela\u00adtively short notice. Overall, travel prepa\u00adra\u00adtions \u2013 including the return journey \u2013 have become more stressful. The actual trip itself, though, is less arduous: the airport and the plane were virtu\u00adally empty. On some of these trips, there\u2019s only two of you sitting on the plane with the whole crew looking after you.<\/p>\n

On arriving at our hotel in Mexico, there were a few precau\u00adtions to observe. First of all, we had to take a COVID test and then imme\u00addi\u00adately go into quar\u00adan\u00adtine for six days. After that, we had to take another test. At least we were allowed to walk around the hotel from time to time. Every time we came back to the hotel, our temper\u00ada\u00adture was taken and a bottle of hand sani\u00adtizer provided. Safety precau\u00adtions were also observed during meals: The break\u00adfast buffet was cancelled, but we were able to order food to our rooms.<\/p>\n

In our customer\u2019s plant, we had to dine in a sepa\u00adrate room where we were sepa\u00adrated by plex\u00adi\u00adglass walls and had to leave a chair\u2019s space between us. And restric\u00adtions did not just apply to meals. During work, apart from wearing face masks, we were also kept strictly isolated from people working on other projects. That felt really weird.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>

Peter Aubele in conver\u00adsion and corona protec\u00adtion equip\u00adment<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>

Weekend outing: loca\u00adtion closed, view still beau\u00adtiful.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>

COVID-test in Ireland<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Following a coro\u00adn\u00adavirus inci\u00addent that occurred at the customer\u2019s site, we had to take a COVID test at the doctor\u2019s which fortu\u00adnately came out nega\u00adtive. Even so, our assembly job was still termi\u00adnated ahead of time because the other contact persons on site had to self-isolate, and so there was no one around anymore. I, myself, had to take a total of six COVID tests, i.e., prior to depar\u00adture, on arriving at the hotel, on the last day of the quar\u00adan\u00adtine, on the first day working on site, and another one due to the COVID case at the customer\u2019s plant, and, finally, on returning home to Laupheim.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be glad when the whole coro\u00adn\u00adavirus crisis is over. It\u2019s not just the extra work before, during or after the trip. You also have very few leisure oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties to compen\u00adsate for a long working trip to a foreign country. In Mexico, like in Germany, bars and tourist attrac\u00adtions were closed.<\/p>\n

And then there are the restric\u00adtions that affect your private life: Even if you don\u2019t have to go into quar\u00adan\u00adtine after your assign\u00adment, there\u2019s no guar\u00adantee that you\u2019re absolutely virus-free. That\u2019s why I am partic\u00adu\u00adlarly cautious at home, espe\u00adcially when it comes to my grand\u00admother. <\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nico Schuch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From September to December 2020, Nico Schuch was in Brazil working on a customer assign\u00adment<\/h3>\n

<\/i> Coro\u00adn\u00adavirus testing has made trav\u00adeling so much more diffi\u00adcult: To enter Brazil, you need a letter of invi\u00adta\u00adtion from the customer, a transfer letter from Uhlmann for \u2018special urgency\u2019 cases (pharma), and a nega\u00adtive COVID test.<\/p>\n

On arriving in Brazil, I had to take a drive-thru COVID test for 50 euros, which was fairly easy (and getting self-tested was also pretty simple back then). Initially, the test result was posi\u00adtive. I was then tested more frequently until it turned out that it was a false-posi\u00adtive result, because in the final anti\u00adbody test there were no anti\u00adbodies in my blood. Then I was faced with the next chal\u00adlenge. For my return flight, I had to get a test done that was no older than 48 hours because it normally takes 72 hours to get the results.<\/p>\n

Back in Germany, at the airport in Munich, I was tested again and then, thanks to an agree\u00adment with the city of Laupheim, I was able to leave the very next day with my nega\u00adtive result.<\/p>\n

What I really found frus\u00adtrating was having to sit around at home on my own waiting for the test results \u2013 that is anything but fun. In the end, though, complaining doesn\u2019t get you anywhere \u2013 you just have to move on. <\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reiner Mann<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before the outbreak, Reiner Mann often visited our German customers to conduct consul\u00adta\u00adtions, nego\u00adti\u00ada\u00adtions or busi\u00adness deals<\/h3>\n

<\/i> I did not travel at all during the first lock\u00addown phase, nor during the one we currently have. Customers only want to see \u201ctrav\u00adelers\u201d for really impor\u00adtant assign\u00adments, like for repairs or instal\u00adla\u00adtions. Sales activ\u00adi\u00adties are carried out exclu\u00adsively via Teams and Zoom meet\u00adings, or by phone\/email.<\/p>\n

In the summer months, when the situ\u00ada\u00adtion was less crit\u00adical, I was trav\u00adeling quite normally. The only thing I had to do was wear a mask and have my temper\u00ada\u00adture checked at the customer\u2019s site. <\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/h3>\n

Nicola Gius\u00adtizieri has visited several coun\u00adtries since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic<\/h3>\n
\"Nicola
Nicola Gius\u00adtizieri<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/i> I have always enjoyed trav\u00adeling. But the virus put a stop to that. My colleagues, though, were still able to travel. And that really is so impor\u00adtant because working at our customers\u2019 sites is crit\u00adical to keeping the health\u00adcare machinery up and running and saving as many lives as possible.<\/p>\n

You need a mask, a COVID test, and, after spending a few days in quar\u00adan\u00adtine, it\u2019s time to get started.<\/p>\n

Where there is shadow, there is always light. Safety measures, which are already very strin\u00adgent in our area, have been ramped up to ensure that everyone can continue to work as safely as possible. High\u00adways and airplanes are partic\u00adu\u00adlarly empty, and travel is decid\u00adedly relaxed.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the possi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties we have to digi\u00adtally stream\u00adline bureau\u00adcratic processes and convert to using smart working methods and online meet\u00adings, we\u2019ve clearly moved forward.<\/p>\n

The customers we visit are aware of the sacri\u00adfices we all make, and even if we can\u2019t have our usual chat over a beer at the bar, we can always be sure of a big THANK YOU for the huge team effort. <\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In 2019, Adham Elash\u00admawy was in charge of customer service assign\u00adments, including jobs in Italy<\/h3>\n
Adham Elash\u00admawy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/i> For us, as project managers, customer service trips have always been partic\u00adu\u00adlarly chal\u00adlenging. First, you have to find the right customer service engi\u00adneer or tech\u00adni\u00adcian, then you have to schedule the assign\u00adment with everyone involved and orga\u00adnize the trip, be it by plane, car or train. And finally, you have to find hotels in the vicinity, etc. These chal\u00adlenges, just like the number of COVID patients, have increased expo\u00adnen\u00adtially.<\/p>\n

Thanks to a \u201cCorona Task Force\u201d specif\u00adi\u00adcally set up for this purpose, approval must now be obtained from the busi\u00adness unit before, say, a tech\u00adni\u00adcian can be sent to Milan. Care must then be taken to ensure that this person ideally does not have a partner whose health might be endan\u00adgered by the trip, etc.<\/p>\n

Customers must also now declare whether they can guar\u00adantee the safety of our employees and whether they will bear any addi\u00adtional costs incurred as a result of the coro\u00adn\u00adavirus pandemic. All of this has to be put down in writing. The biggest problem, however, is the govern\u00adment rules and regu\u00adla\u00adtions, which are constantly changing.<\/p>\n

I myself had to cancel a trip to Saudi Arabia just one day before I was sched\u00aduled to leave because of the new regu\u00adla\u00adtions. These are the daily chal\u00adlenges we project managers face every day. And it\u2019s anything but fun. But our soft\u00adware engi\u00adneers and elec\u00adtrical and mechan\u00adical engi\u00adneers are extremely open-minded and flex\u00adible when it comes to trav\u00adeling on busi\u00adness \u2013 even in these times. And that deserves a very special thanks!<\/p>\n

In these coro\u00adn\u00adavirus times, I managed to get to Milan faster than I have ever done before. I did the check-in online and only had hand luggage with me, so I didn\u2019t have to go through another check-in at the airport. The airport was empty and I got through secu\u00adrity and arrived at the gate in less than 15 minutes. The plane took off on time and even touched down 20 minutes earlier than planned. From Erbach to Milan in just 4 hours by plane \u2013 a new record for me! <\/i><\/p>\n

\n

The bottom line: busi\u00adness trips are not holiday trips<\/h3>\n

These inter\u00adviews and personal reports show that trav\u00adeling in COVID times has, indeed, changed quite a bit for our colleagues:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. There have been fewer busi\u00adness trips (espe\u00adcially trips for consulting purposes and busi\u00adness trans\u00adac\u00adtions).<\/li>\n
  2. Constantly changing regu\u00adla\u00adtions, red tape and health risks has made the job of orga\u00adnizing travel more compli\u00adcated and demands metic\u00adu\u00adlous plan\u00adning.<\/li>\n
  3. Direct contact with colleagues or busi\u00adness part\u00adners during the trip is limited, as are oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties for personal leisure and enter\u00adtain\u00adment at the weekend or after work.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    There is one thing, though, that hasn\u2019t changed: the pretty effi\u00adcient way our colleagues manage and master their travel routines. Many thanks to all travel plan\u00adning and support staff at home. And special thanks also to all our flex\u00adible and patient \u201cglobe\u00adtrot\u00adters\u201d who enjoy trav\u00adeling on busi\u00adness for Uhlmann and our customers \u2013 whether in the past, now, or in the future.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    <\/i> Thank you for trav\u00adeling!<\/big><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Currently, offi\u00adcial sources advise against non-essen\u00adtial tourist travel. But what does this mean for those trav\u00adeling abroad on busi\u00adness on behalf of Uhlmann during the COVID-19 pandemic? [\u2026]<\/p>\n

    Read More\u2026 from Busi\u00adness trips in times of Corona<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1647,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[26,3],"class_list":["post-1786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pactuell","tag-business-trip","tag-corona"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1786"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1833,"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1786\/revisions\/1833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}