“We can play our part in slowing down the spread of the virus.”
Rising case numbers, new restrictions in public life: The coronavirus pandemic still has a firm grip on both, society and the economy. Dr. Uwe Horn, Director of Labor Relations and Managing Director, explains how IAV as a company is dealing with the situation.
A brief review: How did IAV react in the initial phase of the coronavirus pandemic?
When the virus broke out in China, the alarm bells also rang in Germany. Since January, we have had an interdisciplinary Covid-19 task force under the direction of occupational safety and HR and with the support of the works council and communication.
In the initial phase, this team provided our colleagues at IAV in China in particular with advice and support. By the time coronavirus started to spread throughout Europe and Germany, we were well equipped and well organized.
What measures did the company take?
The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are manifold. Our measures are correspondingly broad-based. The safety and health of our employees is our top priority. At the same time, we want to maintain our ability to work in the best possible way. So far, we have succeeded in doing both very well: The incidence of infection at IAV was and is under control and at the same time we have enabled the majority of our employees to work remotely within a very short time. We have received much praise from our customers for this.
For months, we have had to comply with the regulations: Anyone who can work meaningfully from home should do so in close consultation with his or her superiors. Over the summer, we allowed for a bit more flexibility in close coordination in close coordination with our work team. However, when the number of cases in Germany started to rebound in the fall, we returned to the original rule that anyone who can work from home should do so when it makes sense.
How are you meeting the challenges that coronavirus will undoubtedly continue to present to all of us?
We must remain vigilant and keep a close eye on the further development of the pandemic. The number of cases in Germany and in many other places continues to be a cause for concern. It remains difficult to forecast the further development of the pandemic. But we can do our part to slow down the spread of the virus and thus protect our healthcare system. Our offer of remote working helps in this respect, as does the close-meshed information we provide to our employees or the coronavirus testing capacities we have built up at IAV.
«IAV is financially sound. We are using the coronavirus era as an opportunity to move up a gear in terms of digitalization and efficiency of our own processes.»
— President, CFO, IAV GmbH
«We at IAV are there for our customers and ready for action – before, during and after coronavirus.»
— President, CTO, IAV GmbH
The article was published in automotion 03/2020, the automotive engineering magazine of IAV. Here you can order the automotion free of charge.
