HVO

New tasks, new skills

My formal background is as an Archivist. As main safety delegate I have received additional HSE training. Due to the COVID pandemic I have had the chance to expand my skills in a new direction. I have learned how much work it is behind a live event, how to book an artist and that help comes to those who asks.

TEXT: ELLEN MARGRETHE PIHL KONSTAD

After closing the offices in spring 2020 and realising that it would take some time before we were allowed to open again, the Norwegian COVID team started discussing the home office situation. best improvement in his/her situation, within the predefined limits. Those limits needed to be identified, proposed, discussed and decided upon, while being within the law so that it would not trigger additional taxation for the employees. Several internal expertise

How could it be improved?

THE HOME OFFICE SITUATION

Firstly there was the initiative to improve the home office physically – the “NOK 3000,-“ scheme. It was up to each employee to decide what would be the

was identified and approached, in order to make sure we did it right. This also meant developing a FAQ on the scheme, which also was updated several times based upon the questions received to the COVID mailbox.

In addition, the lunch “Stretch and Bend” initiative was launched to try to counter the passiveness of working from home.

How to re make traditions digitally

In late October, questions regarding Christmas where staring to come into the COVID team. Would we be allowed to meet up for the usual “Julebord” and what about presents?

This task was split in two, and as HVO I was part in handing both.

Firstly, how to arrange a COVID friendly “Julebord”.

Tasks to be decided or investigated prior to the initiative; budget, would it trigger any tax issues for the employees, information to all line managers on how this may arrange locally.

Secondly, how to create Christmas spirit at the home office. A Christmas committee was appointed. The goal was to create an Advent as close to the one we normally would have in the Office in December.

With four weeks in December, four events were planned for:

1. “AKAN is handing out Twist and pamphlets during lunch” was converted to

“Taste of Christmas” – a lunch talk on non-alcoholic beverages with sommelier Ingvild Tennfjord. 2. The various Lucia processions became an evening event with an ensemble filmed in the DNV Villa. 3. The annual Christmas Greeting last day before the holyday normally done in Big Blue became an event for all of

Norway when it was filmed, even the ceremony of receiving a gifts from the

DNV kindergarten was included. 4. And to kick it all off, a brand-new event that may become a tradition – a concert. Deciding upon the events was the easy part, how to put the plans into action brought a very steep learning curve. How to find and book artists, how to plan for filming at the office in a COVID friendly manner, and how to host live events. In my naivety I thought we could host everything as Teams meetings, but soon learned that was not the way when hosting anything with more than 200 participates. Luckily, we had some very helpful colleagues who came Santa to the rescue.

Another tradition is presents / gifts. This year we decided it was time to try something new. That each employee could choose from a variety of gift. More on this later.

DNV also has a long charity tradition to give to a Non-profit organisation. This year this was combined with a photo competition, the winners where to donate money to a Charity of their own choice.

Who know that it was so much work following up the recipient so that we actually could give them the money?

When planning for the giving of physical gifts we thought that the office would be partly opened after the Holydays. When we realised that the shutdown of the office would be prolonged, we needed to come up with an alternative. Luckily, we had Nina Caspersen who came in as Santa’s little helper. In close dialogue with the COVID team, a voluntary scheme of “picking up your present” was set up. Nina has handed out 880 gifts so far at Høvik and are planning for a round two before the summer.

FURTHER INITIATIVES

Winter turned into spring, and there were still no signs of being allowed back to the office. The COVID team therefor, for the first time in the history of DNV, decided to send a “Påskehilsen”/ Easter greetings home to all employees in Norway.

Tommy also wanted a digital Easter event. He wanted something to lift the spirit, and an intimate jazz concert was decided upon. Working on this I learned that a microphone is not just a microphone. In my naivety I thought that the only difference was how good it was to catch sound. Now I know that they are also differences in how they capture the voice plus a lot more aspects that I wouldn’t even be able to explain. Solveig has not only an amazing Steinway grand piano in her living room, she also has her own professional mic. Luckily, it was possible to pear up with the film crew’s camera gear.

Lessons learned being part of these initiatives:

• Get the best people to become a part of the committee/group/team • Reach out to colleagues, they will do their best to help and guide you, (and the guys in internal communication are just great.) • To plan for more time between filming and sending the event – four hours is not enough even if you have the best camera man filming and editing the video. • There is a right way to write a FAQ, but we do not have a FAQ template. (as far as I know) • If you are to invite all of Norway to a

“Stretch and bend” session, turn off the send reply function or you will be spammed with replies. • Not having 12 different options for

Christmas gifts, three or four may be enough, and to have a very strict plan for handing out the gifts during a pandemic with offices closed. • And last but not least think as Pippi –

“I have never done this before, but I bet I’m good at it”. The learning curve may be steep, but you will land. •

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