Materials

<p style="text-align: justify;">The pandemic situation started at the end of 2019, changed the way we work in all industries with no exception. Adopting social distance measures, hygienic procedures, wearing masks, replace physical with remote meetings, and a lot more transformations to avoid the spread of the virus.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Inside the majority of the plants, the ongoing automation that starts some years ago already contributes to the human distance in the production lines, reducing the impact of this pandemic situation at this moment. The materials sector is most affected by logistic constrains that reduce the quantity of primary materials used for production. This effect was as much important as the quantity of primary materials coming from distant places.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Today, eighteen months after the surge of the Covid-19 virus, what have we learned?</strong></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The first point that comes to my attention is the possibility of several roles to work from their homes or any other convenient place without losing performance, better in some cases it is clear the improvements produced by this transformation. On one side, the reduction in CO2 emissions by the reduction of transportation between home and office locations, from the other side the time consumed in this transportation and the effect that this has on the mental health of the employees, more visible in the big metropolitan areas.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At this point a lot of discussions raised but the parts normally converge in this points:</p><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>In general, the employees increase their performance and are happier.</li><li>The command chain have more difficulties to control and coach their teams;</li><li>Resources owned by the employees are now used for the companies where they work, like internet&nbsp; &nbsp;access, energy, water and space;</li><li>HR cannot easily build a company culture.</li></ul><p style="text-align: justify;">It&rsquo;s time to reflect and act to incorporate in our organizations the positive lessons that we can take from this situation, roll up your sleeves and get to work!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>