January, February, the longest March and April in history, a few weeks of summer and now December is here! This year has been one for the books for sure, it is fair to say 2020 has been overshadowed by the Covid19 pandemic and all that has resulted because of it. Although it has been a year plagued by negative news, countless changes to our working and personal lives and so much more, there has also been a number of really positive things to come out of 2020! We have all experienced many highs and lows this year without a doubt and have also learnt many valuable lessons –a huge one being the importance of change and adapting to our surroundings and also the realisation how resilient we can all be when we need to be.
The end of a year is a time which many use to reflect on the past year and start planning and looking forward to what a New Year and fresh start will bring. Here at Calco we have decided to share our 2020 review with you all as well what we hope 2021 will look like for recruitment and the construction sector.
We will definitely not be the only company who has undergone some changes this year! One of the major ones has been going from 100% office based to working from home, the introduction of a more flexible approach to work has meant we have been successful in managing working through both lockdowns. We have all had to learn the art of adapting to this ‘new normal’. It has been a mixture here, some have loved working from home, some have struggled and others have found a happy medium with both office based and working from home.
We have seen more and more of our clients also having to make changes, as well as introducing a more flexible approach to working life the recruitment and hiring process has had a big shake up! From face to face interviews and site visits to everything going virtual – video interviews and video meetings really are the norm now!
Not only have our clients been forced to adapt and make the necessary changes so have the construction and engineering professionals we work with. Sadly, during this time there have been a large amount of redundancies seeing a number of people out of work, changes to roles, projects being put on hold and so much more. However there has been a number of projects that have commenced, continued and since been completed despite all the restrictions and complications that have been faced which is such promising and positive news. The Civil Engineering sector has seen projects such as HS2 continue throughout 2020, with works set to continue well into the New Year. 2021 will see more Civils work commence including work to begin on the Silvertown Tunnel which is set to open in 2025.
Technology has been a major influence within recruitment and the construction sector, without technology so many companies and sites would not have been able to manage and adapt. From the introduction of apps that have made monitoring social distancing as simple as possible to finding new ways of using technology and automation to carry on with ‘business as normal’ during a year that has been anything but normal has been a struggle BUT the construction industry has managed this exceptionally. This has allowed the sector to go from strength to strength during this time!
At the start of 2020 it would have been impossible to predict how dramatically everything would change – this year has certainly not been without its challenges but we do hope you have also managed to have some personal and professional highs during the year and that 2021 is a more positive year all round.
Thank you for continuing to work with us this year and we will see you on the other side. Have a great Christmas break and New Year, stay safe and stay healthy.
From everyone at Calco.