Looking back, to plan for the future
Peter Smith, MD of Teleshore Group reflects on the challenges and successes of Covid-19’s impact on the bereavement services industry
As 2021 rolls in, we reflect on the challenges of 2020 and can see where we have achieved great things and overcome obstacles that would once have been more at home in an episode of Black Mirror than in our daily reality. Evidently, we’re not done yet.
As the country entered its newest round of lockdowns, we considered how best to protect our team to ensure both their health and our ability to remain operational should a member of the team test positive for Covid-19. As a close-knit bunch who all work together across departments, we took the decision to split our office, warehouse, and operational teams into two bubbles to mitigate the risk of the whole team being instructed to isolate.
Whilst we are confident this is the right decision in the circumstances, it has meant that at a time when we are busier than ever in some departments, we are half a team down operationally. All of us now need to muck in and wear many ‘hats’ to work each day; we are fortunate to have a team that is willing and able to do this effectively.
As the pandemic continues to flex its muscles through 2021, we need next to consider how we work most effectively with our clients in the continued absence of the face-to-face contact upon which we have built our strongest working relationships. To this end, we have invested in CGI technology to enable us to more effectively demonstrate our products and provide training remotely, something which is necessary in a pandemic but will also enable a reduction in our carbon footprint in the future too.
As a full year of restrictions approaches, our industry needs to ensure that grave shoring and other safety equipment is regularly maintained – something which in some areas has been put on hold due to Covid restrictions. As the months have rolled on, it’s now necessary for equipment to receive scheduled maintenance to ensure its PUWER compliance and safety in regards to employer’s liability regulations. Regular maintenance is also crucial for the longevity of machinery, which is of great importance for our local authority clients with ever-increasing budgetary pressures. Yet in many cases, we are still awaiting confirmation under Government instruction that this can continue.
Conversely, Covid-19 risk assessments have led to a greater than anticipated uptake of some of our newest additions to our cemetery products range; we introduced biodegradable lowering rope in 2020 which can be left in the grave space with no fear of further pollution or cross infection between the burials team and funeral directors.
“Uptake of this has been so significant that last year we sold enough biodegradable lowering rope to stretch from Lands End to John O’Groats and back to Hadrian’s Wall. ”
This has saved a significant amount of plastic from ending up in the ground, in addition to its risk assessment benefits. We continue to develop our range of biodegradable products through 2021 to supply our cemetery and crematorium clients with the right solutions for their challenges.
Amidst all of the operational pressures and uncertainties, the bereavement services industry has been quietly carrying on; considered key workers, equally under increased pressure from the pandemic, but without the public eye upon us and no priority status for immunisation. We know that stress levels in the bereavement services industry are currently higher than ever; we have more work to do with less staff available.
It is not, of course, in our nature to draw attention to ourselves, as befits our role of supporting people through bereavement. It is crucial that we continue to retain a swan-like appearance even if we are paddling furiously behind the scenes! How we do this is still a work in progress, but as we head into the second year of a ‘new normal’ we can see how some of the changes we have made will already have a continued positive impact in the future, particularly for the environment and that is something which we hope our industry continues to embrace.