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“We’re all in this together”

For over a year, the announcement that the coronavirus has led to some big changes has been ringing in our ears. But what has actually changed? Insights and perspectives from DACHSER’s corporate culture.

The pandemic brought specific changes and made people adapt to extraordinary situations.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has been a watershed event. What we would never have dared to imagine before is now reality—affecting both our private and our professional lives. Many ways of working, and especially ways of collaborating, are very different to what they were a year ago. Numerous processes that weren’t computerized, or were still carried out face-to-face, have since been digitalized. Here’s one real-life example: In February 2020, some 400 virtual meetings took place as video conferences at DACHSER. By November, this figure had skyrocketed to 28,000. Over 5,000 employees were working remotely at the start of 2021.

Finding resilience and meaning in the daily routine

However, the pandemic also raised public awareness of the importance of the logistics industry. The concept of resilience crops up time and again in the context of COVID-19. How do people adapt to extraordinary situations? DACHSER employees describe in the image gallery how they now view their job with different eyes and what specific changes the pandemic has brought for them. Click through the pictures.

"The pandemic and its many repercussions have strengthened public interest in the logistics sector. And rightly so, if you ask me. When the world kept grinding to a halt, it was a sharp reminder that food, masks, and vaccines don’t just magically appear on people’s doorsteps. My friends and family are now taking a greater interest in my work and appreciate it more. My team and I helped organize charters for the DACHSER network. Despite the international air traffic restrictions, we kept things up and running. During this time, I felt very strongly that my work has a purpose. It’s certainly a privilege. I'm well aware that this sense of achievement can’t be taken for granted in a pandemic that has caused many others to question the meaning of their jobs. Once this global crisis is over, there’ll be a “new normal 2.0”, which will presumably be safer, more mindful, with a greater emphasis on digital technology." Miriam Yosief, DACHSER Air & Sea Logistics Frankfurt, Germany
"Social distancing is the biggest challenge. I really miss the daily contact with my colleagues and customers. Apart from that, my daily routine as a professional truck driver hasn’t changed much. Even before the pandemic, I was on the road by myself most of the time. More recently, customers have sometimes done the loading and unloading on-site themselves, which probably wouldn’t have been the case otherwise. Unfortunately, the job often still has a bad reputation. Many people outside the logistics sector probably don’t realize how crucial the work is that we do every day. But there are also positive developments. A number of companies have come up with creative solutions to the contact restrictions. Instead of handing over paper documents, for example, improved digital equipment makes the entire process paperless in many cases. Personally, I think innovations like this are fantastic and I’d like to see even more in the future." Torsten Jonathan Heiber, professional truck driver
"The biggest change was the relatively rapid switch to remote working. Although I personally prefer to work at the office, remote working is important and makes perfect sense, particularly during the pandemic. And it’s effective, too. Even before the pandemic, my personal focus was on video conferences and virtual meetings. We used to provide support to several hundred users. Our department was easily able to handle this number, on top of our other projects. Since COVID-19, however, the number of users and the number of meetings have increased tenfold, all within a very short space of time, and these figures are still rising steadily today. This means that tools like Webex have become my exclusive focus. More than 100 branches were recently equipped with new systems. What’s more, we work with different departments, helping to plan a variety of virtual events, large and small, all of which were held on-site before the pandemic. I hope that we can use the takeaways from the pandemic in the future, not just in terms of the lessons learned in IT, but also for progressive working practices in general, ongoing digitalization, and a heightened awareness of the importance of a functioning IT infrastructure." Danny Grimm, IT, DACHSER Head Office Kempten
"Before COVID-19, face-to-face discussions were the most important sales and communication channels for interacting with customers. Now online meetings have taken their place, like they have everywhere. It’s interesting to note that, in addition to simply selling a service, the consulting aspect has really come to the fore during the pandemic. Customers want to be kept up to date on the constantly changing market conditions and they are looking for our support in identifying the best possible supply chains in each case. Once the pandemic is over, lots of things will quickly go back to how they were before. But we’ve all learned a great deal during the COVID-19 era. One thing is that we’re now better prepared for unforeseeable circumstances, and we know how to overcome many obstacles, including unexpected ones, effectively." Florian Langenmayr, Air & Sea Logistics DACHSER USA
"When the pandemic first broke out, we were worried about what lay ahead, just like everyone else, probably. For more than a year, face-to-face meetings at work have been kept to a minimum, with shifts carefully kept separate. We comply with the strict hygiene regulations. This calls for a high degree of personal responsibility among the entire warehouse staff. The pandemic has brought the importance of logistics more visibly into the public eye. This was something we really noticed in our Kladno branch. I work in a contract logistics department for a customer whose range of products includes medical devices, comprehensive distribution systems for medical gases, and respirators, which we deliver to hospitals and paramedics. My colleagues and I are thrilled that our jobs help save lives and restore people’s health. We were also encouraged by the regular information provided by DACHSER’s management. The message was loud and clear: We’re all in this together. If we work as a team, we can get through this difficult situation." Šárka Jochová, warehouse shift leader, DACHSER Czech Republic, Kladno
"The pandemic brought about significant changes for the day-to-day work of the HR department, yet it also opened up new perspectives, particularly as a result of digitalization. The sudden switch to working from home proved challenging. It’s traditional in our Latin American culture for all staff to have a very close, personal relationship. The pandemic forced us to find completely new ways of interacting and collaborating. Luckily, DACHSER offers us the technical tools we need to hold online meetings and video training sessions. I believe that resilience will be the watchword for the future. We’ll all have to adapt to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic, concentrating more on what really matters. In my case, that means appreciating our personal and professional relationships more and showing empathy to others. Finding a future balance between remote and on-site working arrangements—depending on the particular task—would also be a good thing." Suelen Souza, Head of HR, Air & Sea Logistics DACHSER Brazil
The switch to working from home took a lot of energy, even though the work itself isn’t all that different. Managing to stay connected with colleagues at a distance while still forming a cohesive unit as we did before was a big adjustment. But we succeeded. We’ve realized that many things still work very well online. We have to write more e mails and type more in chats, but this keeps the flow of information intact even at a physical distance. For communication with drivers, digital exchange via scanners and mobile messaging works very well. But what’s definitely missing is the personal connection: the brief chats spread throughout the day, the listening when there are problems. When your routine is turned upside down and you have to regroup, you notice what actually makes your job so special. The pandemic has put a new light on things that used to seem obvious. What we do in logistics does indeed matter and is more important than ever—for us, for our customers, and for our society. Despite all the obstacles, we were able to keep everything running, and we’ve proven that we’re a team that can rely on each other in challenging times. Luca Simone, Dispatcher European Logistics, Kornwestheim, Germany
DACHSER worldwide
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Contact Theresia Gläser Corporate Public Relations
+49 831 5916-1421 theresia.glaeser@dachser.com

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