Against the background of the complexities and troubles brought by the coronavirus quarantine, nice things happen. Moreover, it is paradoxical that they are precisely caused by quarantine restrictions. Our colleague Ruslan Krasiuk, director of LLC “VKP“ Paritet-K ”, tells us about working in new conditions that lead to the search for new opportunities.

– The general situation is probably the same as in most colleagues: everything is shrinking. A large part of office workers are on vacation at their own expense (our office is in Kyiv) The same situation is in Nizhyn, where we have a production base. It is worth mentioning, so to speak, that only those employees who are critically needed to maintain the company’s capacity remain. These are the employees whose signatures are required on the documents at the shipment of orders, acceptance of components or those who have to keep in constant contact with counter agents, – Ruslan says.

– That is, finished products are shipped?

– We have multi-vector distribution channels. As in the middle of the country, there are so many clients abroad. And they all respond differently to the current situation. In some of the 35 countries where we have distributors (for example, in France, Italy and even Romania), they refuse to accept pre-orders. Like, elementary to unload anyone. That is, they did not refuse at all but asked to delay the shipment of goods. Where the situation is not so tense, in particular in construction, something is done, where our products are needed for corporate clients, and we deliver it, to “do something” – continues the interlocutor.

– Do settlement mechanisms work without failures?

– There has been no restructuring of financial relations, but some reformatting has taken place. We have several regular suppliers with whom we have always found common ground in the best of times. Previously, we worked together to postpone payments or settle payments when there were reasonable grounds for doing so. And now our partners and we, in turn, are more loyal to such needs. With most partners, we have already agreed on such “quarantine” schemes, not only favourable for the current conditions of the settlement but possibly acceptable. Because it happens that you have to violate the agreed scheme of restructuring payments, and the timing of payments is not due to deliberate intentions or disorganization, but due to objective physical reasons: for example, the bank is failing the Internet or a responsible employee fails. But in difficult and even critical situations, common will, mutual understanding and reciprocity can be used to find acceptable solutions. As they say, there would be no happiness, then misery helped. To put it bluntly, it is these extraordinary, extraordinary situations that promptly find the right solutions that would take years in the usual setting. We were opened to see if we could take a different look at those opportunities, options, niches for improvements that we had not seen in a standard-setting. Where we have never directed our eyes, we find the right, profitable and loyal suppliers.

But what struck me most was how many people, colleagues, employees, have opened up positively. In this complex environment, they demonstrate an unexpected level of creativity in solving complex tasks, exhibiting the highest degree of command.

And in general, there is a twofold feeling: it is not appropriate to receive pleasure from the good, which is caused by the bad, but not to notice the good, not to evaluate it properly – so is not appropriate.

In these quarantine conditions, the workers we are involved in, as I understand it, are not so much physical fatigue due to increased workloads, but emotional exhaustion. Therefore, as a manager, I have to look for different ways to support them: to replace someone in time, having sent someone on leave earlier, to support someone with a kind word. I find optimistic, motivating videos on the Internet and share them with employees, – Ruslan says.

– In conditions when it is necessary to maintain the life of the company with a rather limited number of employees, the manager not only increases in times the responsibility, but also the physical activity increases.

– As I know it! We even have to take on the job of a courier (ours is outside the city, so he sits at home), and all the necessary deliveries are performed by his director, – says Ruslan.

– It is often and unjustifiably said today that after the pandemic, the world will become different and we will change ourselves. Do you think so too?

– Not only. We have even practically begun to prepare for the reality that awaits us after the virus recedes. Not only do we adjust our prospects, we not only change the planned strategy of the company development but also tactically refocus on what maybe after the quarantine period. As I said, what we have been planning to do for years now has to be implemented within a month or two. Processes are accelerated, specified, and require radical solutions. In this extreme, we work. We are revisiting, from a new perspective, a new vision of perspectives that was familiar and quite acceptable yesterday and which may prove to be ineffective tomorrow. That is, we review the effectiveness of our online presence, product promotion, including approaches to promotions, and more. We are aiming for an effective, round-the-clock presence on the world’s leading online trading platforms. This need was reinforced, in particular, by the fact that the exhibitions that were important to us were cancelled or postponed, including those abroad, to which we had many hopes.

Therefore, there are opportunities in such adverse situations like the present one to move forward. All we have to do is find, see, and use the opportunities that we do. And, we must admit, it is unsuccessful, – sums up Ruslan Krasyuk.

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