1.5 years into the pandemic

We find ourselves close to 14 months into one of the most catastrophic global health events of our lifetime. While many of us seem to have adapted comfortably to the ‘new normal’, others are still fighting to bring back some sense of normalcy that we once knew.

We know 2020 was a year that impacted many. A year of change. A year of realisation. It was also a year that tested and challenged leaders like never before. Like what Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

What this means is that it may be easy to do the right thing and say the right words when times are good or normal. However, it is a lot harder when you are navigating through a crisis like the pandemic. This is my outlook on how the last 1.5 years have played out for me and 3M.

Fighting product fraudulence

During this global crisis, the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), face masks and respirators continue to far exceed supply for the entire industry. 3Mers all around the world came together to support and protect the public’s health. I saw first-hand how employees in the Malaysia office work tirelessly with governments, health agencies, distributors, and others to prioritise PPE supplies to healthcare workers, first responders and essential workers.

Because of the unprecedented demand, we also saw countless counterfeits of N95 respirators and other 3M products. We launched global efforts to combat fraud and price gouging, as well as help protect the public against those who try to exploit the demand for critical 3M products during a pandemic. In this timeline, you will also see all the steps 3M has taken to support the world’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the key milestones that I am personally proud of:-

1. Manufacturing plants are running at record levels to make more respirators. 3M’s global production of N95 respirators reached an annual rate of 2.5 billion, a fourfold increase over 2019.
2. Collaborating with companies to develop personal protective equipment and other tools to assist in the fight against COVID-19.
3. Filing our 19th lawsuit in September 2020 as part of our global effort to fight COVID-19 fraud, counterfeiting and price-gouging.
4. Launching of “Science at Home,” a series that features 3M scientists and special guests who demonstrate core scientific principles in an easy to follow format. It is an extension of providing accessible STEM distance-learning resources to families and children worldwide.

1.5 years of WFH

Since the implementation of work-from-home (WFH) last year, we have witnessed drastic changes in the way we work. According to McKinsey, the workplace as we used to know it is more disruptive than ever before. Not all organisations benefit or see the importance of WFH because it appears unproductive and distracting.

There are two sides to the coin here which I believe there is a need for balance. At 3M, we have employees who require access to the office facilities for achieving innovative and collaborative work. Therefore, while we continue to encourage work-from-home arrangements, it is still a shared commitment and responsibility of all 3Mers to maintain a safe and healthy work environment for our fellow in-office colleagues.

We are equipped with trainings and up-to-date guidance on workplace safety to ensure everyone has the knowledge to protect oneself and others. We have also put in place procedures such as:-

• Appointment of a dedicated Emergency Response Team (ERT) to implement necessary measures for those who need to be in the workplace.
• Return-to-workplace transition and phases are monitored individually and adjusted where necessary to ensure employees are fully supported and protected at all time.

As leaders, we know that we cannot compromise the state of each employee’s physical and mental wellbeing, whether during a pandemic or not. In my “Creating a work culture that works” article, some of the methods of creating a sustainable WFH experience are Openness and Trust.

Openness. This relates to the engagement and interaction you have with your employees. Before the pandemic, I always leave my office door open to let everyone know that I am just a footstep or knock away. Today, it’s an email or phone call. No matter what position, making yourself available creates a two-way level of trust, confidence, and drive that employees need moving forward.

Trust. After over a year of WFH arrangement, I have come to realise that we don’t need a physical workspace to know that employees are doing the work. With the right empowerment and motivation, they will show you the results of the work they do.

Last year, we extended our FlexAbility plan to allow our employees to maximise professional and personal productivity. 3M Malaysia continues to allow our employees the independence to decide what works for them, their work, their team, their family, and 3M.

As I jot down my thoughts here, the changes we went through as Malaysians and people of today aren’t particularly new – COVID-19 simply accelerated them. I am thankful for what we have overcome and built over the past year. We became a closer community. We became better 3Mers.