Splendid Swiss Isolation – Day32

Splendid Swiss Isolation – Day32

0630 ?Cause you’re a sky…“  A little earlier this morning. Today will be the first day where I return to my office, after over 4 weeks. We have a job interview with a potential Legal Counsel. Can’t do that in the virtual world.

0700 But first some preparations and a lot of calls. I must admit to be a little excited. About going to office. This really is a strange time…

1030 I take my car. Taking it I realize how dirty it is. Do I have fuel left? Do I still know how to drive? Latter is a joke of course. First I am male. Males always know how to drive and most males are better than Hamilton. Problem is their hips are too large for a Formula1, and that really is the only problem. Second I work in automotive, so of course I can drive. Male automotive manager, can’t get any better driver than that. And finally, I have been driving to shop groceries, at least 3-4 times. That is the main reason I am pretty confident I still can do it. The highway is surprisingly full. Not jammed full, but sufficiently full to not be alone. Which surprises me in turn. I thought we are living a general lockout, but maybe these people are either doctors, nurses, workers out of short work. Or hair dressers and nail studio clerks preparing for April 27 when they are able to work again. Ah, yes, forgot that. We had a major disappointment yesterday with the Swiss government announcing first opening measures concerning the lockdown. On April 27th, several branches will be allowed to open up again: Hair dressers (looking at my son and some of my neighbors I do understand this choice), Garden and Repair supply stores (the famous Baum?rkte, at least you can prove you’re a handyman to your family during lockdown) and massage and nail studios. Now I do get the first two (well, gardening…) but I definitely don’t understand the second half. Until now, the government really has done a remarkable job. But what on earth qualifies a nail-studio or a massage shop, where you are in physical contact with your client to open under Corona??? We in the automotive industry have established - and provided – perfect “no-contact, total hygene” concepts to be able to be among the first. The automotive industry counts for 13% of GDP in Switzerland. Our showrooms are perfect set-ups for a non-risk, non-infectous procedure. But apparently, nail-coloring has become a very essential human need. I will have to rebuild my memory on the Maslow Pyriamid. Nails beat mobility. Massage as well. Don’t get me wrong. I am happy for all the people in this business so they can start working again and rescue their business. Really. I just think we should have been part of this first wave. Now it’s second wave, at best, on May 11th. We will be prepared.

1050 I am at the office. The garage is empty. The building is empty. My office is empty. Well, now it’s actually partly occupied. My CFO colleague is here, he will participate in the panel for the potential Legal Counsel.  

1100 Two skype calls with the team. We have switched to skype as Zoom – apparently – has some security issues. Says our IT-department in Stuttgart. There are rumors these issues were raised by another software company who is running a competitive software. Would people stop buying BMW if I told them I don’t like the brand? Well, won’t find out, this is an anti-trust environment, so I do only care about what I do in the market. I do however care about the shitty functionality our conferences are provided with today. No idea what the problem is, but normally in the office our LAN or WIFI is excellent. However, skype is not working properly. I am veeeery tempted to switch to something else. We agree to use phone conferences again if the current difficulties persist. Certainly not skype to blame. I think.

1230 I am hungry. No family to prepare something, no terrace to eat on, no real break. But hey, we have these fabulous vending machines which are packed with delicious stuff… a tuna sandwich, a salami sandwich, a brie sandwich, a pretzel with butter and loads of snacks. Opting for salami, brie, a Coke Zero and a chocolate bar, I am somewhat sorry for spending the worst lunch in five entire weeks. Down with it, we have an appointment.

1300 Legal counsel panel, three colleagues via skype (it’s working perfectly, wow) and three in the room, at least 5m distance. Strange. You don’t shake hands with the candidate. Do I stand up anyway to welcome her? Don’t I? I do, but it feels weird. WE smile, adjust the camera, we start. Very fast the awkwardness is gone. The panel ends, we say goodbye. And I will not comment the panel, you understand why.

1500 Different communications. We want to answer a list of questions we had received from our dealers. The team has put great effort into it, the answers are complete and conclusive. We try to help where we can, not all points will be answered positively, but most of them. Our network need security and planning safety. They all have major businesses to run and the setback of being pushed to the 11th of May is a real downer. So we have to do everything to prepare and be prepared. We really want to make it a kick-start, once the green light goes on!

1700 I leave office, pretty much the last person, but there weren’t many anyway. Last news was on the mask front. We were supposed to receive over 3000, we have gotten 600 so far. All of these will be necessary to equip our team in the logistic center. These brave people ensure parts logistics for the last 5 weeks, in a working environment that we have secured as good as possible. However, they risk more than I do, and the least we can do is let them have the few masks we have so far. If the offices re-opened on April 27th (we still don’t know), we will need ramp-up delivery. Or fabricate something on our own. Or something else.

1752 I make it – at the very last second – to the Baker. I have a preferred baker in Zürich and I had reserved some breads in the morning. I park my car in a spot where under normal circumstances I would normally never do it, I circle around a group of homeless. No social distancing, no shelter, no better situation than before Corona, but a lot worse. A friend of mine, he himself homeless for the last 40 years of his life, told me once that Zürich is a kind of dream location for homeless people. Now I had already difficulties grasping this concept at the time he told me. Today I don’t understand at all. Dream and homeless are two different planets to me. Or galaxies. At least. But for him, he had his arguments. Richard, well, I have to call you this weekend, asking how you are. I offer them bread, but they don’t want some. They ask for beer, but I don’t have any. We agree on a more general currency and I hope they will to something better with it than only liquidifying it. But even if they do, I just pray for them to stay healthy.

1830 Home. Bike. Sweat.

2000 Dinner and movie, a very stupid but very funny French comedy. Weekend is about to start. Good night