Inverness-based Highland Office Equipment working with local businesses to supply desk sneeze guards during coronavirus pandemic
Forward-thinking Highlands businesses have been praised for their proactive approach to staff safety ahead of any lifting of the Coronavirus lockdown.
Although UK office furniture manufacturers have only just unveiled a new suite of sneeze guards and social as well as workplace distancing products, demand is already spiralling in the region.
Such is the level of interest that an Inverness-based office furniture specialist has now brought a key member of staff out of furlough to work with local businesses keen to get the right protection in place to allow a progressive and safe reopening.
The benefit for businesses is that these protective guards can easily be retrofitted to existing desks and office layouts, thus reducing costs at a time when companies are closely monitoring expenditure.
Ewen Gallie, a dedicated furniture consultant with Highland Office Equipment (HOE) for the past 20 years, is now fielding more than 20 enquiries per week as interest in these protective guards continues to spike.
He said: “I’ve been in this industry for years and never saw this coming. The manufacturers themselves have only just started making these specific products, and we’re already seeing significant demand across the Highlands.
“Businesses here are being so forward-thinking, which is really to their credit. It means they are showing admirable concern for staff safety and welfare, as well as the kind of practical mindset the Highlands and Islands is renowned for.
“Within three days of being back I’d already been out on various site visits to help businesses measure up while adhering at all times to the strict social distancing rules. These enquiries have ranged from offices for two people to larger open plan offices for more than 200 staff.”
HOE has been established in Inverness for well more than 40 years, serving businesses across the Highlands and Islands region.
Mr Gallie, a 47-year-old father-of-two, is one of 30 staff at HOE based at Harbour Road, and was recalled from furlough when sales director, Alex Main, was working remotely and started fielding calls about new clear plastic products, called either sneeze guards or barrier guards.
One of the main suppliers of the protective screens is a company which ceased commercial work while helping create the Government’s temporary Nightingale hospitals. Since completing that project, the supplier has now resumed manufacturing the screens.
Mr Gallie said: “A few weeks ago I didn’t even know these products existed, now I’m becoming an expert in acrylic screens. The reality is that the manufacturers have totally changed in the past month and have really upped their game.
“While nobody could have predicted this situation, it totally makes sense. Companies and their staff want to get back to work and that is almost certainly going to be a phased return while maintaining social distancing and a safe working environment. These will probably be commonplace in offices for the foreseeable future."
Mr Main urged businesses across the Highlands to continue to be proactive – but also to be patient and not to expect instant solutions.
He said: “These are new products and the companies making them are only just resuming their own manufacturing. It’s great that businesses across the Highlands and the north of Scotland are thinking about this already, and advised that it may take weeks to get orders fulfilled and delivered, given the level of demand."
HOE is part of Scotland-wide success story, Capital Document Solutions, a company with five offices across the country, 200 staff and annual revenues of £22 million.
