Zona Rosa statt Bella Italia: Im Frühjahr stiegen die Corona-Infektionen in Italien innerhalb weniger Tage dramatisch an. Bilder von Armee-Fahrzeugen, die Särge abtransportieren, gingen um die Welt. Im Kampf gegen die Ausbreitung des Virus riegelten die Behörden große Teile des Landes ab. Die Märkte von PENNY waren auch in den schlimmsten Wochen immer geöffnet. Mitarbeiter und Mitarbeiterinnen berichten, wie sie diese Zeit erlebt haben.
In der Rechtsabteilung mussten wir uns jeden Tag mit einer Vielzahl neuer Vorschriften für den Betrieb der Märkte und die Sicherheit der Kunden auseinandersetzen. Das war extrem herausfordernd, weil immer auch persönliche Ängste und Sorgen mit im Spiel waren. Begegnungen waren nicht möglich, also mussten wir andere Formen der Kommunikation nutzen, allen voran Telefonkonferenzen. Und natürlich haben wir mehr telefoniert und mehr E-Mails geschrieben als zuvor. Das Erstaunliche war: Alle Kollegen fühlten sich noch nie so nah, auch wenn sie viele Kilometer voneinander entfernt arbeiteten. Wir sind in dieser Zeit alle noch enger zusammengerückt und haben uns gegenseitig unterstützt. Die Führungskräfte waren mit E-Mails und Audio-Botschaften sehr präsent und haben nie vergessen, sich für unser Engagement zu bedanken. Was mir besonders in Erinnerung geblieben ist? Die Stille, eine Art weinende Stille, die überall während des Lockdown zu vernehmen war, besonders an den Wochenenden. Kein Auto, keine Musik, keine spielenden Kinder – die gruseligste Stille, die ich je erlebt habe.
Die Kunden waren vor allem zu Beginn der Krise in totaler Panik. Sie fürchteten, Lebensmittel könnten knapp werden. Aber sie hatten auch Angst vor dem Virus. Also respektierten und beachteten sie alle Sicherheitsvorschriften, die wir im Markt ergriffen. Aus der Hauptverwaltung und auch von den Distrikt- und Gebietsleitern erhielten wir regelmäßig Informationen und große Unterstützung. Sie alle haben ebenso wie Kunden und Freunde verstanden, dass wir in der Filiale an vorderster Front stehen. Mit unserer Arbeit haben wir zu einer sicheren Versorgung beigetragen – auch wenn das wirklich riskant war. Das hat die Wertschätzung für unsere Arbeit geändert und ist nach wie vor spürbar. Nie vergessen werde ich die Angst, das Virus mit nach Hause zu bringen und meine Familie anzustecken. Monatelang keine Umarmung, keine Liebkosung – nur um sie zu beschützen.
» ENGLISH VERSION «
Zona rosa rather than bella Italia: Earlier this year, the number of COVID-19 infections in Italy grew dramatically over just a few days. Images of army lorries transporting coffins went around the world. To combat the spread of the virus, the government locked down large swaths of the country. PENNY stores, however, stayed open, even in the darkest weeks of the pandemic. Our employees share their experiences.
It was really challenging to be a mother while working from home during the weeks we were in lockdown. My daughter had online classes and I sat next to her at the computer and worked. We weren’t able to meet friends and we weren’t allowed to leave the house even for a walk some days.
In the legal department, we had to deal with a multitude of new regulations every day about the operation of stores and customer safety. That was extremely challenging, especially as my own fears and concerns were also involved. It wasn’t possible for us to meet in person, so we had to use different ways of communicating. We used teleconferencing in particular. And, of course, we were on the phone more and wrote more emails than we used to. The amazing thing was that all the employees felt closer than ever before, even when we were working kilometres away from each other. We all came even closer together and supported each other during this time. Corporate leadership was really present with emails and audio messages, and they never forgot to thank us for our commitment. What has especially stuck with me is the silence. A mournful silence that hung over everything during lockdown, especially on the weekends. No cars, no music, no children playing – the spookiest silence I’ve ever experienced.
My work stopped during the weeks of the coronavirus lockdown. Technicians can’t really work from home. All the construction sites were closed, and even renovations and maintenance work came to a halt. I had to wait a long time before things finally started up again. Everyone on the team was very anxious. We had a couple teleconferences and tried to calm each other down. But it’s hard when you don’t know what will happen next. Our supervisors let us know how things were going on a daily basis which helped a lot. My colleagues and I tried to prepare ourselves for the time when things would start up again. We wanted to be ready. We were the first retailer to put up plexiglass shields at the checkout to protect customers and employees and that received a lot of praise on social media. When there’s no maintenance or renovations, you really notice how important that work is. When the lockdown ended, we had to take care of hundreds of open work requests.
As a store manager, I have a responsibility to my team, and so I wanted to be out there in the store with all the employees in the worst weeks of the pandemic. At the same time, I was worried about getting infected and bringing the virus home to my family. I didn’t hold my son for months, because I was afraid, and that was painful for both of us. At work, we were more than a team and we stuck together like a family. We learnt how to live with COVID-19, with masks, gloves and all the safety procedures. Even in the most difficult times, we tried to think positively.
Customers were in a total panic, especially at the start of the crisis. They were afraid that there would be food shortages. And they were afraid of the virus. So they respected and followed all the safety regulations we had instituted at the store. We regularly received information and huge support from the head office as well as from the district and area managers. Like our customers and friends, they all understood that we were on the front lines in the stores. With our work, we contributed to a safe food supply, even if it was really risky. That changed the appreciation of our work and that is still noticeable. I’ll never forget being afraid of bringing the virus home with me and infecting my family. No hugs or cuddles for months – just to protect them.
For almost three months, our workload was three times higher than normal. Instead of the usual daily delivery, we made three deliveries to stores each day and that was under strict safety and hygiene regulations. Everyone on the team felt the enormous responsibility and stepped up to help meet the huge demand for goods. I’m proud to be able to say that the logistics worked perfectly and PENNY was one of the few retailers at the time who didn’t run out of stock. We didn’t see our families much during this time. We were like a family to each other at work and looked out for one another. The situation was absolutely beyond belief, almost like in a warzone. The constant flow of goods – we moved the same amount of products in three months that we normally would move in an entire year. Receiving and distributing products non-stop, like it was a matter of survival. Maybe it was.
I was really afraid of bring the virus home from work and giving it to my family. It was totally risky to work every day at a publicly accessible place, even with the safety measures. I was never worried about myself. When you’re in the middle of it, you don’t really realise just how dangerous it is. We came even closer together as a team in those difficult weeks, and everyone supported one another and kept each other calm. This connection is still really strong. Customers were really panicked at the beginning. They were afraid that they soon wouldn’t be able to buy food. At the same time, they were afraid that they’d become infected. And when they realised that the products would continue to be available, they became frustrated at the safety and hygiene regulations which seemed to change every day. Then, in a third phase, they valued our work more and more and really cooperated. This new relationship with the customers can still be felt. A number of things from those terrible weeks are etched in my memory. The long queues waiting to get into the store in the first days of the pandemic. Silent people in masks and gloves, loading up their trolleys with whatever they could buy. It was like in an American disaster film. The silence frightened me the most.
