Firm sees silver lining in staff loyalty and spirit amid crisis
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Singaporean Rosli Latiff, 57, who works for Nature Landscapes, continues to help as a site supervisor for one of the horticultural firm's clients in the Dairy Farm area, despite half his team being out of action. The clearance process for workers has held back much of the company's maintenance workforce, of which about half - or 100 workers - are foreigners, says executive director Jacqueline Allan.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
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When the Covid-19 pandemic first struck Singapore, local horticultural firm Nature Landscapes knew it had to be prepared for business to be hit.
Planning from the outset enabled it to shift operations to home-based work arrangements smoothly.
But the firm did not expect the pandemic to drag on for as long as it has, with bottlenecks in official clearance for its migrant workers creating more problems, said the company's executive director Jacqueline Allan.
It was well prepared in some areas because it had started getting ready as early as February.
For example, the office team was already moving to an online cloud platform and videoconferencing tools. Most of the staff had also switched from desktops to laptops so they could work from home easily.
In March, the firm managed to do a trial run of its business continuity plans before the Government made split operations mandatory.
It also managed to get an exemption from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to be permitted to do some kinds of essential maintenance work for its clients.
But after that it was just "one obstacle after another", said Ms Allan.
New projects, a key source of revenue, completely stalled.
While payouts from the Government's Budget support packages helped, these only managed to cover some of the high overhead costs, not uncommon in the horticultural industry.
Many are still losing money as their clients, who have themselves been badly affected, need to renegotiate fees, for example.
But with much of its workforce still unable to work, Nature Landscapes has also had to plead for understanding from clients to not penalise them for the reduced headcount at some sites.
The clearance process for workers has held back much of the firm's maintenance workforce, of which about half - or 100 workers - are foreigners, Ms Allan said.
One of the requirements for clearance, which is for staggered pick-up and drop-off times for workers from the dorm, has also cut down the amount of time for actual work, not to mention increasing transportation costs for the firm.
During the circuit breaker period, the firm survived by hiring some 60 temporary workers. But after Singapore started reopening its economy early last month, many of these local temporary workers have gone back to their old jobs or sought other employment.
The firm now faces a manpower crunch on top of its other problems.
Sungei Tengah Lodge, the dorm where its workers stay, was given the all-clear last Tuesday.
But not all of the workers can return to work; so far only 18 have been allowed to do so.
Fortunately, in April, the company managed to move 20 of its workers to its own temporary living quarters at its plant nursery in nearby Sungei Tengah Road.
Ms Allan called this group her "elite" team, workers who had performed very well and could be trusted to get any job done.
One of them is 33-year-old Md Foysal, a supervisor who specialises in handling machinery for landscaping. The Bangladeshi national has spent all 11 years in Singapore with Nature Landscapes.
Mr Foysal said he is happy he can still work. "My friends (in the dorm), they are happy to work and want to join, and have been asking 'When can we join?' But they are not cleared," he said.
Ms Allan said that a silver lining has been the loyalty and spirit of the firm's staff, which shone through during this time of hardship.
Singaporean Rosli Latiff, 57, continues to help as a site supervisor for one of the firm's clients in the Dairy Farm area, despite half his team - migrant workers - being out of action.
"Everyone is worried. But as long as we observe the precautionary measures, like wearing masks and sanitising our hands, we should be okay," said Mr Rosli, who has been with the firm for over a decade.
To show its appreciation to its ground workers who are working in the midst of the pandemic, the firm decided to give an additional allowance and provide meals despite the additional cost this would involve for the company.
For now, the company is still barely managing to stay afloat. But the immediate future seems bleak, with Ms Allan estimating losses of up to two-thirds of its revenue.
"The circuit breaker may have been lifted almost two months ago, but for us, it is as if it has never ended," she said.
