COVID-19 impact on Precise and the offshore industry – Interview with founder Peter

As lockdown moves into transition we grabbed five minutes with Precise boss Pete to assess how the firm’s evolved during the crisis and the impact on clients and contractors. Read now to find out!

1. How has Precise been impacted by the COVID19 crisis?

The biggest impact has come from travel restrictions, project delays, and postponements. We’ve been incredibly fortunate with the majority of our freelancers who’ve been working on projects who’ve chosen to extend their trips and allow the projects to continue. We’re eternally grateful to them for doing that – and it’s been appreciated by more than just us. One of our clients recently asked us to send flowers to the families of the guys who stayed over, which was a really human touch and says a lot.

The office team has been fantastic too – we made a decision to not furlough people or take any drastic action because we believe during this time, we need to provide the highest level of customer service possible, so everyone was needed to work full-tilt. That decision has so far proven to be the right one – we’re still going strong. The team is working harder than ever to get people to project and home safely.

I’ve always been sceptical about working remotely and losing the personal touch, so it’s been great to be proved wrong!

2. How has the offshore industry been impacted by the crisis (e.g. the impact on projects, clients, and freelancers?)

One of the most significant issues has been the oil price with global demand collapsing, and storage facilities being full to the brim and not accepting more oil. We’ll likely see this impact play out over the next couple of years.

The offshore wind industry seems to be continuing well and we’ve not seen huge delays on that side which highlights how important it is to the national energy strategies for countries. Farms are still being planned and built and we’re fortunate to be involved with them.

On a practical level, people are being put into quarantine and being tested before they go onto projects. So that means they’re going into hotel rooms for 14 days of full isolation, and then joining vessels. It’s a significant ask of the people doing it, but once you get on the vessel you’re COVID-free and people can then have a semi-normal working environment.

3. What is Precise doing to assist clients and freelancers during these tough times?

We’re doing everything we can to communicate with everyone to make sure that we keep on top of any restrictions that come in. We’re trying to make sure everyone is aware of scenarios and what to do in them – like if there’s an outbreak, what the impact is on day rates, travel home and quarantine.

We’ve seen an increase in the volumes of calls we’re making with freelancers – we’re constantly updating them with procedures and logistics of travel which changes a lot. It’s no small ask to ask someone to leave their families and go away on a trip that could be anywhere from 4 to 14 weeks. Some people are turning jobs down – which I fully understand. If people are at home with young families and there’s no way their partners can get the extra help they need to look after the kids, the right decision for many is to stay at home. It’s come at a bad time for freelancers because many haven’t worked since Christmas, and were expecting this to be the busy season. Of course, it’s nowhere near the levels it’s been in recent years.

4. There are a lot more freelancers currently working from home doing some remote work for clients now. Do you think there will be more opportunities for home working in the future?

I think there is something that’s been in the making before COVID-19, with remote surveys occurring and major oil companies looking to work towards a stage where you can have offshore projects without anyone actually being offshore.

This is a trend people want to see and COVID-19 has accelerated that. We have project surveyors working remotely and what is really positive to see, from someone who can’t bear unnecessary delays, is that the speed at which issues are resolved is much more quick than they might have been in an old normal environment.

It’ll be very interesting in 6 months’ time to see the progress that’s been made and how as an agency we can support that. It’s not something freelancers should be fearful of – ultimately remote processing will allow for a more flexible workforce which can only be a benefit to freelancers.

5. What would you say to freelancers booked for a job / currently out with us?

You will get paid. There are worries because some companies have gone under – Precise works with a credit insurance – it’s the cornerstone of our business. We will get you home and look after you. And thank you for continuing to work offshore and helping the industry get through a difficult time.

6. This is a particularly challenging time for fellow managers and business owners, what advice do you have for them?

Don’t try to take advantage of COVID to disguise strategies for cost reductions. This is a time to support everyone and to look after your team. If you’ve got people living on their own – check in on them and make sure they’re ok, and the pressures of work aren’t getting to them. For me, it’s about proving how much they as individuals really mean to me – and not just as workers in my business. It’s important to show people you have their best interests at heart.