It is together that we solve the crisis

Ants, which helps companies build successful tech departments through effective and smart recruitment, felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic right away. Clients in vulnerable industries were forced to rethink and ongoing assignments were terminated. So how do you think when your business is changing so quickly, and what will keep you going in the long run?

In a conversation between Åsa Zetterberg, Director of the Swedish Association of IT & Telecommunications Companies, and Carl-Johan Hamilton, Vice President of Ants, we hear more about the importance of having a constant crisis preparedness and that even in difficult times it is important to lift the gaze to be able to be long-term.

Åsa: When did you start noticing the corona crisis?
Carl-Johan: We went from being busy at the beginning of March to suddenly being hit a week later. There was a wave of reactions from our customers who were in the more vulnerable industries. These ranged from the hotel, travel and gaming industries to the engineering and automotive industries. Many went from one hundred to zero and of course it affected us directly. Then we also noticed that other industries had an increased need to find people quickly. So it was a double experience there in the beginning.

Åsa: What did you do internally when the crisis hit?
Carl-Johan: It started with all employees working from home. I'm incredibly impressed with how smoothly it went and that everyone really did their utmost to make it work well. Since then, we have laid off staff and unfortunately also had to terminate probationary positions and two weeks ago we were forced to give notice. It is so incredibly sad as we are a company with so many smart, talented and wise employees. But as a service company, it is our only opportunity to reduce costs in the way that the situation today requires.

Åsa: What have you experienced as the most difficult thing for yourself?
Carl-Johan: The constant changes have been tough. Changes in themselves are not the hard part, but when you adapt after it goes down and then two days later you have to adapt to the next blow. It's both difficult and tough. The feeling that your life's work could disappear, not being able to start again. But it is also in the toughest moments that we have had great dialogues with so many. It is also when everyone is there to help, even though there are many tough and difficult conversations to be had. The fact that we constantly help and support each other even though none of us have experienced anything like this before, is also inspiring in many ways.

Åsa: What are you doing to try to keep your spirits up despite the crisis?
Carl-Johan: I always say that this spring will always be remembered. How we lead and run this company through the crisis will define us for a long time. But it is important to understand that right now we are in a crisis that requires something extra from us. We are running a marathon, so it is crucial that we create space for breaks, that we switch gears and that we solve the problems together.

Åsa: Even though the crisis is tough, do you see any bright spots?
Carl-Johan: We must dare to see the bright spots. In our last podcast episode, Kjell A Nordström joined us and he reminded us of the major trends that are now becoming clear. The underlying digitalization trends are becoming more visible - there is a greater focus on technology, online has become even more important, and the importance of digital infrastructure has become even more important. To name a few. We must continue to work to create an understanding among politicians and decision-makers of the importance of continuing to drive progress. We must remain as solution-oriented even after the crisis.

Åsa: Finally, do you have any lessons learned that you would like to share?
Carl-Johan: Of course I have learned a lot during this time. But I think it's important to always have a dash of Christian thinking, which is about being prepared for the worst. It's important to be prepared and to have thought about it. Sometimes it's actually good to have both a belt and suspenders, even if in good times it feels excessive!

Read more about Ants here.