Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1251774
14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 MAY 2020 COMMERCIAL IN early March, working life at the Planning Authority was routine and for most employ- ees started with a commute to work every morning. But coronavirus came, disruption spread and fast adaptability has been key to survival. Two months later, not only is the Authority surviving, it's thriv- ing. SHAPES finds out more. The coronavirus has changed the way we work – possibly per- manently. Debate surrounding whether or not these changes will outlive the pandemic is rife. All we know for certain is that job routines have been transformed. The virus has spurred the expansion of re- mote working, and companies must adapt or be left behind. Leading the pack in Malta is the Planning Authority. Ing. Stephen Ferrito (Director for ICT, Mapping and Digital Ser- vices), Mr David Cassar (Oper- ations Assistant Director) and Ms Mariela Dobreva (IT Man- ager) explain that in a matter of days – over a weekend to be precise – the Authority man- aged to switch to almost 100 per cent remote, digital work. For the Authority, though, this shift happened after years of strategic investment in ICT. "Since about 2018, the Authority was actively work- ing to provide tele-working and hot-desking facilities for its employees", explains Mr Cassar, who is responsible for establishing the Authority's procedures that emanate from legal notices. "This kind of change can't happen overnight; it requires a gradual cultural shift," adds Ing. Ferrito, who is the crucial link between the Authority's ICT function and its operations. "We pride ourselves in being an Authority that leads in ICT. In terms of remote working, it all started with people who had certain family requirements. In 2018, we held a six-month pilot project and, since then, many employees have switched to a working-from-home setup." The Authority's re- mote-working evolution fol- lowed in the footsteps of its drive to go paperless that had been ongoing since 2007. "Back then, we wanted to make documentation and pro- cesses easily available to Periti The Planning Authority adapts to working life under COVID-19 We pride ourselves in being an Authority that leads in ICT. In terms of remote working, it all started with people who had certain family requirements. In 2018, we held a six-month pilot project and, since then, many employees have switched to a working-from-home setup