RDG Planning & Design’s Response to COVID-19
In the age of social distancing and extended quarantines, we’re still creating meaning together. For now, we’re just doing it a little differently.
Updated: April 23, 2020
The past 45 days have been, in a word, surreal. In many ways, these uncertain times have become simply the times we’re living in. While the “average” workday no longer exists like it used to, the reasons we show up each day remain the same. The world continues to move forward. And so do we.
RDG has adapted well to the work-from-home model, thanks to our robust IT capabilities. Our teams continue to create and collaborate with one another daily, working together to deliver on the commitments we’ve made to our clients, partners and communities.
While a few of our projects have understandably slowed down, the great majority of the work we set out to accomplish in 2020 continues. Each one of us is learning to manage ourselves and others more efficiently every day; if there’s anything we can do to serve you better, please let us know.
With everything that has changed in recent weeks, one constant remains our commitment to create meaning together. Over our more than 50 years of operation, we’ve seen the extraordinary things that come from supporting one another – especially during times of hardship and uncertainty. We’re here for you now, and we’ll continue to be here for you long after this historic moment has passed.
March 17, 2020
Healthy living is a core tenet of RDG’s culture, and protecting the well-being of our employees, their families and our larger community is our highest priority. As a national design firm, we also recognize how important it is that we stay connected to our clients and consultants. In addition to following CDC guidelines to help mitigate the spread of the virus and continuing to monitor changing directives from local, state and federal health officials, we wanted to briefly share with you the steps we’re taking to ensure minimal disruption in our day-to-day business functions.
Offering flexibility to our employees is not a new concept for RDG, and we’ve empowered everyone to make the decision that’s best for them and their families. We’ve provided all employees with company-issued laptops and instructed anyone who has come into the office to take their laptop home each evening when they depart. We have exceptionally strong systems and resources in place that allow us to effectively work and collaborate remotely as needed. As of March 17, 2020, all of our offices remain open and we continue to monitor the situation daily to determine the best course of action to help limit transmission of the virus.
We’ve upgraded our technology to support the demands of an offsite workforce, including the implementation of additional software licensing and virtual workstations to keep our teams and projects moving forward. We are continuously testing and evaluating our systems while leveraging existing tools like Zoom to collaborate across teams and with clients. Our aim is to remain connected to one another as much as possible, whether via video conferencing, chat, text or even good old-fashioned phone calls.
The bright spot in all of this is our incredible employees and clients who continue the work we set out to accomplish in 2020. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us or reach out directly to an RDG employee you know.