There is no doubt that 2020 has been an extremely tough year for everyone. The tradition of an ‘end of the year evaluation’ takes on a whole new meaning when accounting for the unforeseen hardships we have all faced. From navigating health risks to the devastating economic impacts felt across multiple industries, adapting to remote working to disconnection from family and friends; there have been many challenges to overcome. But, it has also been a year in which we have witnessed unprecedented kindness, compassion and generosity in the face of unprecedented adversity. At EER our ability to retain stability throughout the crisis has largely been thanks to our collaborative partnerships and the resilience and dedication of our amazing team. Therefore, just before we turn our attention to what is hopefully the brighter horizon of 2021, I would like to take a moment to look back at the lessons of recent times and to honour those who helped steer us through.

Adapting our Approach

As we talk about in more detail in our Business Continuity article, it became evident very early on in the year that we needed to evolve our strategy for the year. Having initially planned to focus on our 15^th Anniversary, we found ourselves seeking solutions to problems that we had not anticipated and circumstances that seemed to change on a daily basis. Our priority was two-fold, our employees and our clients. It was so crucial that we be able to look after our team and continue to provide the highest levels of service to our clients. We took the time to implement the necessary safety measures so that our employees wouldn’t be at risk and facilitated the environments for successful remote working. Collaboration with partners both in and outside the industry led to a sharing of ideas and approaches that helped to shape our strategy for the better. In a pivotal move, our Operations Director Aideen Hopkins spearheaded a ramp up in our automation journey. Our digital on-boarding of software programmes such as Quickbooks, Zoho, Relocation Online and 1Clique allowed us to not only provide faster, more efficient services to our clients, it improved motivation and engagement for the whole EER team.

Rising to the Challenge

Whilst much of the year was centered on business sustainability and evolving our practices to suit changing scenarios, the hard work of our team cannot be overstated. As well as pulling together and always going the extra mile, they were able to deliver on some laudable projects, despite everything that was going on. That work included designing new virtual versions of our services to aid mobility restrictions, providing additional support to assignees all over the world and training themselves on our new digital partner programmes. They also demonstrated immeasurable grace and thoughtfulness in assisting clients who were unable to return home and needed properties packed up and shipping arranged. In the latter half of the year, our immigration team also successfully coordinated the international relocation of over 100 employees to Abu Dhabi, a daunting task at the best of times, adeptly ensuring all relevant requirements where adhered to and that the assignees arrived safely, fully briefed on their new destination and fully compliant with all of the necessary immigration procedures.

Exceptional Teamwork

I couldn’t possibly end the year without mentioning my immense gratitude for every member of the EER team. Their passion and commitment has been extraordinary and there is no doubt that our company has only managed to achieve so much because of them. This year many of the senior leadership team took part in multiple webinars and virtual panels to discuss the impact of the pandemic, in each one we shared our pride in our team and their continued ability to ensure service delivery excellence. We understand how lucky we are to have weathered the storms of 2020 and that without the hard work of our team and the trust placed in us by our clients; that may well not have been the case. In 2021 one of our key strategic objectives will be to strengthen our commitment to people and culture and implement more well-being initiatives to combat the struggles they have faced and the pain endured through separation from loved ones. They truly have risen above and beyond.

As we close the chapter on 2020, I would like to extend my warmest thanks to our clients, our partners and our fantastic employees. Working together to overcome the challenges of the past few months has been inspirational and I continue to be astounded by your capacity for effort, innovation and loyalty.  I wish you all a very happy holiday season and look forward to building a brighter 2021 with you all.

Marie O’Neill, Managing Partner