Ahoy there fellow Makers and sea-farers.
As you're all aware the world is in a strange place right now and it's likely to be a rough time for many people to deal with. We wanted to update you on what we're doing to keep our team safe and let you know what's happening at Pimoroni.
What we're doing for our team
Firstly (and most importantly) we need to look out for our crew mates and their families. These are the folks that design, produce, support, and ship you the products we make here in Sheffield-on-Sea. They are the heart and soul of Pimoroni and very dear to us.
We have implemented the following guidelines
- Vulnerable crew (or with vulnerable family members) should not come to work.
- Those who can work from home, work from home.
- If they’re worried that they have been exposed then stay home.
- Car pool to avoid public transport (if not possible then stay home).
- When on-site use caution (spacing out, regular hand washing, minimise risk).
- Keep in touch with each other and check in to fight the fear.
Currently over half of our team are either excused from work or working from home where practical. We’ll continue to revise our position as the situation unfolds and new guidance is issued.
All of our staff will be paid in full and as normal regardless of the situation they are in. We're in this together.
What does this mean right now?
Those who can still work (either on-site, or from home) are doing amazing things to keep the Pirate Ship on course so that we can support our fellow crew mates and customers during this time.
Right now you'll not really notice any major differences. Many important jobs like support, accounts, compliance, documentation, and software can effectively be done from home, at least for a reasonable period of time.
Our production crew are short-handed but can still produce, test, and package our products - albeit a bit slower than our normal full-steam-ahead pace. We are not experiencing any issues sourcing parts at the moment though this could change in time.
Our shipping team are short handed but are ninja enough to process your orders quickly and keep on top of things. There has been no indication that mail or courier services will be affected in the UK yet.
Can I help?
Sure you can, support local and independent businesses where possible.
Situations like this are especially hard on smaller businesses so if you were thinking of picking something up in person or ordering something online then please seriously consider avoiding the Amazon's/Walmarts/Tescos of this world and show your support for companies where it'll really make a difference.
SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) employ three-fifths of all UK private-sector workers and are essential for the economy, providing quality jobs, and offer diversity of choice.
Even if you're not looking to stock up your Maker-hoard at the moment then leaving us a review is also a great help that costs nothing! It helps our visibility online, bringing new Makers into the fold and provides a warm glow to the team when we share your words with them. :-) Review us on Google.
In closing
If you're doing projects—serious, not-so-serious, or whatever—with our stuff, then we'd love if you'd share your videos, code, or writeups with us on Twitter and we can share them with others. Let's use our time creatively, kindly, and cooperatively.
If things change significantly in the coming days and weeks then we’ll update you again. In the meantime we hope you’re all doing well and we look forward to some more positive news.
Above all things, be excellent to each other.
- hugs (non-contact) from Jon, Paul, and the Pirate Crew.