Our Response to COVID-19

These are strange times; due to covid-19 the Bay Area went under a “shelter in place” order at midnight. Like all local companies, we at Camus Energy are managing through this, and we wanted to share a little of how we are thinking about that.

Some of us have operational response backgrounds, which is helpful in small ways. We are used to handling crises and feel more in control when we have a plan. We had already sent people home before the shelter in place order came in. In some ways an official mandate is easier. We’re lucky that much of our work can be done remotely. We had folks on site with a customer working through local network connectivity last week, which turns out to have been the last possible moment – that customer is no longer accepting visitors and we would not send them now.

Our eng team is honestly mostly happy to have uninterrupted time to code. Things we worry about: human relationships, making sure we’re coordinating on future planning. We are very happy to reduce the risk of coincident illnesses by having them home, though. We are wondering, how long will this last? We’re shifting long range planning proactively to VC and scheduling more syncs. With a little extra focus time, we’re using this time to work on messaging and documentation which lags when people are busy. We won’t lie, focus at home is hard with the whole family here. I’m enjoying meeting people’s cats, though, and I’m inviting our dog to future stand-ups. We like seeing photos of people’s baking projects.

My big worry long term (for Camus, at least) is continuing to develop new business and relationships. We’re a young company and conferences are a great way to reach people. How else to get the message out? Time to update our website and think about webinars. One great thing about working with utilities is that they all have contingency plans. They’re here to keep power flowing and they take that mission really seriously. Our goal right now is just to support that, and make sure we’re doing right by the folks we support.

We’re so lucky that we can send people home and, if anything, gain productivity in the short term. We worry about all the businesses around us – the corner bodega, the restaurants, coffee shops, everyone who’s already lost jobs. Stay safe out there, friends. Be kind to each other.

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