"We feel a bit lonely"
All ETH Zurich buildings have been closed. Until further notice, they can only be opened using a key or an ETH employee card and the corresponding access code. As the head of the ET building area in the Facility Management Department, Ruedi Streuli talks about the current situation in the D-ITET buildings in the campus Zentrum.
Most ETH members are currently working from home to slow down the spread of the corona virus. Not so Ruedi Streuli, the head of the ET building area in the Facility Management Department.
Mr. Streuli, who still has access to the buildings in your area and for what reasons?
People who are allowed to enter the buildings include employees of the institute secretariats of the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering for the handling of mail, craftsmen working in the ETZ building, professors and lecturers for recording, and the cleaning company. And, of course, our team from the building administration for cleaning, maintenance and repair.
To what extent has the everyday working life of you and your employees changed?
Fortunately, our work can be carried out undisturbed, e.g. the lawn still needs mowing! However, we miss the personal contact with the people who usually work and study inside our buildings.
How many people from your team are still working on site? Are there also tasks that can be done in home office?
Half of the team is on site, the others are at home. Video conferences can be held and administrative tasks can be carried out at the home office.
How is the mood in the almost empty ETZ building?
"Spooky"! We feel a bit lonely...
Does your team now have time for tasks that often fall through during normal operation?
Yes, we now have time for work that we could otherwise only carry out during the semester break, such as maintenance work on technical equipment and thorough cleaning of the rooms.
Are there any positive experiences or ways of working that you will probably keep after the corona crisis?
I have time to question the work processes and try to derive positive changes from them, e.g. which team meetings are really necessary?
This interview was first published on 9 April 2020 in DISCOVER D-ITET 02/2020, the newsletter of the ETH Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering.
