He pulled a swimming cap over his head, put on his goggles that he used in the pool, then laid on an ironing board as the creative P.E. teacher simulated swimming. In the video that quickly spread over the internet, he wanted to show his students, who were also locked in their homes, how to swim - from his living room. It was funny and bitter at the same time.
Forced into home office, we all tried to swim without water during the weeks of quarantine that suddenly came over us. Unfortunately, it was seldom funny, but with creative ideas we also managed the operation of our families and of course, our companies. At the same time we all became educators looking for a solution to the problem, and students who skillfully solved the task.
In the “corona situation” that came over us from nowhere, we had to create the conditions for working from home almost overnight, practically for the whole organization. In addition to the initial technical and infrastructural difficulties, the biggest problem was the relocation of staff who have been working exclusively from the office their entire life.
"The joint solution of the difficulties has given rise to unprecedented, uplifting cooperations. It was amazing to experience this level of collaboration."
Of course, management has also had to learn the new world. After the fun bumps of the first conference calls with many participants, we have found comfortable and efficient operations in the digital space. How long did it all take? A few weeks… How long have we been talking about how important digital solutions are and how much would they help our business? Too long…
Following the stabilization of our online operations, new questions have arised: we are working fine, but how will this turn out in the long run? What about the successful community built by our personal relationships? Is it possible to maintain those in the digital space as well? How can we ensure the previously valuable cohesion and maintain the group- and identity consciousness that characterizes us in the organization?
The Maslow's pyramid analogy was also applicable to our brand new situation. According to this, following our need for security and protection, we are guided by a sense of belonging, a need for attachment, respect and recognition. These lead us up to self-realization.
"I am very proud that we have responded vigorously to these needs and have been able to support the work of our colleagues at home with initiatives that have enriched their fulfillment."
For example, taking into account their requests we created a series of workout videos that could be performed at home with the help of a fitness trainer. As part of the program series, employees could also participate in nutrition counseling.
All of this exercise and nutrition program was part of an initiative we launched under the name of #stayconnected. We shared useful and inspiring ideas with colleagues about home performance management, or effective communication that eliminates distance.
In addition, we have made a foreign language learning interface available to our employees online that has quickly and successfully replaced classroom education. Our mentoring program was also managed to be routed towards virtual platforms, from then the physical distance between mentor-mentee was no longer an obstacle. This program was also continued.
It was good to see that we have managed to involve many in various initiatives, for us the corporate support of the mental and physical well-being of our colleagues is really important. And it was good to hear from them that they appreciated the company’s activity.
A lot has changed around us, and it is possible that we have changed ourselves. To what extent, we will see clearly only later, from afar. We have had a lot of valuable experiences in the recent months, and from now on it is up to us what are we doing with it.
The restrictions are over, although we still use a mask in the shops; we have put the ironing boards away. The company is “swimming” again, like in the good old days. Moreover, we have returned to normal operation faster than the summer weather. They say more rains for a few days, but after that the warmth will come, beach season starts, and after the forced swimming on the ironing board we will splash in real water soon. Everything will almost be the same as before.