Back in early May, I was almost lost for words after witnessing the impact that the pandemic was having on people and businesses, including our own (read that article here). Recruitment all but ground to a halt, whether because clients had been forced to temporarily close their businesses or were just too busy coping with the unprecedented increase in demand.
Fortunately, despite the lockdown lasting longer than any of us expected, hiring became a priority again as things started to calm down and people were keen to ‘get on with it’. Video interviews and virtual onboarding became second nature and life started to feel more ‘normal’ as lockdown measures were gradually eased.
We found ways to thrive as a team despite remote working, but it was great to have everyone back together in the office. Having gone to great lengths to make the office ‘Covid safe’ with screens between desks, hand sanitiser everywhere and new office ‘rules’, we were extremely disappointed when the guidance changed again so quickly. No more office camaraderie for a while, which is what I will really miss.
So, now that we’re all back to remote working for the next four weeks, it would be easy to feel like we’re back to square one, but I really don’t think we are. It feels very different this time – we’re better prepared, more savvy and determined to keep the momentum going. We’re lucky to be part of a really great sector with clients who are innovative, hands-on and excel at solving problems. And our team are all set to help wherever we can with that problem-solving.
I’ve seen lots of posts sharing tips for surviving another lockdown, so I won’t try to add to those. If you want to run every day, that’s fine. If you want to hibernate and watch Netflix, that’s also fine! Personally, I’m looking ahead to 2021 and feeling positive as we restart our business growth plans and look to strengthen our team.
Stay safe everyone. As you probably know, I love to talk, so am here if you need to!
