There’s an ancient saying: “May you live in interesting times.” At first blush, it seems really positive … until you think about it. It’s more like a curse. The periods in history we look back on, study, and analyze are rarely the times in which people were skipping through a field of daisies. Those “interesting times” are more like floods, tragedies, revolutions, wars, upheavals, and other events in history — like the outbreak of a novel and deadly disease. And friends, we’re living through one right now. You can bet your grandchildren, and theirs, will be studying 2020 in the history books.
With most, if not all, of major U.S. cities on lockdown, and an estimated 3/4 of all American employees working from home, many for the first time, we are in an unprecedented era, The Era of Social Distancing, in this country. How are you, and your employees, staying sane?
At GetFive, we’re all working at home. Along with keeping the business running, I’ve been staying sane by taking a regular bay beach walk. It has been quite good for my head. I walk when the tide is low, so I can circle the point and see the outlines of the Manhattan skyline. There’s something about being near the water that presses a reset button.
For me, there has been a silver lining. We have had some really good family time. My kids are taking a heavy chore load and learning to cook a great variety of things. My wife is cooking a lot, which is great as she happens to be an amazing cook. Takeout from the Indian restaurant feels like a big night these days.
We’re working on our community projects as a family, too. My high school junior is raising money to distribute essentials to service workers. I recently launched our free month of job search access, targeting those same displaced service workers.
Not everyone is sheltering-in-place with family, though. Some people are with their partners, their children grown and living in other states. One of my staff members recently got out of the hospital for an unrelated issue and her immune system is compromised, so she is riding this out completely alone, without family to either comfort or annoy her. She’s doing OK, but notes that when the dog starts talking back to her, she’ll know there’s a problem. We imagine that the situation for your staff is all over the map, too.
With that in mind, here are a few tips I’ve found useful to stay sane and productive during this unprecedented, “interesting” time.
Zoom and Skype are your friends. Use technology to its fullest. Staff meetings and even get-togethers with friends are more fun with Zoom and Skype and other video sharing tools. Just seeing friendly faces helps with the isolation. Also, virtual backgrounds can be a lot of fun!
Focus on deliverables, not hours. Even if your business is big on hours, now is not the time to be counting the minutes your staff are logging. Now, it’s about getting the job done. I’ve been working far more hours than usual, but on a crazy schedule reflecting the reality of life at home (and the tide charts).
Encourage your employees to practice self-care. For me, it’s walking outside. For my wife, it’s cooking. For others, happy hours with friends on Zoom help break the monotony. Encourage your staff to do whatever makes them feel good.
And remember, especially if you were in the midst of a job search when COVID hit, this too shall pass. We’ll be here to help when it’s time for you to get out there again. Until then, stay safe and stay sane.
