It's good to talk...….

The thought of isolation from the outside world wasn’t meant to feel this way.

‘Confined’, ‘detached’ and ‘lonely’ are three definitions of the word. ‘Hidden’, ‘remote’ and ‘abandoned’ are three more.

I’d braced myself to feel as much, but as we all get our heads around a new way of existing (never mind working) this week, I have been engulfed with another emotion that I really didn’t expect to be feeling so soon after we worked in isolation.

 ‘Togetherness.’

 In these unprecedented times we’re living in, it’s the last emotion I thought I’d be engulfed with, but it’s true.

Because of our role in supporting the automotive service repair and maintenance sector, Autogem is classed as fulfilling an essential service, meaning that we’re still open for business (albeit under a skeleton crew and very much following strict Government guidelines).

One customer - whose job it is to keep cars on the road so workers can fulfil the vital roles we’re so reliant on – called me to stress the importance of us remaining open. Another made the special effort of writing to thank us for staying open and sending our essential supplies. We promptly circulated the email throughout the business and it certainly lifted the spirits of the logistics team.

 Our online ordering and training platforms are certainly coming into their own right now, that’s for sure. We continue to provide support for our customers and given that we are London based and at the epicentre of the crisis, our service has not been too greatly disrupted amid the chaos.

 But I keep coming back to that feeling of togetherness…

…I know that some colleagues are excited at the prospect of working from home. I spent the day with my nine-year-old son at home, which I have not always been able to do in the past. It was wonderful to have actually lunch with my family on a workday and I suspect my toasted sandwich making skills are going to be put to the test very soon.

Others, however have really struggled. Mentally, it is a challenge and those feelings of confinement and loneliness are real. The loss of a team environment is precisely that…a loss.

For the first time since our world changed, I jumped on an online call with some of other staff members who are also remotely beavering away. It was a really uplifting experience. Just to sit and connect with everyone again, look each-other in the eyes and tell everyone that we’re here for one-another meant a lot. Despite working alone, there was a definite sense of togetherness on that 'virtual huddle' which I didn’t think I’d experience.

It got me thinking of self-isolating friends, family and any elderly acquaintances we might know of right now. A quick phone call to see how they are might just have the same uplifting effect that the conference call had on me. After work I took the kids across to see a couple of elderly widows that live on our street - keeping our distance of course.. don't worry. It was nice to check-in with them.

We’ll be fine from a work perspective at Autogem. Early days yet, but we’re comfortable with the plans we’ve made for the sobering time we find ourselves in.

It’s the family and friends inside their homes right now that might need a bit more of our focus too, so they can do likewise. Keep well, keep safe everyone out there and a thousand thumbs up to those medical workers putting their lives on the line for us.

It’s good to talk and hopefully i won't need to reach for the cheap halloween outfit just yet!