The Silver lining of COVID-19

Over the past 8 weeks, I have spoken to many candidates & clients about the current situation, as that has become our new normal. It's been interesting to see the changes in their mindset. Companies going from never considering a working from home policy to creating new WFH strategy, for when things start opening up. Likewise with candidates. I've spoken to many who have loved the office environment and working together with colleagues and remote working wasn't an option for them, until it became mandatory. Many have had the opportunity to spend time with their children, partners, friends etc. Time that they did not have before, being part of some wonderful moments that they would have missed out on.

Yes, there has to be a balance, but over the last 2 months, people are opening up, prioritising themselves & what's actually important to them. Being reminded of things that got lost along the way, because their priority became living to work, instead of working to live.

There are also people that don't enjoy working from home and that is cool too. They've realised that WFH is not as glamorous as they probably thought it was going to be. Again, it's given them the ability to choose how they prefer to work, instead of only having one option to choose from.

In unforeseen situations, there is always a silver lining one way or another. It is awful what's happened and of course to all those that have been affected, but this virus has brought people closer together and has shifted their mindset allowing them to think and build a lifestyle that works for them.

It is hard staying positive all the time, especially when we can't go and see the people we love: our families, our friends, our colleagues etc. so it is okay at times to also not be okay. Reach out to a friend, a family member, your neighbour or colleague and have a chat, release the negative tension and remind yourself that every storm passes. A favourite quote of mine is "not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path." This is how I've looked at this current situation.

The last few weeks have also shown me, how lucky I am to be working within the tech market. Technology has impacted everyone's lives especially the last two months, it's become a necessity even more than before to have access to it as that's what's kept us closer together, even though we are miles apart. It's shown industries world-wide that anything is possible to overcome, as long as we have the technical infrastructure in place that will enable us to do that. E.g. team meetings, daily catch-ups, podcasts, workshops, hiring remotely, you name it, it's been possible.

So let's continue using this time to reflect. Reflect what is important to you, put yourselves first, take a leap of faith and do what you enjoy and not what society has conditioned you to do. We all have choice and it's become very apparent that many people now realise that.

Like I say in all my posts, always be kind ??

Share, comment or like - either way, I'd be interested to see your perspectives on this! What have you come to learn during this time?

#technology #wfh #positivity #remoteworking #remotehiring #covid19