How has lockdown changed the way you work and where you work?

Your time in lockdown means you have probably had to embrace new ways of working.  For many, working from home is no longer the thing you do for a “bit of quiet time to get a project finished off”, it has become normal.  How have you handled your new working environment and how are you coping with it?

Many articles published about lockdown are being linked with Wellbeing and some discussions of Mental Health.  Good practice now is for companies to listen to this growing need to help people manage their mental adaptation to the new ways of working and are appointing Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) as part of their “First Aid Support” in their business.

Here are some of the themes that have come from discussions with our coaching clients over the last few months:

• Helping coachees to settle into a routine when working from home.
• Tips and hints for managers on how to keep in touch with staff, despite not being in the same office.
• Helping sales leaders to manage the “rollercoaster” of demand changes in monthly sales.
• Training customers to spot when staff are suffering from anxiety or stress, and helping them implement safeguards.
• Supporting customers with analysis skills to help spot new sales patterns.
• Providing training for clients on good practice, especially when we have experience of this ourselves for example online meeting etiquette and working from home.
• Supporting managers to adopt “best practice” with their staff during COVID, especially in the light of regular changes in government policy (e.g. back to work interviews, track and trace guidance, appointing an MHFA etc.).

At NOA we have a lot of EMPATHY with companies right now, as we been office and home-based over the years.  It isn’t easy to change, however, it is possible to adapt and become used to the “new normal” in time.