Day 77 – 11 weeks in and the new ‘normal’ has started to evolve. Roads are busier, non-essential shops are starting to open and some schools are welcoming back children on limited timetables in smaller class sizes.
Over the last 11 weeks, we have had to adapt not only working practices, but home life too and for some that has been quite a challenge. Their ‘office’ has gone from being a desk in a picturesque manor in Hawley, to being at home, some just in their bedrooms with a headset and Google Hangouts as our ‘keeping in touch’ tool and what a godsend it has been!
Being the sociable bunch that we are, to be told that we were entering an inevitable lockdown with no end in sight hit the ‘work hard play harder’ crew quite hard… no more spontaneous nights out, no more gigs, no more pub quizzes… we had to think up a plan b!
Steve Hodges arranged COVID-19 catch up calls to keep the Leadership team in touch, to give everyone a focus for the week and for the wellbeing of the team to ensure everyone had what they needed to go into lockdown. This also provided regular Government updates and encouraged points for discussion to keep the team talking. The Service Desk had a Google Hangouts call every day to check up on each other, share the love and check up on the latest DIY Lockdown haircuts!
And twice a week, we have had company calls which have had some sort of game to keep everyone entertained, encourage everyone to stay in touch and keep the spirits up. From Family Fortunes to Quarantine Bingo, a Pub Quiz and Lockdown Scavenger hunt, there have been some very funny interactions across the company and it has been great to see all of the long lost lockdown faces even if it’s just over a Google Hangouts call!
Astro are also keen Instagram posters so it has been great to see what everyone has been doing to keep themselves busy away from the social calls. There are new found fitness fanatics with daily steps and distances being posted for encouragement and motivation; avid bakers and their tasty bakes being photographed and envied over; then there have been the 5 for 5 challenges. 5 fave albums, 5 fave photos and Run 5 – nominate5 – donate 5… needless to say the latter challenge I failed to take part in; I was part of the baker movement rather than the new found fitness fanatics!
We are very much looking forward to some form of normality being restored in the wider world so that we can resume social proceedings the usual Astro way #workhardplayharder.
