As we begin our second month of social distancing and working from home, we’re becoming used to this new normal. We’re missing our co-workers, our desk, our stuff and the normalcy of the daily grind. As admins we are used to wearing many hats – and now we have more. We are learning to home school, use new technologies to stay in contact with our friends and family (more than before), we’re learning how to make masks, stand in line to get into stores, talking to our neighbors with the appropriate distance and staying inside – and we have time on our hands How many of you have dug out board games and introduced/re-introduced your family to them? How many of you are having family meals together? Having more conversations with your family?
We can’t speak to everyone’s personal situations – we are
all very similar, but also very unique.
We can speak to the area we all share – we are admins – we are in the
hub of helping our employers shift to a remote workforce, procure and deploy
the supplies needed and helping everyone adjust. How
are you adjusting? Leave us a comment,
we’d love to hear from you.
Most of your board is working from home too. A few of us have to go into the office a few
days a week, but the rest of us are remote only. We’ve learned a lot about our selves and our
work habits over the last few weeks and thought we’d share a few thoughts with
you.
Because many of the things I would normally be working on
such as scheduling employee town hall meetings around the country, booking
travel, and processing the travel-related expense reports are no longer
happening, I'm finding I have to be creative to find ways to fill my
time. This has strengthened our admin team at work as we work together to
rotate who will be in the office each weekday to ensure essential in-office
tasks are handled. I'm truly looking forward to being able to see my admin
coworkers in person and celebrate together when this period has passed. Ann Dahlke CAP, Director
I currently am splitting my time
in the office and WFH. During this time, I try to super organized so that I can
be efficient working from "two offices." The quiet time gives me the
opportunity critically think and focus on deadlines that I otherwise would not
get in the busy office.
Being an essential staff member,
it's very important to keep those we are serving in the forefront of all that
we do. It's comforting to support the community and partner with regional
leaders who are doing the same. Be well! Pamela Bell, CAP, Director
WFH has brought
many challenges for all of us. While the introvert in me has embraced the
isolation, I have been forced to adapt like everyone else. Add the dynamics of
dealing with aging parents that have medical issues increases the stress of
dealing with the unknown. Through all of this, I’ve learned the importance of
coming together as a community, as a profession and as a world. Helping others can
be minimal and takes little time. Take care of family and protect yourself.
Stay home, stay strong, stay safe! Phiandra Peck, CAP, Chair-Elect
I appreciate
the ability to work from home. My employer is in healthcare which is
considered essential personnel. I hear how our employees go to work day
after day to ensure our dialysis manufacturing plants produce the life-saving
products dialysis patients need to sustain life. These employees can-not
social distance or stay home and understand their jobs are extremely
important. We are fortunate enough to be able to dial to work remotely.
In a way, I feel more connected to my co-workers that I ever before. I'm
having weekly calls with other assistants that might have otherwise briefly say
hello to in the hallway in the office. As assistants, we are the
glue that holds office together. This is more important than ever
before. We are all in this together; we are here for each other.
Stay strong and be safe. No matter what
your religion, rely on your faith & Believe! (Blessed Easter). Jean Cocco,
CAP, Director
Being isolated
alone has taught me the importance of staying tied to family and community in
other ways. Before this, I'd be so "busy" that I didn't focus on
reaching out and checking on people for no particular reason. Since I started
WFH, I have made it a point to send a note, email, text, or phone call to
at least one contact every day to see how he or she is doing. It has shown me
not to assume that everyone is fine - contact is important and it might make a
big difference in someone's day. I know it does for me! Have a
blessed weekend no matter what you believe. Embrace the hope that these
holidays bring. One of my hopes is that we will all be together again in July!
God bless you and keep you healthy & well. Dierdre Crowl, CAP,Director
I think, like
most people, working from home and being isolated has helped shift the focus in
terms of what is truly important. Although I miss being able to go out and
realize how much I took those things for granted, this whole situation has
really magnified how lucky I am. I have a job, my health, my family around me
and that’s what’s important. I hope everyone is staying safe and remaining
positive during these difficult times.
Barrett Shaw, CAP,Vice Chair
We also put together this video with some useful WFH tips. We hope you find them helpful.
From our homes to yours, Happy Easter, a belated Happy
Passover and Happy Spring!
