Covid-19: How Cherish PR boosts morale whilst we’re working from home
With the world going into lockdown, many of us are feeling the rush of emotions that comes with a global health crisis – panic, uncertainty and appreciation for our incredible NHS. At Cherish HQ, like most office based businesses, staff are now working from home. Luckily, our ability to effectively carry out work has had little disruption by being remote. However, with many staff members living in London and house sharing, self-isolating (and mostly confined to their bedrooms) is understandably causing cabin fever.
While we all try to navigate through this period, this includes how we keep up morale while working from home. We wanted to share some tools we are using at Cherish to keep us feeling positive and how we are supporting our community:
CLIENTS:
Free SME workshops: We have created advice for businesses around crisis comms during this period. Also, Cherish is offering SMEs free 15 minute crisis comms video consultations to help support them by offering guidance. Simply email info@cherishpr.com for more information.
Industry support: With many of our clients and community being affected by Covid-19, we are making sure we pivot to offer new ways of working. We have significantly increased reporting and ensure that we have daily face-to-face communications with clients and we’re able to be much more flexible with plans and programs to adapt for and jump on new opportunities.
Working from home means new brainstorm etiquette
TEAM:
Fitness for 20: With fitness facilities now closed, most of our team are having a 20 – 30 minute brisk walk before work, while making sure they are keeping the recommended safe distance from others. Also doing fitness videos at home. This is really helping with everyone’s mental wellbeing to get the serotonin levels going before work.
9.30am Check Ins: Routine is important. Each morning we have a quick five minute group video call, which allows us to start the morning by saying hello to our team mates. We flag anything that needs to be shared for that day, and check in to see how everyone is feeling. This has really helped us feel connected.
Daily boosts: With the media being inundated with stories around the pandemic, we are sharing daily positive facts to boost morale. For example that air pollution has dropped, Venice canals are becoming clearer and our appreciation for NHS staff. It’s helping people feel grounded and putting things into perspective.
Virtual Drinks: Friday afternoon is a time for us to enjoy a drink together, so we are still doing this virtually. It makes things feel normalised and by all jumping on a video hangout to discuss the week’s successes, is an important way to end the week on a positive. Cheers!
While social distancing can make us feel lonely and restricted, it also gives us time to slow down by working from home and detox from our normal day-to-day lives, and perhaps when we are back-to-normal, our “normal” will be very different and hopefully, much better.
Lisa Wlodyka, Client Director