To homeschool hell… and back again
It’s a year since we first entered lockdown and mum-of-two Cherie Hoffmann reflects on the impact of the Covid pandemic on her work life, family life and mental health:
Cast your mind back to March 2020 and the news that a new virus was in Europe with Italy being hit particularly hard. The TVs around the office and canteens were all tuned into the rolling news, but I was going about my days as normal, not really grasping the magnitude of what was about to happen.
An invite went into our calendars for everyone in technical operations to trial working from home for three days. This trial was to understand how we would get on as a department with everyone working from home at once, what tech issues there might be, would productivity be impacted etc. Things were starting to feel a little real now. The possibility of working from home on a full-time basis was becoming a conversation point.
Covid anxiety kicks in
March 15: I felt poorly. My throat felt like it was on fire. I had a very high temperature and couldn’t get off the sofa. I spent the whole weekend scrolling through the news and social media. It was all about the virus. I felt an extreme sense of anxiety. I was scared for the first time.
Do I have coronavirus?
March 16: I called in sick, I was still very poorly.
I called the doctors. I was lucky to be seen by my GP who diagnosed tonsillitis. Got a prescription and started the course immediately. I’d not been this poorly with tonsillitis before and watching the news unfold once again made me very anxious. Did I have the virus? Had I brought this home to my family? I’m sure many of us have felt this in the last year. This was prior to being able to be tested so I will never know.
That evening the whole country tuned in to hear the Prime Minister’s announcement. Work from home if you can — don’t make unecessary journeys. Wow!
School’s out
March 18: I logged back on to work. I wasn’t better, but I line manage people and a delivery team and I wanted to make sure my guys were OK. I felt a strong responsibility, not only as a line manager but to my colleagues as friends and people who I spend most of my time with.
That evening the Prime Minister announced schools would close on Friday. By March 23 we had entered full lockdown.
My partner was furloughed so I was lucky to have him home to look after our children aged 3 and 5. I could continue to work full-time. I knew many others did not have that luxury.
Understandably everyone was in a state of shock and the messages and videos that ensued from our group directors and group communications team offering support and guidance were reassuring. We would get through this. But for now, we are all working from home until further notice!
The group very quickly put all measures in place to ensure our contact centre agents could all safely work from home without any interruption to our services and continue to offer our customers exceptional levels of service.
Of course, there were many tech and connectivity issues that the IT operations team needed to resolve in those initial weeks but they went above and beyond to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.
I spent most of the following weeks speaking to all my direct reports and team members to understand their personal circumstances and how they were feeling. Everyone needed different levels of support. Childcare was a key factor. Many people now found themselves having to work and look after their little ones. BGL was amazing in allowing to colleagues to flex their working hours to support their home situations.
A Team’s channel dedicated to wellbeing was quickly established with lots of tips being shared encouraging us to take care of our mental health. Group Communications shared lots of resources on our company portal, this included homeschooling help, direct links to the employee assistance programme and reminders of other perks that could help during this time such as the virtual GP service. It was identified that mental health would be a key factor for so many people in this situation, including my own! We have mental health first aiders across the group. These guys have been outstanding during this time and provided very much needed support for so many.
This was new territory for everyone and the speed, professionalism and compassion in which my company reacted blew me away!
The ‘new normal’
Everyone quickly adjusted to the new ways of working. Microsoft Teams became a fixture in many homes around the country — the ‘buup buup’ sound of a call a familiar new sound for those in this working at home world. Even the advert for Microsoft Teams which was broadcast on the TV around this time caught me out a couple of times. I’d head over to my machine confused, thinking ‘I don’t have a meeting now’…
By May my mental health was improving and things were starting to settle but the virus was still very much a concern. The glorious weather helped no end.
Then news came that my partner could go back to work, leaving me with two small children and working full-time. I was managing some key projects and deliveries. I was sent into a spin once more, like so many others, wondering how I would cope.
Mental health dipped once more so I reached out to my line manager and associate director who helped me prioritise my time and workload allowing me to manage both work commitments and parental commitments. September, when schools would re-open seemed an eternity away! But the support I received from BGL was invaluable. I was able to work full time alongside my home commitments by flexing my hours in this period and putting on hold some of the less critical work commitments until September.
My new desk
Yipeee! I have taken delivery of a large monitor, and desk and comfortable work chair. No more kitchen table for me! It felt good to have a set up that resembled the office. It was the boost I needed. I felt more engaged again. It no longer felt like I was in the kitchen, but I was in the office.
The children had got used to mummy having to work and began to entertain themselves for longer periods of time. However, screen-time was on the up for them making me feel guilty, like so many of us. I spoke to others from work in the same situations as my own and hearing others having the same feelings of guilt somehow eased my own.
There were countless calls where the other meeting participants would hear my children and their endless requests for food, drink and more food! I remember being on a call once with key stakeholders while I was convincing them to take a project in a different direction, all while wiping my son’s bottom. They weren’t aware while I was speaking but I confessed what had happened at the end, much to their amusement — such is the reality of working from home with little children present.
School’s reopen
Schools are open — hurrah! I felt like a new woman. That first school run was amazing. Then followed working uninterrupted. The parental guilt vanished, the work guilt vanished, I felt amazing. I threw myself into work whole-heartedly and I was buzzing once more! I could pick up more projects and work to maximum capacity again, where I work best. I could take my children to and from school at normal times and work to suit my home life. My work/life balance was fantastic. I began to think I wouldn’t want to return to an office on a full-time basis.
Lockdown 2.0
This lockdown completely passed me by! It was business as usual. Schools were still open. I was still working happily at my desk.
Another year, another lockdown
4 January, 2021: I knew it was coming and in the lead up to the announcement I was already in a high state of anxiety.
When it came, I cried solidly for around an hour. Schools are closed again — a new lockdown. More anxiety about the virus. To compound matters further, this time there was no sunshine, and homeschooling was more intense than ever.
Once again, my mental health nosedived. I spoke to my line manager the very next day.
“I can’t do it again. I can’t work full-time while they are here,” I sobbed.
She fully understood and immediately allowed me to focus on my home life and the children in the first instance. This time homeschooling was far more organised and the expectations were much higher. My 5-year-old daughter has a full school day at home. However, she is young and therefore needs me to support her for most of the lessons. Once more, BGL stepped in. They reviewed everyone’s home needs and reassured so many families that health and wellbeing were a priority.
On Blue Monday (said to be the most depressing day of the year) all employees were given a £50 voucher. How amazing! January is always a lean month in our house. This was a real pick me up and very well received across the Group.
One year on
It’s now the first week of March and I am counting down the days until schools re-open on Monday, March 8. We’re almost there! The children need it as much as I do.
I have always been grateful to BGL for giving me the opportunity to build and shape the career I have today but writing this and reflecting on the last year has given me a real sense of connection to my employer. The support, encouragement and flexibility offered to everyone across the business through this difficult period has been outstanding and for that I will be eternally grateful.
