Almost business as usual

In my last blog, I talked about the changes that businesses have had to make with Covid-19 being thrust upon us all. I have been lucky in that I have been able to adapt to these changes fairly easily by providing online services only. Along the way, I have learnt so much about different systems such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype and also thinking about how I might incorporate these systems into my everyday work.

There would have been a time when Zoom calls, for instance, would have generally been with only one other person, but the lockdown has shown that many people can get together and collaborate on work so easily.

The lockdown is going to force us all into new ways of working - I will be using the next couple of months to investigate how I can offer online training, particularly in minute-taking skills and business writing skills. I have trained people in both of these skills in small groups, but it has become clear that it will take many people a long time to start to feel comfortable in groups (well, it's not even permitted at the moment) and yet they want to learn new skills and stay ahead of the game.

So as we move into June, the world has to wait and see what's in store for us - will we get a vaccine, will we be able to start to live 'normally' again or will we have to accept this new normal or will we suddenly find ourselves again in lockdown because of secondary spikes?

I can't answer these questions and nor can anyone else, so my focus will remain on 'almost business as usual'! Whilst I am still working from home, I can also continue to enjoy the view - now it's the beautiful countryside around me instead of the sea!