FLEETDRIVE hand and close when finished . No walking from a meeting room to the kitchen and chatting when getting a coffee , not waiting out front for the previous meeting to finish and asking how the day is going and what are you working on . Our teams are talking time to load a background photo of interest – be it kids , and event , a holiday snap – and we spend a few minutes asking others about what it is they are sharing . And we rarely start a meeting with business at hand , often having a quick check in first . Finishing a meeting 5 or 10 mins before the hour ( or even starting at 5 past the hour ) allows for a mental break , a coffee and even a toilet stop .
Picking up the telephone – has been so important to helping others through . How many emails have you read that have been misinterpreted ? Picking up the phone and asking curious questions rather than accusing or shooting back a rocket has meant that again trust is built , and gives the opportunity to have a laugh or check in .
Group exercise challenges can be used to give permission for people to not work at their desk all day , and at the same time get their endorphins flowing . And for those people and teams that are competitive , you can do the step challenge . This has been great for us to bring people together , especially when team captains write daily encouraging emails .
Reaching out for help - recently I needed to go to SA for several weeks to finalise a building project , but could not go due to govt restrictions . Reaching out to other colleagues who were not restricted , allowed the project to still meet its deadlines , gave others a chance to learn and interact , and creating a strong bond between people who would not normally interact .
One of the best things I have done during COVID is find out who from work lives within my particular area and reach out for an occasional walk . We have chatted about our different departments , what challenges we faced , and made contacts and introductions to help each other .
None of the above is outstanding , none of it is hard to do . But doing it consistently has made for a better work life for my colleagues , for me and my stakeholders . And reaching out and caring about others has made me a better person .
But you knew all this didn ’ t you . I ’ d love to hear how you inspired yourself and others through COVID . Learning from each other and making new connections is so special
ISSUE 32 OCTOBER 2021 / WWW . AFMA . ORG . AU 7