As we are all aware, the upside of isolation is the ability to continue to meet and network via mediums such as zoom! Many of us have regular invites to different meetings, and normally we know the source..

I had an invitation via a contact, worded in a way to support talk in said meeting, so I jumped in without checking the detail, to support my connection, who has supported me! When I arrived, I realised it wasn’t really a good fit, but I stayed, listened – and this is what I learned:

I was in a meeting with CEO’s of large companies – all male, and some of them expressed that, being torn away from the comradeship, banter, functioning and routine of the workplace was a real challenge for them. Whilst they loved their wives and homelife, a part of their identity had been ripped away overnight, and they weren’t enjoying their ‘work’ personality, despite zoom meetings.

I realised for the first time, that men, who had never previously experienced this isolation away from their work colleagues, may actually be able to understand what it is like, when you have enjoyed the workplace comradeship and lifestyle for 20 years, to suddenly realise, when you cannot return to work with a little flexibility, that you have lost that forever. Or at least for a decade or so, with great difficulty to return. Could it be that these CEO’s could now imagine, having a slight restriction, of say 2 hours, whereby they could never return to that place of work, where they would lose their pension, salary, comradeship and banter on a permanent basis. If they then were told that they could return after all, despite needing 10-4 instead of 9-5, how pleased and relieved they would be, to get back to work, to continue to enjoy their ‘work’ personality, salary (albeit on a pro-rata basis), and pension.

Yes we choose to have children, and we love them, and we want to look after them too, but do you see how we could potentially do both, and not be permanently isolated as a result of very selfishly continuing the reproduction of mankind? Covid-19 must change the view of flexible working, which does not mean sloppy, it just means a little less 9-5!

I also learned that these CEO’s were concerned about the productiveness of their staff working from home – granted, procedures were not already in place for this kind of working, children are at home 24/7. and everybody is pretty stressed generally, for obvious reasons. But changes were quickly made and staff adjusted incredibly well in a short-space of time – and here is the crucial bit – short-term productivity could be impacted, but if you open these doors – to working from home – look what happens. The job immediately fits 3 million primary carers who are skilled and intelligent but have been isolated due to lack of flexibility – your employees cannot afford to let their work suffer as a result of working from home, they will not want to lose that job as a result of slacking. They will give you 100% to ensure that their employment is safe, and their children will soon be back at school.

If you embrace employing people who cannot be in the office 9-5, you will be saving the environment, you will be saving lives, as most fatal road accidents happen during rush hour, and you will be saving the economy from a benefits bill that is millions higher than it needs to be as a result of barriers to work, ultimately reducing the tax bill for everybody.

This pandemic is heart-breaking in so many ways, but it is also an opportunity for you to embrace change, and to feel what it feels like to be at home 24/7, when you want to get back to work and use your brain in a way that fits your age.

Zoom is a brilliant tool – with the professional package you can have it running all day and talk to your employees as though they are in the office, you can all see each other whilst tapping away and getting on with your work, and there are so many secure software packages out there to share your confidential client files without the risk of a breach of security – if this scares you – hire a VA (virtual assistant) – they have been isolated and self-employed for a long-time and are ready and equipped to help you!

For ease of reference, here are a few https://singlemumsbusinessnetwork.com/members/business-services/