Vicky Blogs: COVID-19 (& beyond)

Image Source:  https://www.district32.com.au/business-growth-articles/the-importance-of-human-connection/ One of my internships during the COVID-19 pandemic has been with the Josh Bersin Academy (JBA). This organization aims to be a leader for global HR professional development, offering programs, practical resources and an engaged community. Josh Bersin and the Academy have also been actively doing research in the field during the entirety of the pandemic thus far. For my internship, I have assisted the group with their "Sprint #3" segment, specifically working on a breakout focused on Human-Centered Leadership. This sprint just wrapped up right before Christmas and I'll be sure to share the final report when it is published sometime in January. For those that are interested, the reports for Sprints 1&2 can be found here . Recently, Josh Bersin himself shared a report with our team from The Steering Group that spoke about the idea of Disruptive Leadership. I...

I just wrote a short paragraph for one of my internships regarding this year's holiday season and the different stressors that people are feeling.  Just like the gingerbread cookie above shows, masks and social distancing are going to be present in many celebrations this year.  Many people are struggling with the idea that they may not be able to see the majority of their families over the holidays.  The season that is normally sprinkled with festive parties, cookie swaps, gift exchanges and reuniting hugs will now be unusually uneventful and isolated. So how can we deal with these confusing new rules, hoping that it is just for this year?  The CDC encourages everyone to do what they believe is best for their health, even if it means staying home and remaining apart from others.  An article from USA Today said it well when it said that the ‘persistent checklist of demands which may have caused you stress and anxiety last year has been replaced by the fear of the...

To Sweat or Not to Sweat, that is the question. Inspired by Hamlet's speech about life and death, the concept of fitness and exercise has become akin to living or not living during this pandemic. I recently read an article from The Financial Times called "The extra mile: How Covid-19 transformed exercise" that made me feel both inspired and depressed. On the positive side, the author noted that the majority of their coworkers reported increase activity throughout the pandemic.  These individuals found a sense of comradery with their friends, families and coworkers through virtual team workouts or fitness challenges between teams.  That being said, these coworkers were those that were working remotely and did not have children. The author went on to acknowledge that those individuals that do have small children at home might actually be exercising less because they no longer have the time or energy to do so.  Unless these individuals can hire a nanny or babysitter, a c...

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of my spine surgery.  The photo above was one of my first MRIs.... of many....  So much has happened between then and now, yet it also feels like not that much has happened. I finished my graduate school program and earned my masters degree in intervention, communication and behavior change.  I didn't have a real graduation, although my school did host a virtual ceremony.  The pandemic reared its ugly head.  Three weddings I was supposed to be in got postponed, two of those three bachelorette parties that I was planning got postponed (and I still don't know exactly when those might happen....).  A fourth wedding that I was going to attend got cancelled completely, as the couple actually broke up.  My brother got engaged while he and his now fiancé were living at my parent's Florida house and working from home.  They are planning an intimate wedding this coming January in FL, but everyone who is going (all ...

Most people have an opinion on roller coasters.  They either love  them and want to go to every theme park that they can, trying out the highest, fastest, twistiest roller coasters that they can OR they hate them.  I am one of the haters, unfortunately.  I think of myself as a relatively adventurous individual.  I like to do mud runs, travel, meet new people and try new things.  But, I can't deal with the feeling that I get when I ride a roller coaster.  The anxiety in the anticipation of getting on the ride or rising to the top of an impending drop.  The squeamish feeling in my stomach when the drop finally arrives.  Frankly, it all makes me want to throw up. I looked up the science of this roller coaster feeling to try and understand it better.  Basically, I wanted to know if there was any way to control it.  Short answer is, no.  Long answer is that the constant force of gravity normally causes all the parts of you body to b...

I recently wrote a summary for my internship with the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts ( WWCMA ) about the changes that are happening in the world of benefits enrollment.  I'd like to share the information here and potentially dive a little deeper on certain aspects.  As we move forward in 2020 with the uncertainty of when this pandemic will end, employees are craving different options from their employers as they attempt to adapt to more remote work and other socially distanced parts of life.  A recent survey found that 52% of employees would leave their company for a job with the ‘right’ benefits and 77% stated that benefits were a big part of their consideration. The question then becomes, in this climate, what are the ‘right’ benefits?  The Society for Human Resource Management ( SHRM ) suggests that the following will likely be the most common changes in benefits: expansion of telehealth coverage, increasing mental health services, increasing cost-sh...

This term 'pandemic fatigue' has been floating around in the news.  Fatigue is defined as extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion.  The idea of pandemic fatigue refers to how a large part of the population is feeling - exhausted from uncertainty and the seemingly unending outbreak.  We, as a population, have tried our best to follow instructions.  We have worn masks, socially distanced, cancelled or postponed events.  We have even totally sheltered in place for an extended period of time.  We have downloaded zoom and are trying to feel like seeing people's faces on a screen is close enough to seeing them in person, when it reality it is nowhere near the same.  The U.S has had more than 8 million cases of coronavirus and this number is still going up.  Europe is also starting to see a rise in cases now.  Much of this rise is due to the fact that people are not handling their pandemic fatigue well.  One New York Times ...

I've previously written about what some of the top employers have been doing to take care of their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic (see post here ).  I wanted to do a follow-up post here, as some companies who offered initial support for their employees have since fallen off the leaderboard for best practices.  Much of this tapering off has been due to financial limitations within companies.  While it may be true that companies want to continue to support the employees that they still have, this often can't be done unless money is reallocated within the organization.  This can be a challenge in itself because it requires taking a hard look at where their might be excess or where cuts can be made. As I mentioned in my previous post, there were a few themes surrounding employee support during the early part of this pandemic.  They were as follows: development of crisis management teams, additional budgeting for time off, reimbursement for medical costs, dee...

  I have been experiencing first hand some of the juggling that working parents have been dealing with because of the pandemic.  As we enter the time of back to school, the stress and anxiety levels of parents have been steadily increasing.  Some parents have been wondering if they can keep their jobs if their child or children are unable to physically go back to their school.  Others worry about extra costs associated with child care and the potential for their child to get sick. It isn't a surprise that the kids also have much higher levels of anxiety.  Often, they don't even know how to communicate what they are feeling.  I've been nannying three kindergarten kids who are all attending public school remotely.  Each child is from a different family and we are a learning pod.  This way, the parents can pool their resources to be able to afford a nanny and the kids get some level of  in-person social interaction on a day to day basis.  T...

I recently read an article put out by WellSteps , a wellness company based in Utah, that I thought was a very important reminder.  The article spoke to the nuances associated with blue collar jobs and the ways in which wellness programs meant for white collar jobs might fail them.  A blue collar worker is typically someone whose job requires physical activity - construction, mining, manufacturing and agriculture are a few industries where these jobs can be found.  In general, it has been found that these workers tend to have high rates of tobacco use and obesity.  They often also don't receive health benefits and have lower incomes. When most people think of an employee wellness program, I've found that they picture an office space and office workers.  The typical  workplace.  Well, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that this typical workplace is not the only way that work can be done.  Companies have been desperately trying to ke...

  As the leaves start to change, I've found myself reflecting on the concept of change itself.  Life is a turbulent series of constantly moving targets.  As we overcome our current challenges, we can often start to see future hurdles on the horizon.  We, as humans, must adapt to survive.  Charles Darwin has said it before - the world works through 'survival of the fittest', but lately I've felt the weight of this sentiment more.   With the pandemic still looming as we approach yet another season change, I question if there is a 'normal' anymore.  Some say that social distancing and mask wearing IS the new normal, but I don't want to believe that.  I want to believe that this disruptive time period will  eventually end.  I want to stay optimistic that we can all get through this. Fall is probably my second favorite season, after Summer.  I love so many of the activities and celebrations that come during this time and I am determ...

  Last Friday my very own Peloton arrived at my home.  I joined the club.  And I'm honestly quite happy that I made the decision to do so.  My first experience with this machine was at my parent's house. My brother actually got my parents a Peloton a few years ago as a big Christmas gift and my Mom absolutely loved it.  I have been trying for years to get my Mom to find some physical activity that she could see herself staying consistent with, but she wouldn't spend the money on herself.  She actually really enjoys working out, so long as she has guidance.  With the Peloton, she tends to do 20 or 30 minute low impact rides every morning and feels like she can fit this consistently into her very busy schedule.  The fact that they offer shorter rides like this is very appealing for the busy individual that struggles to find time for themselves. I tried the bike out while I was visiting my parents earlier during the pandemic.  It had been about...

I honestly cannot comprehend that it is almost September.  This summer has been such a weird time because of COVID.  I've been inside more than I'd like, job searching, along with almost half of the U.S population, and the normal summer activities have been extremely limited.  My family normally has an open house party every summer where we invite friends and family from all walks of life to come enjoy some good food, good drink and good company (hopefully in the sunshine).  This year, the party was supposed to double as a masters graduation celebration for me. This event was cancelled, just like so many other celebrations and reunions.  Summer is normally one of my favorite seasons, but it hasn't really felt the same this year. The feeling of missing out is something that younger generations call FOMO, but I think most generations understand the sentiment.  The world is pretty crazy right now and most people are feeling isolated and uneasy.  Even thos...

Today, I went to get a COVID test.  This was not because I am having symptons, but instead because I will be driving to see my family soon.  I wanted to get a negative test so that I knew I was not bringing the coronavirus into my parents' home.  Plus, in MA we have access to free asymptomatic testing. I went to one of the many free testing sites.  This one just happened to be in a hospital.  The process of getting tested required that you get registered in a tent that was set-up outside the building.  The sign-up process was actually quite simple and the workers were very pleasant and helpful.  I didn't expect it to go so quickly, but within ten or so minutes, I was waiting in line to enter the building. At 9:45am today it was already in the mid 80s.  With the addition of a mask, it was quite warm and I was sweating.  This didn't seem unusual for me.  I am definitely someone who sweats a good amount and it doesn't take much for me to ge...

I have a t-shirt that a friend of mine gave to me as a gift that says 'Everything hurts and I'm dying'. I laughed so hard when she gifted me this item a few years ago because I would often talk about being sore from my workouts, but that didn't mean I was going to go any easier in the next one. I would take pride in how hard I had worked and how challenged I felt during workouts. To wear that shirt while exercising sort of meant that the shirt was telling everyone else around me how hard I was working. It also highlighted my incredibly sarcastic personality. So, all in all, a fantastic gift for me.  (Also a reference to Leslie Knope in Parks & Rec, which is a wonderful show that I enjoy very much!) I haven't worn that shirt in some time. And to be honest, I think I feel that putting it on right now would be just too real. Everything does hurt right now. And while I don't feel close to physical death, I feel physically weak and emotionally vulnerable. Fragile...