It was destiny. I was looking to change my present job, since the past one year. It so happened, that I landed with job offer & put in my resignation on March 11th. Then, like a bolt in the blue, Covid-19 came visiting. As always, our human minds are trained to react with ‘ This will also pass’. I had put in my last date as May 29th. I was expecting the lock-down to open by May 3rd. i.e. after 40 days. But the Covid numbers were still rising & still spiking in many hot-spots like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai & Indore. Even at Nagpur, within a week’s time in May 1st week, the active cases rose from a 100 to 250.
So here I’m caught in limbo. And to make matters worse, employers are anxiously trying to trim their work-forces to reduce the Pandemic damage. So people, who have resigned or in the southern part of performance statistics are shown the door, with impunity. And on the flip side, employers who have floated offer letters, are trying to deffer joining & even cancelling offers in extreme cases to mitigate the losses due to the shutdown.
I’m more than convinced that Mental health after Covid treatments are the most required medical care at this chaotic times. Sitting idly at home, has this severe pitfall of overthinking & sense of deep gloom, which can drive any sane man to lunacy. Here, you see your kids and your wife all the time & try as much as possible, your mind brings you back to your imminent job change. A positive reinforcement is much needed to kick-start your mind to stop brooding over the crisis & it’s shadow over your job change.
Every organisation is trying to engage it’s employees with a new paradigm called WFH ( Work from Home). MS Teams, Zoom, Google MEET,… ( to name a few digital platforms) have made it possible for professionals to collaborate and discuss, while co-creating presentations and projects remotely. At the same times, kids are having to deal with e-learning sessions and other on-line chores. This brings us into a new fundamental right – The right to unlimited data Speed & Data. With almost all households, hooked to the internet, Data speeds have dropped significantly. This causes increased stress to the employees, who are now discerned on their ability to collaborate digitally with lightning speed. This seems to be the new Normal in the post Covid world. I’ve learnt this trait in this crucial juncture. I hope & pray, that we can utilize this new learning to develop further our expertise in working remotely.
Saying this, I still long for the office room discussions with colleagues, where-in we fought, we criticized and finally agreed on action plans. I’m certain to miss my old work place. But I’m hopeful, I can restart my traditional routine in the new workplace ASAP, with increased vigor & zeal. Hoping for joining as expected on the given day,
Signing Off,
Francis
Pot Pourri 