So as the end of my first month approaches, I can honestly say that it has gone so fast I cannot believe that I have been a fully fledged BTS employee now for an entire month – it has literally flown by. I have been incredibly lucky in the fact that my positives over the last month have far outweighed any of the negatives, which in this current climate I know I am incredibly fortunate to be able to say. On-boarding remotely has not always been easy, sometimes a face-to-face conversation would be so much easier, especially when you are in training and sometimes having to ask the same question a few times to be able to make sense of a task or situation. However, with the fantastic technology available to us, all of this can instantly be made more light-hearted by various antics I have seen over social media recently. I have had friends screenshot me ‘day at the beach’ video calls with their colleagues, including paddling pools and a sand pit for absolute authenticity. We in BTS stepped it up this week and changed our backgrounds each day so we could be sat in the snowy mountains of Switzerland on a Monday or by Wednesday roasting in the Sahara Desert. I will be the first to admit, before these unprecedented times I would have remarked on this as being a bit ‘twee’ but anything at the moment that raises a smile, no matter how slight, certainly gets my vote.
From a recruitment perspective the main aim now has been to contact and reach out to candidates to see how they are all ‘weathering the storm’ so to speak. I have been overwhelmed by the positivity shown by all and it has been an absolute pleasure to speak to many candidates and clients and it has been lovely to hear concern from people regarding my welfare and that of my family. As I have previously mentioned, one of my favoured parts of recruitment is speaking to people and as the majority have a little more time on their hands at the moment, I would absolutely admit that some of those conversations have really helped me to keep upbeat and optimistic.
Finally, one thing I have heard from others and from personal experience, is how much colleagues (in some cases people who have worked together for years) are really beginning to get to know each other, mainly down to home video calling. Whether that be learning about their family situation, their hobbies or in some cases even meeting their pets, I think it is such an amazing thing to come out of this unprecedented situation and I do hope these new formed friendships and mutual interests carry on long into the future.
On that note, stay safe and take care.
Jane