Finding a mental health balance in the midst of the pandemic

Starting a new job during the pandemic was a daunting task, especially given the uncertainty not only in our industry but around the world caused by the pandemic.

This was potentially a huge risk for me and my family due to an income prospect where there were very limited opportunities and a very large pool of potential employees if the unthinkable happened.

A long-time employee in my previous organization, I chose to forgo some degree of protection and support in the event I was fired due to the impact of the pandemic on the organization.

By joining a new business, I was effectively giving up the rights / protection of that business and, with a family to support, that was something that weighed heavily on me. Fortunately, Maersk Training reassured me that this would not affect my position when I joined, which reassured me.

By joining I was fortunate enough to be able to work in the office for a few weeks which allowed me to meet some of my new colleagues.

Unfortunately, after spending about two weeks at the company, the second nationwide lockdown took place and I had to continue the learning process from home. At first it still worked just as efficiently, but I felt like I was continually harassing team members to ask questions and where certain documents were stored etc.

However, having experienced both sides, I was much more productive at home than in the office as the usual politeness questions / people asking you all about you didn’t seem to happen as much and conversations were much more. relevant that back to work. Relationships might have taken longer to form with the new team, but I don’t think it affected them in the long run, it just took longer to build them.

Working from home while trying to juggle home schooling and having meetings without the kids coming in was difficult at times. My wife and I found ourselves planning our day in the morning to see who had meetings at what time so that the other could help the kids if needed, then in the evening try to catch up with schoolwork or any work that doesn’t. cannot be finished. during the day.

The other factor that we don’t often consider is how it affects the kids, they weren’t used to their parents working from home, the time at home before the pandemic was the time to spend. having fun and they never really saw the sides of the work, although I know the lines had been slightly blurry and it took them a while to adjust.

Looking back, there’s no doubt in my mind that at times I felt a lot of pressure trying to juggle work and meetings with home schooling and the kids at home, but luckily , everyone had been thrown into the same boat and were very understanding. And once the schools returned, I certainly felt less stressed.

I think the big advantage for me would be to try to understand how everyone has been affected and to be aware of it. I think in some ways maybe the world has changed for the better, hopefully we will continue to remember some of those learnings and not get back into bad habits.