Warmest wishes to you and yours this holiday season…

Claire Vane
December 23, 2020

We didn’t want this moment to pass without wishing all our clients and blog readers as enjoyable a Christmas as possible.

It’s a far cry from the sort of things I usually write about this time of the year, such as dealing with over inebriated employees, the boundaries between work and social engagement when alcohol is involved, what is acceptable at office parties and the like. As we had our remote team Christmas celebration yesterday, as we are spread right round Greater London and beyond, one of the team commented to me that our total drinks bill was much lower than usual… This made me think about the way that I always try to handle adversity – and that is to drag out the good things and hang on to those.

As I visit the acupuncturist I think about the yin and yang of life and it seems to me that a lot of good things have emerged from having to work remotely. Of course, there is nothing good to be said about a pandemic per se and if we dwell on the negatives then this is only going to diminish our mental health and resilience.

So, what are the positive things? Good leadership has really come to the fore in 2020 and the importance of communicating effectively, authentically and productively with employees; not to hide behind the pandemic by using remote working as an excuse not to communicate.

With a bit of creativity, you can have all sorts of interesting adventures, albeit remotely.

With my support bubble, we have been gradually travelling through Europe, virtually, taking it in turns to cook, with very smooth flights and no queues (!). Food from the relevant European city is cooked in turn by one of us, accompanied by the appropriate music and a film set in that location. I have never enjoyed cooking so much, although German folk songs were a little taxing on the ears when we visited Hamburg. It may be virtual, but one can transport oneself with a little encouragement from those around.

The brooks around Cambridge are much cleaner than hitherto and the amount of exercise we all do seems to have gone up. I have discovered unknown paths in Cambridge and am constantly surprised at the nooks and crannies that our city offers. The situation made me think carefully in my coaching work about the way we manage our time – or indeed, the way time manages us. It’s also made me think even more about the importance of boundaries in all our dealings with other people, both in terms of respecting other people’s boundaries and ensuring respect of ours, which helps build resilience when combined with utilising the best of communication.

We’ll be discussing these aspects of organisational growth and development, along with changes in employment law, with our clients during 2021.

In the meantime, we wish you a Happy Christmas and a good start to 2021.

Get free HR updates

Receive expert advice and free HR resources from our team by subscribing to our newsletter today.

Start a project today

contact us

Updates on the go

Get free HR updates and expert advice from the team at Integrated Resources:

Start a project today

contact us

Trusted for HR outsourcing across sectors

Show more clients
Fill out your details and subscribe below to receive HR advice & free resources direct to your inbox.
Fill out your details and subscribe below to receive HR advice & free resources direct to your inbox.
Thank you for signing up to receive updates from Integrated Resources!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form. Please check you have entered all your details correctly and try again.