Even with the 1.2-second delay that comes with video conferencing, our Monarch Trivia Night this week gave us some laughs. For a bunch of people who talk a LOT about accounting, financial planning, mortgage broking, social media, project management, business and logistics, it’s clear we need to brush up on our facts and trivia knowledge. Or is it all that time spent in isolation that’s fried our brains?
As we navigate our way through Covid-19 that saying keeps coming up -“we’re all in the same boat”. This sentiment is actually incorrect. We’re not all in the same boat, but we are weathering the same storm.
Working as we are – remotely, has certainly made us aware of how varied people’s circumstances are. Those working from home, those attempting to work from home while juggling remote learning with kids, those whose financial security is feeling at risk, those caring for sick family members and feel very vulnerable. Every household is different, every person’s circumstance is different. And the Monarch family are feeling all of this at the moment, as we keep on keeping on.
How are we sticking together whilst being apart?
Our team
The Monarch team and our culture are the backbones of Monarch Institute. For this to stay strong, we need to ensure our staff are managing ok. We’re now all becoming more accustomed to our kids being part of the background of our zoom calls, we’re checking in to see if anyone feels they need more training in certain areas, more support, but most of all, we’re keeping the fun. We’ve started with trivia and weekly yoga sessions, and we’re throwing gifs around like confetti in our team chat groups, which help provide a few laughs.
Our students
We’ve made our thousands of students know we’re here to support them as they manage their own unique variables happening in their life that may impact their study, variables that wouldn’t normally be there. We’re proud of the support we provide our students, and we know the benefits are mutual. If our students feel like we have their backs, they’ll succeed, and ultimately that’s what we’re all trying to achieve. So we’re on the phone to them, emailing them, checking in, asking if they’re ok.
The experience
We’re making sure things work ‘cos ultimately if you’re knuckling down to push through more of your course during Covid-19, you need the technology to support you. So the technology we use for students to access the course material works and makes the student’s experience better. They just want the experience of accessing their course materials, their trainers, the student support to be a seamless one. So we deliver; ensuring that their experience is at the top of our priority list.
Ask for help
Sometimes it’s not an easy thing to do. We say it all the time, but the actual action can be much more confronting can’t it? To help you and your tribe, here are some links you might find useful that the team put together.
How to stay sane in an insane time
How to set up your perfect working space
How to deal with distractions
So amongst the uncertainly, surprises and laughs, look after your tribe and we’ll be a step closer to being ok.
