Throughout the country, there is no denying the impact that COVID-19 has already had on families and businesses. In our Houston office, the crisis has shifted our year-end production goals and daily work styles. In particular, we’ve been encouraged to turn our attention to keeping what we care about, both professionally and personally, safe from harm.
Compassion Key to Navigating COVID-19
In this difficult time, everyone’s focus should be on one thing: our people. From a work perspective, we all need to make sure our employees, clients, colleagues and site staff have the tools and resources they need to be nimble until we can understand the new “normal.” In fact, listening to ideas from everyone is how our team has identified some of the best solutions so far—especially from those who are on the ground, navigating this situation every day.
One thing that I have found really encouraging in the past weeks has been the degree to which individuals across our industry are coming together to find solutions—even those who were competitors mere weeks ago are sharing information and collaborating to make sure everyone remains safe and healthy.
Time to Prioritize Family
The other wonderful thing that has come out of this crisis is the way that two once very distinct parts of our lives are merging—specifically, the line between our families and our business has begun to blur. Many of our conversations with clients, coworkers and colleagues all now include checking-in on health of families and have taken an even more personal tone.
This has been compounded by the fact that working from home has allowed us more time with these loved ones and a more personal look into our colleagues’ lives. To be candid, remote working does have its challenges. But I have been pleasantly surprised with how it has allowed me to focus on some other very important people in my life: my family.
I have really enjoyed being able to take little breaks throughout the day to read to my two-year-old son, Thomas, or play with him in our yard. Before all of this, my routine was getting him out of bed in the morning and seeing him before he went to sleep at night. Now, he and my wife get to see me throughout the day, and I get to be a part of his daily adventures and growth!
In fact, he is already turning into quite the businessman, as he often invites himself to participate in my conference calls every now and again. He was also the impetus for my discovery of noise canceling headsets that block out ambient noises—they really are priceless if you haven’t considered them yet.
What Comes Next
As a whole, I have found it shocking how quickly our business has adapted to this new work style that continues to constantly change. The one thing I am confident of today is that things will be very different tomorrow, and a new development will evolve the day after—but I do find comfort in knowing I have a wonderful team beside me. We really can get through this together.
-Ryan Epstein