The demands are actually very different. People have different perceptions of the current situation, some with anxiety, some with a readiness to change, and some saw opportunities for themselves. It's clear that most of us were not prepared for this situation in general and for self-isolation in particular. This is psychologically difficult, and consequently, many fears and doubts came to the surface, various emotional states manifested themselves. Very much, of course, depended on how psychologically stable everyone was, on how well they were able to work under stress and in conditions of uncertainty, as well as on relationships, both at work and in the family. Now many people are forced to live with their family differently than before, that is, to see their spouse, children, and other relatives every day for many hours a day. Here comes a very strong test of feelings, all the difficulties in relationships, in interaction with children become visible. For parents, the system of distance education for children became a big challenge, for which many were simply not prepared;
What advice and recommendations would you give to those who are now facing increased stress, burnout and nervousness?
There is no single piece of advice. Someone will be able to find a resource in the family, see the benefits of the current situation and begin to change, adjusting to the new realities of life. Someone will need professional psychological help - and there are actually a lot of resources now where you can get this help for free. There are two types of thinking that we need to apply, balancing between them flexibly: 1/ Critical thinking - we are bombarded with so much information that it can easily make your head spin, you can fall into despair and depression. We need to critically, but wisely analyze this information, look at different sources 2/ positive thinking - now open a huge number of resources for adults and children. Fill your day with positive and meaningful - take a course you've been meaning to take for a long time, have a family dinner according to all the rules of etiquette, here you can get creative and, for example, have dinner according to the traditions of different countries. In general, something positive, interesting, dynamic need to fill your every day;
What do you think will change about the work environment and organization when everyone returns from isolation?
Many employers will realize that it is possible to work remotely, and work effectively. New channels of communication will begin to develop, and the mindset of many managers and employees will need to be restructured. There will be a need for flexible personnel management tools. And in fact the main point here will be the most important resource of any company - the employees. The company's competitive advantage on the market will be in taking care of its employees and their well-being. We should probably also touch upon the issue of business continuity. Those companies which prepared business continuity strategies in advance, a team which will operate during the crisis as a single organism, developed corporate communications and worked out plans for cooperation with employees and external key partners during the crisis have now gained great competitive advantages. However, not many companies had it all before the Coronavirus pandemic. Now business continuity is a trend, and all companies will either come to this and be ready for the next crisis, or they will deprive themselves of many competitive advantages
What corporate programs for employees will be popular in the new environment? What problems will employers face, in your opinion?
The last few years there is a trend to develop employee wellness programs, we have seen a huge number of perfectly implemented programs on the market. In my opinion, this trend will continue. And that's where, frankly, there's a lot of opportunity to step forward. The bet should be not only on well-being, but also on flexibility in many aspects of work, including the workspace, implementation of programs that allow to support employees, including remote work and self-isolation, provide a large number of flexible benefits and benefits, teach employees to work under uncertainty, work on prevention of emotional burnout
Many people have lost their jobs and gone through downsizing, what advice do you have for them to keep their balance and not give in to negative emotions now?
Look for new opportunities. I very often as a psychologist and coach work with people who have gone through such changes. And there are two ways - of course there are many more, but only two - the first is to feel sorry for yourself, to become a victim, further up to apathy, depression, problems in the family, and the second is to see what opportunities exist, to go beyond - so many people live with a tunnel vision of their prospects, but if you look deeper or wider, believe me, you can see a lot of new and interesting things. I have a good example: once a man came to me for a consultation; he had been laid off, had a family and three children, could not find a job for several months. We worked with him on his vision of the future, the question of his mission and possibilities. The result: his own online business, independence from a particular employer, tripled income, more time for his family, a realization of his teenage dream. And this example is not the only one. He who seeks, he always finds
Tell us about your psychological marathon "Rebirth"? What are its goals, for whom is it useful, what difficulties can it solve?
The idea of the marathon emerged several years ago, when I myself was going through a serious emotional burnout. Those tools that were developed by psychologists and coaches did not always work. I wanted something new, flexible and suitable for all people, so that I could help not only myself, but also others. That's how the Rebirth Marathon was born. Over several weeks we walk with participants along the path of analysis of their lives, of the difficulties they have, looking at the inner energy - everyone has it, but many of them are hidden so deep inside that it must be somehow awakened, extracted from the depths. Each participant at his own pace - and this is one of the advantages of the marathon - performs tasks that combine practices from coaching, psychological counseling, art therapy, management, gets his insights, ideas, builds the path to their implementation, and most importantly to change yourself. If I see that one of the participants is "stuck" or inner problems do not allow me to go further, I give additional tasks, which help to get out of the stupor and find energy and resources for the development - this is flexibility, as another advantage of a marathon, which is not always available in group trainings. And one more thing, a marathon is a path - and here it is very important for participants to see that there can be many ways, and at the end of the marathon everyone will find exactly his path and revitalized, with new strength and resources will go forward on it.