Coronavirus: A shout out to so many good people
This week’s post is not really about work or indeed about our business but more of a thank you message. John F. Kennedy famously said in his inaugural address; "Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
We have all heard this apposite and oft-repeated line, but I have not always lived up to it - I don’t know about you?. Typically, I think many of us expect a lot, get a huge amount, and are not grateful enough.
It is then even more inspiring to see JFK’s words actually lived out in front of our eyes in these unprecedented times.
I am one of those who has a huge amount of faith in humanity. Cynicism is just too easy. But I am also probably someone who expects a lot and doesn’t give as much. And yet, three weeks ago, I was struck by how readily we got together with neighbours (with whom we speak rarely in truth) to exchange WhatsApps and promise to help each other out at any given opportunity.
I was moved to tears to hear that my parents' neighbours had been dropping food in to them (unrequested) and messaging them regularly when we could no longer get online deliveries to them.
I was again very proud to hear how families are coping back in northern Italy where my mother grew up and I spent parts of my childhood - how all sorts of unwritten rules had been implemented to make life go on and give support to those who need it most, from shopping one at a time in the local store, to supplying tablets to children in the village – decisions taken at a local, if not personal, level.
Locally, nationally, and on a global scale, we can really be a great team.
I have been hugely impressed by how the whole bizee.co team has confronted the difficulties of working permanently from home; some under strict curfews, one in a two week quarantine. They have been balancing delivering a great service to our clients with helping sick parents and vulnerable neighbours, looking out for each other by sharing a quantity of face-masks or running errands for each other.
I am not surprised by all of this, it's just heartening to see it in action. Locally, nationally and on a global scale we can really be a great team. Of course there are a million more heroic tales that hit our headlines everyday from those key workers at the front line and others supporting them.
Gratitude has always been important and it is a pillar of mental wellbeing in my opinion, but it is also sometimes the first thing we forget about. I hope I can personally use this difficult situation in which we find ourselves to grow the resolve to show more gratitude in the future.
On that note, here is what some of our clients are doing right now in the fight against Covid-19, for which we applaud and thank them:
Scott Hodson - Free Range Stays
Scott runs Free Range Stays - a serviced accommodation provider in Bedfordshire and they are offering 30% discounts to key workers in the area. Through their units they have also been able to safely house essential workers coming from further afield.
On top if this FRS is supplying the vulnerable community and all their serviced accommodation units with eggs from the EggShed (Scott's social enterprise).
Victoria Eaton - Pivotal Point Properties
Vicky is Director of Pivotal Point Properties and has returned to work with the NHS.
Prior to working in the property sector Vicky was an operational manager at an Acute hospital trust and now is in the Covid Incident Management team to help smooth the way so the front line staff can focus purely on the front line.
Pivotal Point Properties is also offering discounts to NHS staff and key workers.
Melody Schroeder - Inside story
Actress, writer and presenter Melody Schroeder s one of the brains behind Inside Story and has started a Just Giving Page to raise money to thank key workers with a memory book as well as raise money for MIND.
You can donate to her JustGiving Crowdfunding Page here.
Ellie Baker - Bilinguasing
Ellie is the founder of Bilinguasing, the UK’s only carefully-crafted music-led programme for teaching languages to babies and children from birth to 11 years of age.
During this period of coronavirus, to help MFL teachers and their pupils get access to fantastic home learning, Bilinguasing is giving free access to the French & Spanish ‘learn through song’ course. You can find out more here.
Do you feel coronavirus has strengthened bonds and brought you closer to people, even with social distancing?
Author: Thomas Smallwood is an outsourcing specialist. Having worked in companies around Europe, from the support desk to the boardroom, he founded bizee.co to help small businesses grow through efficient delegation to skilled virtual assistants. He is an award-winning blogger and a passionate advocate for mental health awareness.
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn.