Even Though the Brakes May Be On, We Keep Moving Forward
The year 2020 has been a year of disruption, introspective and new beginnings. How many times have we looked back at a situation that may have not gone as well as expected and thought if we had the insight of today or “hindsight is 20/20” we would have handled it differently?
Well, we now approach the end of 2020; I hope that we can learn, in the present, to handle all situations better.
We were thrust into working from home in March and we have never been able to look back. Canada’s essential service workers, healthcare workers, those who look after our safety and security, all administrative workers, cleaners, factory workers, grocery and other food store workers, you have become the shining stars in all of this and have the respect and admiration of everyone. With great pride, we celebrate all of them and support them in any way we can.
The world as we knew it has changed forever. Not leaving your home except for essential needs is the norm. Leaving space between people is being observed everywhere. No greetings with hugs or handshake, even for family. Meeting in crowds for celebrations, special events, ceremonies and for religious meetings is not allowed.
Face coverings, which once may have made people uncomfortable, are now an essential part of everyday life. In fact, we now look at people not wearing them, as odd.
Lack of external resources for personal services have made us all very inventive. We have all become home cooks and cleaners. Spring-cleaning is now an event and not a chore. We are responsible for our own childcare and educational assistance is expected. Anyone in need of a haircut can check out on-line for instructions.
Going forward, will on-line learning become the norm? Even our entertainers have become more inventive in the presentation of their art. We cannot look back to how it was but now enjoy how it is.
Business is different and likely will never go back to “the way it was”. What will the New Business model be like? Meetings with staff and with our clients is very interesting. We can see them, and they can see us without being there.
Our kitchens and bedrooms have become our new offices. We went from formal dress to a level of business casual. On-line meeting has changed that again. How will we dress for the business of tomorrow? We will need to watch as we move forward.
TransferEASE was already transitioning to working from home. We had a Pandemic Plan in place, and it worked well. All the essentials were in place to do this immediately without any disruption to business. We were designated as an essential service from the beginning, so we needed to be aware of what was happening affecting our industry across Canada.
We have had to calm the fears of Corporations and their Employees to move forward. How are their real estate services being addressed? What about them physically crossing the country? What hotels are open? Who will look after the movement of their Household Goods?
We never had to look back at the past to get these answers. We continue to move forward to the new way of managing Relocation Services and to do it successfully.
TransferEASE is eager to move forward and know that nothing will be the same. We acknowledge and accept the challenges of the future with positivity.
Author: Carolyn Willer, V.P. of Operations, Broker of Record at TransferEASE Relocation Inc. Brokerage
Article first published May 12, 2020 (revised November 12, 2020).
