Stef's journey through Covid-19

Today I’m interviewing Stef Johnson on her experience of “life during Covid”. Stef is a key member of our Sales team and she is known in Class for her witty, dry humour and fun nature. A video sent around internally on RU OK? DAY struck a chord with me, as she (like many of us) admitted that she has been struggling amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

What has lockdown been like for you? 

The first couple of weeks was a shock to the system. Suddenly I was working with my two kids, and my husband, in one room. How did this happen? The last 10 years I have been working from home. I came back from maternity leave and decided I wanted to work in the office again, I wanted to be more visible around the business and I started to really enjoy it. Actually, no I absolutely loved it – coffee at the drop of a hat and socialising at desks; building rapport with people over the age of 2 was a dream! Suddenly we went into lockdown – no playdates, no visits with my Mum, it wasn’t just ‘work life’, it was all life, and I struggled with that. I cried a lot, with my Mum, my colleagues and it was good to offload. 

Life is sort of back to normal now, but it has changed. My husband and I work from home with lots of meetings throughout the day. I work in the kitchen and he works in my kids’ room. We can shut our doors. Phew! We now focus a lot more on family. We have more quality time together – we avoid play centres and instead go to the beach. My husband and I share the load more as the office is home now, so we have more flexibility. 

Do you think the workplace culture has changed and if so for the better?

Absolutely! It’s proven you don’t have to come into the office to do your job. My role is to speak to clients, and I believe you can still collaborate (if not even better) this way. Class is very flexible when it comes to work life balance, and I truly believe this is the way forward. We also try and collaborate in Class on a regular basis e.g. we have a Class Virtual Trivia night every month which is very competitive, and we group out in our teams over Slack. It's so much fun! We've lots of mental well-being sessions where we hear from motivational speakers about their stories and strategies on how to deal with anxiety and stress. I have actually run a personal training session over Zoom. We are all here for each other at Class even though we only see each other virtually, and we embed our values "better together, trust, heart and reimagination".

Are you Zoom fatigued as they say? How do you manage this?

Yes! It has got better, and I have now got used to it. In the beginning I got headaches, so I had to re-adjust my set up, I made it more of an office feel. I now do walking meetings. I’ve had Zoom virtual meetings with my clients where we have lunch and coffees over Zoom, we order Uber Eats and eat together! I have virtual teas and coffees with clients. I’ve made a conscience decision to change my social interactions. I can now have three meetings in a day, which was never possible previously. My clients get to meet my kids and vice versa. There is a deeper connection there, which I love.

What do you wear to your “home” office?

Casual wear – jeans, T-shirts, shorts. All my clients are in their gym gear too. I’m talking high-level execs – and we are there in our hoodies! No one is judging anyone; it’s not about what you are wearing, it’s about the quality of your conversation. 

Thank you, Stef, for your honesty and for sharing your strategies for success during these challenging times we are in. We have to remember we are "better together, we do it with heart, we are built on trust and we are always reimagining".