To be honest, I am not sure where to start. I can’t believe I am living through a global pandemic!

I recently called my grandma (90’s) who told me this was also her first global pandemic, and the last one she remembers hearing about was from my grandpa who was a child during the Spanish Flu (1918). Apparently he lost a brother and a sister over a series of three years. Which got me thinking… THREE YEARS?!? I thought this would go away with flu season… aren’t we all coming back to work in a few weeks?… or months??…

So fast forward a few months (I went on furlough) and now we are approaching winter. Still no end in sight, in fact a small panic is in the back of my mind as we approach WINTER IN LONDON. Sickness is inevitable (even if it is a simple cold) but it feels 10x’s worse because… what if it’s COVID?

So we all hunker down (again). Boris said to work from home. and.we.wait.

Work conversations, questions and training are all held via video conferencing. Work parties consist of online trivia (so sorry you didn’t win Charlie). And even though I am literally isolated, I am lucky enough to have not felt forgotten. Much of it has to do with today’s technology.

While I can access all my work projects from my computer and phone I can also access all my work benefits from my phone too. Between taking a phone call and checking my kids online school, I can quickly scroll through the benefits I need to use and apply them even during this pandemic.

Here are a few examples:

Fruit basket- One of the Benefits of working at Benefits Communication is a fruit basket, but now that we are not in the office the fruit basket started rotating to the employees houses instead. Honestly, I was impressed- and loved it when it was my week to get a whole box of apples, clementines and grapes, especially since fresh produce was sometimes difficult to find.

Online GP services- seeing a doctor is not only difficult, but risky during this pandemic. Luckily my office offers an online GP service through an app. When my daughter had an ear infection we simply turned on the video call, she opened her mouth while I shined a light down her throat and the antibiotic was received in the post within 24 hours.

Grocery discounts- Food shopping in general has been disheartening during this pandemic, but an easy way to lift my spirits during checkout has been using the the discount vouchers offered in the Benefits Communication portal from work. Seriously, a little goes a long way and even £5 off makes me feel pretty special and resourceful.