Starting a career in lockdown has not been the easiest thing, especially when you’ve been furloughed for 7 out of the past 12 months. Working again, has been a shock to the system, but a welcome one none the less.
As someone who has worked in customer service and hospitality whilst studying, I know that I get a lot of job satisfaction from dealing with people, achieving results and providing a service. I had been job searching in hospitality for a number of weeks with no luck. The advert for Access Care appeared on my social media and after reading the advert, I knew I had to apply.
I didn’t know much about Live-in care in Hampshire or a Live-in care recruitment agency, so I had to do some Googling. Up until last October, when my grandmother needed care at home, I didn’t realise that live-in care was a possibility. I knew about home carers that come in once or twice per day, however, living in carers were something that once I’d thought about it, made a lot of sense.
The interview process was a surprise to me as it was entirely done online. I don’t know what I expected really as it’s unsafe to have one in person, so the only logical option was virtual interviews. Despite my surprise, I did well apparently because I got the job!
Learning my new job has been very interesting. Adapting to everything being remote is something that last year, I would have called you crazy for suggesting. All team meetings are via Zoom, all tasks are done entirely online. No paperwork or filing, and phone calls are the new “popping over to someone’s desk”. Learning new software and procedures regarding home care has been a steep learning curve and I am very grateful to my colleagues and my bosses at Access Care for being so supportive.
There are some disadvantages to everything being online. In “normal times” I would have met the Live-in Carers and got to know them personally, rather than virtually. I would be having coffee with my new colleagues that I bumped had into in the kitchen or by the water cooler. Getting to know people virtually is certainly more challenging! Weekly Zoom Team Meetings on a Monday morning have made this new start easier. At least I can put faces to the names in my inbox.
Working at home is a new experience for me. I’m very lucky that I have an office at home that I can use and my dog is certainly happy for me to be there. She has made her presence known, especially on my first day when she wouldn’t stop barking. Not quite the impression I was hoping to make. This did, however, open up the conversation to dogs, something I will never say no to. Incidents like this, make for more casual conversations, and “getting to know you’s” in a time where every phone call has a purpose. It allows for people to connect to the person behind the screen, and to get that dose of human interaction beyond those in your bubble and the workday.
Starting a new job in lockdown is not ideal. However, I am fortunate that working remotely for Access Care is a possibility. I can only look forward to working in the office full-time, and finally meeting my virtual colleagues in person when the day comes.
Charlotte,
New Business Administrator at Access Care