These are unusual times. The fear, the uncertainty and continually changing advice, and the sense that, whilst we’re in this together, some people are still acting like they are the only ones that matter.
Our thoughts are with those who are suffering directly as a result of the pandemic; those who are ill, those who have lost loved ones, front-line medical staff, retail workers who are having to deal with the panicking crowds - even the policy makers who have to make important decisions based on incomplete data.
However, I have to put this to one side and also focus on maintaining business continuity - we have a responsibility to our staff, our team of subcontractors and our clients not to be paralysed by recent events and instead look for opportunities to keep the wheels of the economy turning in our small way.
We are incredibly fortunate that our chosen model of instructor-led training translates exceptionally well to remote delivery and attendance. The last two weeks have proven to us the effectiveness of current video conferencing technology - delegates and their organisations can still benefit significantly from the expertise of our instructors without needing to all be in the same room. It’s also quickly becoming apparent that opportunities to be ‘together’ with our colleagues, even via video conferencing, are becoming increasingly precious and important moments in our working days.
It’s deeply heartening to see how quickly we are evolving to embrace this distributed workplace - the first few clunky video conferences seem so far away for us now. Chatting to our colleagues and clients whilst discussing our home office set-up, unusual wallpaper, interesting-looking lamp shades and impromptu on-camera appearances by our dogs and small children have quickly become a part of daily life - inviting colleagues and clients into a small part of our homes seems to be eroding some of the long-standing and pointless artifices of business relations.
It is this ability to adapt, smile and move forwards gives me massive hope both for the short and long term future. Whilst the toilet paper situation might currently be suggesting otherwise, I’m 100% sure that our collective strength in adversity will see us through these tough times, and many of the lessons will be forced to learn as a result of so much change will see us ultimately happier and more in tune with each other and the world itself.
I would like to finish with a message to all of our valued clients, both current and in the past - if you have an L&D problem that doesn’t seem to be easily resolved by current standard practice, share that problem with us so we can solve it alongside you.
Our expert instructors will be keen to explore new ways of working, and we at Framework Training will be willing and able to devise new solutions that will help you and your teams.
Rest assured that our public and on-site training courses will still be available for all to attend. We will provide you with access to the video conferencing software and any pre-course support and testing required to ensure a high quality experience, all as part of our standard service.
All the very best
Ian Watson
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