Are you ok?
No seriously. Are you ok?
As we hit the first anniversary of COVID-19, things haven’t improved much in most parts of the world. Here in London, we’re in the third month of our third lockdown (almost has a ring to it, doesn’t it?) and every time I feel a little bit of hope, I simply read the news to be dragged back down again. ‘So, stop reading the news then,’ I hear you say, but as a sadist who needs to know what is happening in the world, I can’t seem to silence the BBC alerts and Twitter notifications just yet. It helps me feel plugged in with the rest of the world, particularly as I embark on the 102nd solo walk of my neighbourhood (just kidding — my walks keep me sane).
Last April, I was hopeful (my brother uses the word ‘naïve’ instead) and genuinely believed that this pandemic might unite our world. It might wake us up to the horrendous inequalities that plague ‘Western, advanced’ countries and the borderline irreversible state of our planet. As an optimist, I do believe 2020 achieved some of that but it also brought forth a really ugly side of humanity. During the pandemic, we’ve seen inspiring acts of kindness across the globe and so many sacrifices made by everyday people to benefit communities. We’ve also seen selfishness run rampant, with political ‘leaders’ doing everything in their power to tear countries apart and a simple thing like wearing masks became political in certain nations.
At a base level, empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s feelings and is a powerful tool to bring people together. We need to display empathy more than ever, especially as the world slowly starts recovering from the pandemic. With people working from home and living with blurred boundaries between the personal and professional, companies owe it to them to display some humanity. While we overuse phrases like the ‘new normal’ and ‘unprecedented,’ not much about this pandemic is ‘normal’ especially when it comes to its effect on people’s mental health.
- It isn’t normal to expect people to work as if there isn’t a pandemic wreaking havoc in their lives.
- It isn’t normal to ‘ignore’ the situation, especially when some of your colleagues might be living alone for months on end while completely isolated from their families.
- It isn’t normal to treat Zoom as if it’s the same thing as being together in person — acknowledge that what works for you might not work for other people and Zoom fatigue is a very real issue.
- It isn’t normal to not ask people how they’re doing and give them a chance to voice the frustration they might be feeling.
Empathy is a must for companies during the pandemic and this is a chance for most workplaces to show that they mean it when they talk about employee wellbeing. Ask your family, friends, colleagues, interns, etc. how they’re holding up and if you can do anything to help them in these ongoing stressful times (I won’t use the word ‘unprecedented,’ don’t worry). Sometimes, all it takes is asking someone, ‘are you ok?’
