Episode 27A – Thoughts on the coronavirus COVID-19

Episode 27A: Thoughts on the coronavirus COVID-19

Jeremy Cline 0:00
I'm Jeremy Cline and this is Change Work Life.

Hello, and welcome to the Change Work Life podcast

I'm kind of describing this as a bonus episode, which is kind of a little bit of an odd description because you know, a bonus implies, hey, it's a nice fun thing that you're getting as an extra. And this kind of, well, the purpose of this episode is really just to acknowledge what's going on.

I'm recording this on the 19th of March 2020 and we've got a heck of a situation going on at the moment worldwide with the corona virus, with covid-19. Over here, we've got instructions that basically where possible we should work from home. We've just had an announcement here in the UK that schools are closing. It's it's a heck of an anxious time. It's a really anxious time for everyone. No one knows what's going to happen, those with kids what's going to happen with their education and childcare and who's going to look after them. People are worried about their jobs, are there going to be redundancies, particularly people in the leisure and tourism industry where people are working in theatres or in pubs or restaurants or in bars. It's a really uncertain time. And I get there's just a lot of anxiety going on. And I just wanted to acknowledge, I just felt that I had to say something rather than just, you know, kind of carry on regardless, just to acknowledge that it's a really, really weird time. No one knows what's going to happen.

And this is, this is affecting everyone globally. It's just so, so strange and, you know, unprecedented. For our most of us, I mean, you know, when was the last event which had an impact, a direct impact on so many people? And I know that the subject of this podcast is all about career change and job change and that sort of thing. And I know there's a lot of anxiety in that space at the moment as well, as I mentioned, people are concerned about redundancies. People are concerned that companies are going to put hiring on hold until things have quietened down or sorted themselves out. And I think that's quite probably a realistic concern, at least in some sectors. I don't think every sector is going to be freezing hiring and there's already talk of companies like Amazon actually hiring more people because they need people to fulfil orders, people ordering a lot more online. And logistics companies as well, there's talk again of those hiring more people because there's going to be more demand for products to get around.

But you know, there are concerns about people who are looking to apply for jobs, should they just sit tight where they are and wait until things blow over? I've seen concerns about people who did accept job offers, they'd put in their notice and they're having those offers withdrawn for the time being and what do those people do? And, you know, it's it's a really tricky situation. And obviously, you know, I don't know the answers to any of those questions.

I am hoping to interview a couple of people, one or two people in the future, people who work in recruitment, hiring that sort of thing, just to get a feel from them as to what people can be doing, what's going on. Are there any steps that we can take to protect ourselves in this time? So hopefully, over the next few weeks or so, there might be a couple of, again, sort of extra bonus episodes with interviews specifically around what's going on with the situation with the coronavirus.

In terms of this podcast, most of the interviews that I put out are recorded ahead of time. And I'm generally aiming for kind of evergreen content. The idea is that this podcast is going to be around for a while. And if someone in three, six even twelve months, picks it up, they can potentially go back and listen to the content and it's also going to be as relevant then as it is now. So that's something that I'm planning on doing. So what that means is that I hope to carry on putting out future episodes. There won't be much in those episodes acknowledging what's going on in the global situation at the moment. They're intended to be sort of, you know, they'll apply at any time. I've currently got episodes which are ready to go out certainly for the next few weeks. I've got interviews recorded, I did a big batch record of interviews, so I've actually got interviews, which should take us up to the end of the spring/beginning of the summer period. Now, a lot of those raw interviews, they've still got to be edited, I've still got to put the shows together, and I'm going to keep that going for as long as I can.

In terms of my personal situation, my wife and I have a daughter who's coming up to four years old, so she's not at school yet. She obviously still needs to be looked after, she can't be left by herself, that sort of thing. And she's in childcare, most of the week. Both my wife and I work, and, yeah, we're not sure what's going to be happening as far as childcare goes, what the options are going to be. She goes to a nursery, I guess in the US, you'd call it kindergarten, that is going to be closing this week. So we're going to have to be looking at what alternative childcare provision there is. And, you know, the childcare providers themselves are going to have to be, they're going to have their own strains, either with more people looking to take their services, or maybe they might have to be in a position where they've got to self-isolate. Or maybe they've got kids at school that they've got to start looking after.

So all this is saying that I just don't really know how this is going to pan out personally, and what that is going to mean in terms of the time I've got to put these episodes together. So I'm going to try and keep it all going. I'm going to try and keep up with the getting episodes out weekly, as I've been doing so far. But I just wanted to let you know that that might not be possible, we just don't know what's going to happen. But you know, when all this blows over, if there is any break in what I'm putting out then when it stops, I will look to get back into it. I do really appreciate all your support. I really appreciate those of you who have subscribed and listen and download and the comments I've received and the likes I've had on the Facebook group, and the reviews on Apple podcasts, I really do appreciate that. And, you know, it's pushing me that I'm going to keep going with this in some way, shape or form over the next months as the situation unfolds, and as things continue to happen.

So I guess I just wanted to end on a positive note. I mean, no one knows how this is going to pan out. And this this could end up fundamentally changing some things you know, how we live, how we choose to live, how we work, maybe see people who are working from home discover that actually, they like it and they'd prefer to work at home, who knows. But I guess I just wanted to say that, whatever happens, we're going to get through this, we're going to be okay. It'll pan out. It's gonna be tough, it's going to be challenging. But there's going to be an end to this. There's a heck of a lot of scientific advice out there. There are experts who are doing their best to make sure that steps are taken to contain the spread, to limit what's going on. So, you know, we're all going to get through it. And if you've got your own, I'm sure you've all got your own anxieties or challenges that the situation is going to present, but we're going to get through it.

So I'm just going to end this episode by saying, everyone just be well. Look after yourselves. look after each other, follow all the government advice on containing the spread, you know, hand washing and social distancing and self isolation if necessary, and all that sort of thing. Follow all the guidance that comes out. And yeah, I will I will see you in future episodes, so, yeah, good luck with everything and I look forward to seeing you in future episodes. Cheers, bye.