Written by Anna Wood-Penn, Senior Recruiter at Satarah Recruitment
I can remember it as clear as day… It was a chilly March morning in 2020 and I was sat in our local coffee shop having lunch with my Director (Esther Greenwood).
Whispers had already begun regarding this virus that had already taken hold of China and Italy, and the conversation turned to what maybe yet to come:
Esther
“I really do think this is going to turn into something big! I mean ‘pandemic BIG’, it will be here on UK soil within weeks.”
She paused and with some apprehension she continued…
“Do you think we should go to the hardware shop and buy some face masks?”
Me
I replied in disbelief of what she had said…
“Seriously Esther, you really think that? You need to stop worrying about all this.”
Two weeks later Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced a UK-wide lockdown due the spread of COVID-19 – Esther was right!
Life changed overnight for me, as it did for everyone. I made a list of my priorities.
- Panic buy my ‘food shop pass’ before they were all gone
- Home schooling one of our two sons, my very chatty 6-year-old!
- Our family finances
- Working out what work would look like
Working in Recruitment meant that all our clients’ priorities shifted to ensuring their staff were safe and able to work from home, so our work naturally paused too. Candidates just stopped calling, dealing with their own priorities. Naturally, wanting to support Esther and the business, I offered to be placed on furlough due to our work pausing and there being no viable way to be able to continue, so my identity as a Recruiter ‘paused’ too.
Never did I imagine how things would change for me personally in a positive way over the 6 months on furlough.
- Found my passion again for sewing, set up a little sewing room at home and filling my spare time with sewing projects (including making facemasks!)
- Took time getting to know my youngest son more, with me being his ‘teacher’ for 12 weeks certainly made me see how he was growing and developing – although chocolate was needed most nights after a day of teaching.
- Imaginative Cooking, using what I had in the cupboards to make a family meal was fun the first few weeks and when I managed to get hold of some plain flour, it felt like I had won the lottery.
- Learning to listen and live together 24/7 as a family (with my husband, 15-year-old, my 6 year old and me all in the house together – not to mention our two cats!)
I never doubted the commitment that Satarah Recruitment as a business had for me. Keeping me updated on new and exciting developments on what we would be able to offer when I returned filled me with a renewed positivity. I had a sense that this enforced time out of the business meant Esther could refocus on what she wanted out of the business and what we could offer to both clients and candidates.
My 6 months (180 days or 10,000 hours to be exact!) on furlough has ended, I have been back at work now for 2 weeks. WOW what a change with the way we are evolving and developing as a business. Offering a more supportive approach, not only to our clients but also focusing on our candidates facing the risk of redundancy. Stay positive, stay safe and ultimately be happy where you are not only in your job but in yourself too!
Anna Wood-Penn, Senior Recruiter & Furlough Survivor
Satarah Recruitment
P.S
I am not denying I had tough moments, my focus on this blog is to highlight the positives and for me to share them with you!