Family with kids sit on sofa with laptop

 

Positivity During the Pandemic:  Thoughts from MDT Staff and Clients

 

Since MDT and some of our clients have been working from home since March, we thought it would be interesting to get the perspective on what positive experiences or insights have come out of being at home. We sent this question out to our employees and a few of our clients: “What positive things have come out of this ‘sheltering in place’ over the past few months?” Here are their thoughts:

Connecting with family – Software Engineer Eric Dunn says the he’s kept in touch with family and friends MUCH more often in the past few months. “In some ways I feel closer to them, having gone through all this.” And this also means connecting with family in a way that is different than usual. Jennifer Lee, Senior Manager of Software Services, hosted a Zoom call for Easter with 70+ family members including those out of state whom “we’d never see at holidays like that.” Claudette Hart, Product Manager, has become closer to her cousins by having a virtual “house party chat” every week just to check in on each other!

Connecting with kids – Implementations Analyst Tina Hanley has a better understanding of what her daughter is learning in school. Billy Panagiotopoulos, Manager of Microsoft Systems Engineering, has been able to watch his 9-month-old daughter grow, and “it’s been amazing.” CCO Gary Lee appreciates that he has had the time to “play with my son, wake him up and put him down for bed – a few of the things that I took for granted when I was traveling.” And, Jennifer Lee (Gary’s wife!) feels the same way: “Hands down, the most positive thing is bonus time with my 2-year-old.  As a full-time working parent it is likely I would’ve never experienced this kind of time with him during his childhood. I will be forever grateful for this.”

Connecting with spouse – Microsoft Systems Engineer I Nathan Bondy says, “We are expecting our first child so it’s been nice to be at home together … and for my wife to be off her feet when she needs to be.” Billy P. also commented that being home together has “drastically improved on our communication and strengthened our marriage ten-fold faster than if I was at work every day.”

Connecting with pets – Mia Caughey, Senior Professional Services Analyst, loves having her pets close to her (her dog is typically under the desk and the cats are in their beds next to her desk) while she works, with the added benefit of them taking away some of the day’s stress. Tracie Loudermilk, Manager of Professional & Consulting Services, finally felt that her family had the time to foster a puppy from a rescue.  She says that they totally failed at that effort – they ended up adopting the puppy!!

 

Three dogs in a yard

 

Connecting with co-workers – Shirley Bailey, VP of Operational Analytics & Process (who is a full-time remote employee from Washington state even before the pandemic), says, “Having everyone else working from home has completely changed my work environment. The use of “Zoom” (video conferencing), Slack (MDT’s internal messaging software) and the constant digital chatter has made me feel more connected than ever. I (get to see everyone I work with regularly and I have gotten to know others through these channels.” Senior Product Manager Christina Yates feels that “coworkers and clients are generally less stressed and more responsive.” Jen Lee says she appreciates her coworkers, saying, “We are all affected differently, but the one thing we have in common is MDT. I appreciate those I work with because I’m seeing everyone show up and give all they can.”

Cost savings – Implementations Analyst Carrie Dana says she’s “definitely saving money on gas!”  Nathalie Billiau, Sales Admin & Audit Representative, comments that her family is saving money “on extended [child] care and the hot lunch program at school.” Their family also went 3 months on the same tank of gas!

Taking up a new hobby/finding time for a hobby – Training Specialist Waheeda Brandon has taken up crafting. She purchased a Cricut machine right before the shelter in place order went out. She says, “It started off with me making t-shirts to match various outfits. I have now graduated to tumblers and wall art. It is very relaxing and a lot of fun!” Christine Clark, Senior Business Consultant, and Jenny Scott, Implementations Analyst, have re-discovered the joy of reading (by having more time to do so). Claudette Hart says that “With the additional time, I found myself painting more than I ever have. I am now painting creative gifts for family and friends.”

Home cooked meals – CRM Jen Machesky and Implementations Analyst Leona Reese have been enjoying more home-cooked meals. John Duda, Web Developer, says he learned how to smoke baby back ribs “to perfection.”  Jennifer Lee has found that her family is putting more thought into selecting healthier meal options (instead of just eating out or grabbing fast food). Jen says, “We cook all meals ourselves – and being home means we have more time in the kitchen to prepare meals.”

More time to complete house projects – Courtney Rose, Client Services Support Analyst, says that her family has been able to complete a lot of small projects around the house that “we always made the excuse of ‘not having enough time for’. It’s been nice to see the improvements finally get done!” Nathalie Billiau echoes that by completing “multiple projects that were pending for a long time in our home (painting, tiling and building loft beds for our 9-year-old twins!” Billy P. says, “We completed 7 house projects that we’ve been trying to get to over the last four years!” After finishing his home projects, Doug Wagel, Manager of Administration & Facilities, says, “My house looks so good we have decided to sell it.” Leona Reese has taken this time “to do the deep cleaning” at her home.

More recreation time – Since most everything was shut down for a few months, Tina Hanley spent a lot of time outdoors. The Hanley family’s weekends were free for camping and Jeep drives. One of MDT’s clients, Guy Wong (Programmer Analyst from TrueCore Federal Credit Union) said that since his family couldn’t go anywhere, they spent a lot of time playing board games (no electronic parts!). They had fun strategizing and then giving each other a hard time about how they all played. “We all laughed so much and talked about everything. It was a throwback to the old, simpler times that even the younger generation appreciated.” Courtney Rose said, “We have enjoyed taking walks outside and it’s amazing how many more people we see in our neighborhood since the sheltering in place started. I really feel like people enjoy the outside much more than before!” Christina Yates enjoyed spending more time outdoors before and after work when she would have been commuting!

More family time – Sarah Hoenicke, Senior Implementations Analyst, loves the extra family time. Erica Switalski, Manager of Client Services, said that “the time normally spent commuting is now spent with family (or on myself).” Eric Valla (VP/Chief Information Officer from WyHy FCU) loved spending more quality time with his family. Eric says, “With the kids not having normal school schedules and sports activities, we were able to slow down and have more family and personal time.”

Decrease in stress – Christina Yates feels that avoiding the commute to the office has resulted in less stress  – as well as not driving in bad (Michigan) weather. The change in her work environment has been calming to Mia Caughey. She loves “having a window to look out of (and open for fresh air) while I work and seeing birds, pretty flowers, and even snow in early May! LOL”

Slowing down, physically and mentally – Nathalie Billiau says, “It felt great not to have to constantly be ‘on the go,’ rushing from place to place. Gary Lee commented, “I think going 100 mph all the time isn’t healthy for anyone. There has been plenty of self-reflection during this pandemic and I think I was missing that time until I was basically forced to take it.” Jen Lee says that she has taken the time to stop and analyze what’s important. “If I have lived without [something] over the last 3+ months, it may not have been as purposeful in my life as I once thought.”

Be thankful – HR Generalist Dave Moline says that he is “thankful for all of the big and small blessings that I’ve been given that I can easily take for granted.” Nathalie Billiau adds that “this experience taught us to appreciate how lucky we are to have everything that we have and for the wonderful people in our lives.”

Overall, this time in the year 2020 has been an exercise in a new normal (for awhile anyway), but there have been a lot of positives that have come out of this experience. Thanks to all who shared their thoughts!