Don’t worry, this isn’t another ‘here’s what we’re doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19’ post. The truth is, we’re still in the dark about a lot of things. From the moment COVID-19 was labeled a pandemic, Vivisum was uniquely prepared to handle the transition from in-office work to a remote environment. During the last few days before quarantine set in, we concentrated on developing our remote capabilities and focusing our intentions on the future. Though we have been placing special care on mental health maintenance and hacking workplace isolation, this novel experience hasn’t come without growing pains. Putting our energy into optimizing our business practices, sharing cat photos, and staying connected to one another have been welcome distractions in the face of our new normal. We are getting used to our new normal and hope you are doing the same.

Here are some of the things that have changed at Vivisum over the past few weeks

Remote Work: We have never had to augment our online work capabilities for such a long-term situation. Lately, we have been using MS Teams to communicate with each other via chat, video, and screensharing.

Daily Check Ins: To keep up with our mental health and productivity, we’ve been having video conference check ins at the end of every business day to touch base and interact with the team. We’re used to having a lot of face time with one another, but for the foreseeable future, this is as close to ‘face-to-face’ as we can get. Sharing our experiences, feelings, and goals for the week helps us remain connected and keep our spirits up.

Solidarity with Clients and Vendors: We’ve been keeping in close contact with our partners throughout the quarantine and exploring new ways to do research with them. Despite uncertainty about what the future holds, we see this as a time for innovation and improvement on our systems.

Here are some things that haven’t changed at Vivisum

Our Commitment to Brilliant Work: We believe that everything we touch should glow with creativity, and the challenge of applying that value in a time of social distancing has made us reframe how deeply we care about our work.

Genuine Human Connection:  Implicit in this value our commitment to mindfulness, fostering strong relationships, and exploring the role of business in driving social progress. We consider ourselves fluent in building and enhancing relationships with clients and partners, and we think now is the best time spread the message of compassion and reconnection within and outside of our organization.

Fearless Exploration: We’re still the same values driven company we have always been. We’ve continued to take risks and push ourselves to new levels of growth in the face of difficult conditions. The future is uncertain, but we are not afraid to grow and change as the world around us is doing the same.

We hope everyone is doing well, staying safe, and staying home. This journey is a strange one, but we believe it will lead us all to grow and accomplish our goals with the support of friends, family, and our team here at Vivisum.