What were the biggest challenges we faced in 2020?

Darren Bagnall, from Flat Living Insurance, discusses the biggest challenges the team faced throughout 2020 and what they learnt from this year.

There are very few businesses who have been unaffected by the pandemic this year, and many who have suffered massively.

National lockdowns and local restrictions have seen a great deal of product demand come to a halt almost overnight, whilst remote purchasing has stormed ahead, leaving many customer-facing businesses in the lurch.

Likewise, new businesses set up in 2020 have had an awful opening start with fluctuating lockdown rules meaning people are often unable to visit new places. Even businesses which operate virtually have had a tough time as unemployment and uncertainty leave people unwilling to spend.

For most businesses, the key to overcoming the challenges the pandemic has brought has been the ability to adapt. Luckily for the team here, we’ve managed to keep things moving and reach our goals for the year, but it hasn’t been without enormous challenges along the way.

In this article, I’ll review some of the more difficult times we had throughout the year and how we dealt with it.

What was the most challenging thing the team faced throughout this year?

When the lockdown was announced we, like many businesses, were put in a difficult position. We had relatively little time to facilitate all staff working remotely; as the lockdown was unprecedented, we didn’t really have a procedure or plan in place to carry this out immediately. To transition the whole office to a remote way of working required certain elements we had never expected to consider as a business.

Communication at times felt like a challenge. However, operational aspects were running smoothly within a short timeframe and the challenge became something we all took on together to conquer.

This was a common theme across much of the UK and understandably so. Prior to the pandemic, most workplaces operated through face-to-face working, as has always been the ‘norm’.

There’s a great deal of talk now about creating a ‘new norm’ which could mean more remote working, but this is entirely dependent upon the type of work as it does make communication harder.

What was challenging about working from home?

For most workers one of the most challenging aspects of this year was learning how to effectively work from home, especially in regard to the work/life balance.

It’s hard to find that balance between work hours and home hours when your home also becomes your workplace. It’s so easy to switch on late at night and answer a couple of extra emails; equally, it’s hard to put the laptop away at your normal home time.

If there is one thing we’ve learnt, it’s that it’s important to find that cut-off point. As we came towards the end of the first lockdown period, finding one space within the home to call the “office” made it easier to find the balance. It’s important to maintain that divide between your work and home life so that you can recharge and be ready for the next day.

It’s also difficult because often the communication takes a longer time; in an office, surrounded by your team, you can get a quick answer within seconds. Even though it might only take you five minutes or so over email, the time really adds up.

What did you learn as a team?

As a team, we understood the constant discipline it takes to work from home productively. It gives you a great appreciation for those who need this facility as part of a flexible working agreement. For those of us who had exclusively worked in an office environment, at first working at home may have been seen as a “luxury”, however after doing it for some time you really start to understand how much focus and commitment is required to make this successful.

There will undoubtedly be many of us within the workplace who have a newfound admiration for those who had been working remotely for some time. It also makes you more inclined to check in with those team members more as you understand how important their health and wellbeing is.

Is there a particular moment the team pulled together?

In that initial uncertainty at the start of the first lockdown, all staff supported management decisions and did what they could to keep the business running.

The team provided regular updates and we kept that team spirit thriving despite all working in isolation. We’re proud that we could maintain our service standards and that we’ve been in an exciting period of growth despite all the challenges we’ve faced this year. Despite the massive difficulty, for us 2020 really has been the year of the TEAM!