Connection Unstable – Thoughts on how to connect personally in a virtual world from our new Project Manager Charlotte Repton

I know I’m not saying anything ground breaking, but isn’t working life weird at the moment?

I started in my new role as Project Manager for Community Chesterfield in October after a long period of furlough from my previous job earlier this year.  My first day felt like quite a monumental moment to be starting a new role on an exciting project – but in reality all that meant was coming downstairs and turning my laptop on. I did all the usual new job rituals: fresh notebook, new diary, a little extra care and thought put into my clothes and grooming… but essentially I was still sat in the same four walls I’ve become very acquainted with over the last six months. What makes it easier is knowing that lots of people are in the same position of having had to adjust and that those of us who have shifted to homeworking due to the pandemic are part of a huge global experiment together, able to learn and share (very quickly!) from each other’s experiences.

There are obvious downsides to working remotely on a project like Community Chesterfield. Our project is all about connecting people with the skills and knowledge at the University of Derby’s Health and Social Care Faculty, based at the St Helena’s Campus in Chesterfield,  yet I’ve only been able to go there a handful of times myself. My role specifically is about meeting people and making connections, which is currently in a purely virtual sense, as well as leading a fantastic team, who I have only been able to meet in person once – at a distance of 2 metres!

However, I’m not one to dwell on difficulties, but rather to look for opportunities to connect and things to smile about. The Community Chesterfield team have a wealth of experience behind them when it comes to community engagement – which means that by nature they are friendly, approachable and, well, engaging! They made me feel like part of the team from the outset inviting me to join some of the events and meetings via Zoom. And whilst I don’t know how they all take their tea (I’m decaf, milk, no sugar by the way), I do know what their taste in artwork and home décor is like. We’ve also bonded over stories of our various lockdown challenges and thankfully, they were very forgiving when I had to take a video call in my bedroom to (unsuccessfully) avoid the sound of builders demolishing my kitchen!

Another big positive is how Community Chesterfield has been able to help voluntary sector organisations navigate their way through these strange and uncertain times and offer that opportunity to connect and share experience with others. The project is designed to be community led and as a result, the team has been able to be responsive to need and deliver training and shared learning on topics that have been requested, in a format and at a time that works for the people who need them.

The forthcoming series of Training and Tea sessions are a perfect example of this – they are bite size sessions in a morning slot on a variety of subjects which are incredibly relevant to working life right now, for example decision making when teams are working remotely and making your remote meetings more effective. I know that I am personally going to benefit from these sessions led by Andrew Deighton, an expert in helping organisations work effectively, and if you work or volunteer for a voluntary sector organisation or community group active in Chesterfield, perhaps you would too?

So until things go a little more back to normal and I get to meet you in person, please do connect with me online. Bring your favourite mug and give me a wave at the Training and Tea sessions, or say hi on social media - we’re on twitter, facebook and instagram. I might not be able to shake your hand, make you a cup of tea or give you a hug – but we can share things together which are unique to this moment in time. For example, what’s my favourite working from home perk? It’s a tie between 1) wearing very cosy and slightly silly slipper socks or 2) getting distracted by people’s pets walking into view on Zoom (and getting distracted by my own dog being just too adorable IRL).