I think the feeling for me was just, is this really happening?
Hey, I'm Jeff Strommen and this is my well-being story.
My well-being journey began really after a week of PTO. Coming
back to the office Monday morning, by midday I learned that I was
going to be working from home with the virus and everything else
going on. And so in March, I think there was just the initial
denial like, okay, I guess we'll go work at home and we'll adjust
and I'll set up a temporary office space and we'll just make it
work.
I feel like a positive attitude really does determine the outcome
as far as how you respond to the adversity or to changes in life.
And so that's always been just my own mantra in life is to go with
the changes, go with the flow of it, make the best of the
situation. And we know that sometimes change is uncomfortable for
people. I, myself struggle with it. We dealt with a lot of changes
in 2020, but embracing it with an open mind was a big part of
that.
I can tell you the first couple of weeks working at home are
really a blur. Honestly, it was one of the things where I came to
work at home, but then my kindergarten and second grader we're
also going to be doing school at home with me and not in the same
place, but under the same roof. So there was the challenge of
adjusting, not just to a work-life balance because when you go to
work at home, you have to figure out how to navigate and adjust
that. This is really my first type of a job where I'm strictly
working from home. So this is a new environment for me too, but my
kids had never done remote learning. This was all new for all of
us.
Early on I realized that I was feeling the weight of the change,
the transition to working from home. Missing the good mornings and
the connection with my colleagues, other advocates and associates
across the floor, my supervisor, and our manager. And so it was
the thought of, okay, I'm dealing with this, I'm feeling the
weight of this and the change and the transition, but I bet a lot
of my colleagues are feeling the same way.
And so it was a focus of mine to just reach out to specific
individuals within my team, people that I worked with on projects
or across the floor, and on an individual basis check in with them
on Skype or join our Buzz Yammer group. Being active, being
consistent, being someone that they can lean on, whether it's just
for positive vibes, or just maybe a funny email or a funny little
joke or a clip or something in our chat or in an email.
I just wanted to be available to my colleagues, not because my
position said it, but because that's who I am as a person, as a
colleague, as a member of our great Humana family. What grounded
me was that perspective that no matter what changes happen in
life, I can control my attitude, and my attitude if it's set in a
way that's positive then I can embrace the change, I'm going to be
successful to change. It's not going to be easy, but we're going
to do it together. It's a mindset that's gotten me through in the
last year.
I think it's great with Humana that we have such great support,
whether the EAP programs that are available to us, or just to know
that we can go to our leadership, our team lead or our supervisor
and express if there's something that's going on. And I’m thankful
in a lot of ways for 2020, for what it showed me about myself,
what it showed me about my colleagues and also what we could be as
long as we know that we are truly better together.
