Safety Nerd Spotlight – Coping With the State of the World

It is impossible not to feel overwhelmed in the wake of COVID-19. With the constant barrage of news updates, government mandates, and altered states of “normal” it’s difficult to consistently give your best towards the fundamental elements of life like our jobs, relationships, friendships, and ourselves.

For the last week of May, as part of our Safety Nerds from Home blog series, we are focusing on coping with the state of the world. Our superstar Manager of Customer Success, Marta Montero, always puts her best foot forward to make sure our customers are a top priority. Building relationships and delivering smiles, one customer at a time, Marta has taken the time to offer her view on how to cope during these challenging times.

Dina: How has the pandemic affected you and what are you doing to cope with the present uncertainty?   

Marta: Throughout my life, I have lived by the motto that the only constant in life, is change. This mindset helps me lean into the situations that I can’t control and accept them. With this current pandemic, I have accepted that I can only control my own behaviour and have chosen to focus on that: physical distancing, only going out for essentials and checking in on my friends and family. 

Dina: As a Manager of Customer Success, how are you handling the news that you receive from multiple customers about their hardships during this time? 

Marta: Our team’s superpower is our incredible ability for empathy. We are actively listening to how our customers’ lives have been affected and partnering with them to come up with creative solutions to minimize risks in the workplace. Many of our customers are taking advantage of our free COVID-19 eLearning courses, forms, and new reports.  

On a more personal level, many of us have cultivated very strong relationships with our customers, these bonds go beyond work. We spend much of our time talking to them about how they are faring personally and sharing our own vulnerabilities. I have had customers reach out to make sure I am personally doing well. If there is anything this situation has taught us, it is how connected we are with the people we work with day in and day out.  We are all so grateful for that connection. 

Dina: What is some advice that you have given to help alleviate their fears? 

Marta: In the health and safety world, it is part of all of our jobs to worry about. However, it is more important than ever to make sure that worry is productive.  I try to work towards alleviating any fear and anxiety by disseminating what is controllable and letting go of what isn’t. Worrying about what you cannot control will simply drive you mad. 

Our Customer Success Team practices empathy daily. Marta is a prime example of what that looks like. Through interactions with customers, colleagues, friends, and family, it is crucial to remember to practice empathy as much as we possibly can during the pandemic and beyond. 

We encourage you to practice empathy, productive worry and accept what you cannot change. All are, of course, easier said than done; however, with continuous practice and regular communication with your team, this can become a reality. 

For more information on mental health best practices, read our Mental Health Best Practices for Employees.