NEW YORK, (May 26, 2020) – – Shelley Tanner, SanovaWorks CEO/President
Getting back to our new normal
While essential workers are still battling a pandemic on the front lines, businesses, and some practices, are engaged in the slow roll-out of the reopening of society. Mental health in the age of COVID-19 remains an increasingly real concern. Some workers are coming off furlough, some dealing with job-loss completely, some experiencing fear of job-loss, and most everyone experiencing some form of depression and anxiety.
This webinar was previously recorded on May 13th, 2020
Colleagues and thought leaders examine the emotional and logistical impact of COVID-19 on employees. Panelists discuss job loss, mental wellbeing, employee’s top concerns and communication surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic. Experts discuss ways to offset anxiety and depression, steps to take care of your emotional well-being and logistical challenges such as homeschooling and balancing the ever-changing priorities during this crisis. There will also be discussion surrounding manager communication strategies, what works, what does not work and ways employers can calm employee’s fears during the pandemic.
MODERATOR
Brandon Thompson (Co-Founder, Careers in Aesthetics & Co-Founder & CEO, BNB Aesthetic Innovations)
PANELISTS
Richard G. Fried, MD, PhD (Board Certified Dermatologist & Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Director, Yardley Dermatology Associates)
John Connors (CEO & President, Jan Marini Skin Research)
Mark Wilkins (Executive Vice President and U.S. General Manager, Prollenium Medical Technologies)
Aaron Burton (CEO, Sciton)
Jenna Mons Anderson (CEO, AccessElite)
Excerpts from the webinar
BRANDON: I lost my job and [Shelley] was just checking on me and we really just said that the most underserved topic in society today, especially in competitive environments like sports as well as in sales and in business, is mental health, and having an optimal mental health. So, that’s why we are on this call today. The people I have on this call –put people first and they have not only been able to pivot and keep their entire teams, and the point of this entire call is to give optimism and hope, but also be empathetic to those that have lost their jobs that have been furloughed, that have fear of job loss, and we’re going to tie all of that in together with Dr. Fried, who is not only a successful dermatology practice owner in Pennsylvania, but also a psychologist which is very rare.
POLL QUESTION
Do you know someone who is clearly having anxiety or depressive symptoms due to COVID-19?
Nearly 3/4’s of the people said they knew someone who has been impacted by anxiety or depression –“high or extremely high”.
High Impact 61%
Extremely High Impact 13%
BRANDON: [based] on those answers Dr. Fried, you are a Psychologist as well as a Dermatologist and there are so many people that are struggling wiPOth depression, one thing that I know, in business and in sports, a lot of people don’t like to verbalize that they have anxiety or depression. I’ve had a lot of anxiety of the past eight weeks and I’m healthy, I exercise. Due to the fallout of COVID-19, job loss, fear of job loss, being furloughed, and homeschooling, can you give us some insight, from a psychological perspective and your expertise on how to deal with this?
DR. FRIED: [anybody] that says they don’t struggle with anxiety, don’t struggle with depression, with feelings of inadequacy…. [T]hat’s Human Condition. COVID-19 is a freight train out of the blue, of uncertainty, we have no clue, short-term and long-term, where it’s going– everything gets amplified times 100….[The] advice is to realize that every one of these emotions and feelings of inadequacy are ubiquitous; and we have to join the crowd and say, okay where do we go from here?, from the imperfect ‘me’?. Where do we go from here, to try to get back control. And the feeling that they can’t, and that’s the battle we all had before COVID-19, and it’s just become so markedly amplified now.
BRANDON: Jenna, you’re the only female CEO on our call. Juggling is not easy. A lot of companies are empathetic. You have two toddlers and a newborn, and you’re a CEO of a company. Tell us how you’re juggling and how you’re dealing with stress.
POLL QUESTION
Do you have children that are being homeschooled right now?
YES 55.56%
JENNA MONS ANDERSON: I’ll start off by saying there’s no perfect way to do it and it’s a balancing act. You do the best you can, you get up everyday put a smile on your face and do it again. Some of the things that work for me, they won’t work for everyone. I need structure. My family needs structure. We have a schedule and we do our best to follow that plan. We get active. I’m a big believer in activity. I told my team from the beginning to take 30 minutes everyday to do something, walk, run, yoga, meditate. Also have compassion for yourself. I fail everyday at something. Or at least we feel like we fail. Having compassion during this time. Nobody is an expert at a pandemic. Communicate. I talk a lot about how key communication is. We probably haven’t spent this much dedicated time with our spouses – ever. When you are trying to raise a family and work from home during a pandemic. Don’t try to “keep up with the Jones'”, I see a lot of posts about people taking up a new hobby or learning to cook. I mastered sanity.
BRANDON: This question goes to Mark Wilkins. Is the role of the rep going to change? Are we going to continue letting sales reps into the office? Team members who know we are still dealing with COVID-19.
MARK WILKINS: We’re obviously in a time of change and will be dealing with COVID for quite a while. I think everyone can agree to that fact. As a company and personally, is know that there’s going to be a significant amount of change and with that comes uncomfortable times. We need to pivot toward that change and look at it as an opportunity to improve. Office calls are going to change for many practices. The role of the sales representative is not going away. The sales reps on this call can take solace that it’s not going away. Our company thinks we have the best product in our space, but it doesn’t sell itself. Having people know that, looking at the adjustments that a clinic has to make themselves, is very important. They’re all going to manage their business very differently. Some may have staggered appointments, some may have meetings in the parking lot. We worked over the past eight weeks training our people how to have remote meetings. How can we bring value to the clinic in a very very different environment? One of the things we’ve done to help prepare our team is to let them know change is here and could be for years. There’s a lot of uncertainty around that. Each situation is going to be different. They need to learn how to pivot. Understand the unique situations per each clinic. When we do that and are transparent with our team we remove a lot of anxiety. Their safety is the most important.
Silver linings
Each of the panelists agreed that despite the great tragedy, stress, anxiety and difficulties, there had been obvious silver linings. Whether a renewed optimism for their own practice and work, or spending valuable time with family, each person has a bright side they have chosen to acknowledge and focus on. This unanimous recognition that in the face of great suffering there is always a silver lining, was the perfect way to end the session.
WATCH BOTH MENTAL HEALTH & COVID-19 WEBINARS
COVID-19: The Invisible Impact on Dermatologists and Dermatology Practices
COVID-19: The Invisible Impact on Team Members
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