COVID-19’s Impact on Credit Unions and Industry Professionals
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“If you’re going to remote work for the first time, establish with your coworkers and your boss what the expectations are around ‘How much am I going to communicate with you throughout the day [and] at what times?’ Talk about that ahead of time, so there aren’t surprises.”
Episode Summary
The abrupt cancellation of in-person industry gatherings has resulted in “a year of lost connections,” says Natasha Chilingerian, Credit Union Times’ Executive Editor.
A self-proclaimed grammar nerd who deals with words daily, Natasha has managed the news site’s print magazine and website content for the past five years. Even though she’s worked remotely for seven years, there are plenty of new learning curves to navigate in light of COVID-19 — namely, the inability to connect with a community.
While the number of virtual events this year has increased to simulate the connectedness of in-person learning and networking, Natasha says it’s not the same. The chance to travel and explore new places with others “creates bonding and builds relationships with different colleagues you work with.”
Without that, what connects us now is how much more human we allow each other to be.
In this episode of the Digital Banking podcast, Natasha shares her thoughts on the sustainability of virtual events — plus, what we’ve learned about them since the onset of COVID-19. She provides insight on the post-pandemic future of remote work for credit unions, how we can balance schedules and availability (hint: flexibility is key!) and how to create boundaries between work and home.
Hear Natasha’s thoughts on these topics and more, like the actual timeline of converting to digital banking and her take on the role of physical credit union branches in a digitized landscape.
Key Insights
⚡ The key to virtual events? Keep things short. “You can’t go on as long as a normal conference would go in real life,” says Natasha, because unlike real life, people can’t take breaks or explore their surroundings. Remember that Zoom fatigue is real, so cut your four-hour webinar down to two.
⚡ For many remote workers, the boundaries between being “at home” versus “at work” have been erased. To end your neverending shift, try Natasha’s suggestion: Create an evening routine made up of relaxing activities that aren’t related to work and that you can do at home to step back into your personal space.
⚡ COVID-19 has humanized us, and we might be even better teammates because of it. “We’re all dealing with the same crisis at the same time, obviously in very different ways, depending on our situation, but it still brought us together,” reminds Natasha.
About The Guest
Natasha is Executive Editor at Credit Union Times, a news publication dedicated to keeping credit union leaders and investment professionals up to date. As Executive Editor, she oversees the production of print magazines, newsletters, columns, and more.
