Shutdown Diary: Day 1

Shutdown begins. The snack bar is well filled. A decent pair of trousers is mounted. The morale is right! The first entry in our shutdown diary.

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Publication Date
03/2020
Shutdown Diary: Day 1

Switzerland shuts down

So now it is a fact. The public service is at a standstill. As of tonight, even stricter rules apply in Switzerland. For at least a month now we have to do without a lot. No cold beer in a bar after work. No coffee breaks with friends. No green curry at your favourite Thai restaurant. No visits from friends in Alsace. No shopping in the city.

The virus is shutting down everything. It threatens the health of a vulnerable population. It dominates newspaper headlines. Even in the social media, there is hardly a post that does not deal with the virus in some form or another.

We have all arrived home by now. We have understood that we have to flatten the curve to slow down the pace of the spread. It is clear to us that health care will be tested to the limit and beyond in the coming weeks. "Stay home!", "Save lives!" or #staythefuckhome - the calls are getting louder.

We treat ourselves with a little diary from the home office. Our shutdown diary.

Shutdown: Let's stick with it.

But let us also look forward. The show must go on! And working life as well. That saves lives too (#dothefuckbusiness?). Just because we are at home doesn't mean that we are standing still!

Why home office is also somehow moving:

  1. We can - provided that the children are busy - concentrate on our professional tasks. No distraction from "walk-in customers" or loud phone calls in open-plan offices. We can push ahead with our projects. Get our work done. All the things that would otherwise be neglected. Much of this can also be done remotely. Let's use our time and energy for this!
  2. A change of scenery moves. It is stimulating to be exposed to new influences in between. It helps to question dusty automatisms and processes and to think differently. Many will not (have to) work the same way after the shutdown.
  3. The collective distance can generate a temporary community and solidarity. People stand together when things get difficult. The shutdown affects us all. Let us not forget that we are not alone.

Of course Migros and Coop have a different view of the virus than hairdressers, kebab shops, cultural workers, investment bankers or ice-cream sellers. If we all buy enough toilet paper at some point and all the pantries are filled with pasta, we might be able to devote ourselves to life again.

The current slowdown also creates space to think about others. This shutdown is hitting many hard. There are many ways we can support the shops, cafés and bars. My tip: Check out their websites. Follow the companies on social media. I'm sure there will be some creativity unleashed in the coming days.

HeadStarterz is set up

At HeadStarterz we have always been very flexible and free in terms of space. The changeover through "social distancing" should therefore run smoothly. Nevertheless it is also a big change for HeadStarterz. To see the team via zoom only is of course not ideal. The common after-work beer tastes only half as good on the screen. We will also miss the personal contact to our customers. We will continue the many fruitful conversations digitally until further notice. We are also happy to be available at off-peak times and in the evening.

We are confident that positive things can come out of this basically paralyzing situation!

The coffee woke me up. The snack bar is full. The trousers are mounted. Morale is up. We are ready to move forward in this time, too. We will continue to report on this - in our shutdown diary!

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