I think we all found 2020 a tough year; being apart from family and friends, isolation is not something that comes naturally to many of us, as we are social beings. For many of us working at home became the norm in 2020 and commutes to work and chats with the person sitting next to you or making a round of tea are, for now, just a memory. At Rooster Punk we tried to stay connected throughout, not just as a team but with our clients too; our weekly lockdown quiz was the highlight of the week, as well as wellbeing sessions, many parcels of brownies and a great sunflower race to name a few. However as the nights drew darker so was the news, the numbers of people infected were increasing, more people were sadly dying.
Our company purpose at the Coop is ‘humanizing business’ – we are humans, working with humans, and if we connect at that level, people will enjoy their day a little more, and engage with you in a more meaningful and long-lasting way. During Lockdown 2.0 we realised we needed to make December a wellbeing month where we made people smile more often, with little things that reminded them we are all together, as people were seeing Christmas plans slip away and the possibility for Christmas drinks only a virtual possibility. We started with our virtual advent calendar, titled Advent Stories, which was a seasonal story every day of December on all our social media platforms. They were fun, often quirky and alternative stories that showed the different beliefs and traditions throughout the world – which we have now put in a final collection here, if you want to enjoy them all over again. Nathan, in our creative team, wrote an amazingly emotional poem, that inspired hope for self-growth in tough times – it brought a tear to many of us, so we printed it and included in our Christmas cards, to share with our network of clients, freelancers, partners and suppliers.
Our Christmas Card was special too – it was made from plantable seeds, which will grow into beautiful wild flowers in the spring. Growing plants is a calming, and positive activity which helps mental health and wellbeing, as well as ensuring our card does not end up being recycled like all the others everyone regularly receives. In case you are curious here is a little sneak peak at how it works. We’ll be sharing pictures through-out the spring of the wildflowers as they grow, providing a bit of colour to our posts!
Like many we sent our clients a gift, which included a Christmas tipple, and had an extra big quiz where we were joined by many of our clients; it featured an epic music round where Lloyd, our resident musician played some great tunes on his guitar, and a roundup of the crazy things that we’ll remember from 2020 such as Tiger King! Like many we organised a virtual Christmas Party for the team, which included pizzas, a competitive round of ‘call my bluff’ and plenty of drinks and laughs along the way! The cocktails we ordered everyone arrived a week late – but in time for Christmas which made the team smile a second time! And we tried to show appreciation for the hard work and dedication of our fantastic team.
And because we didn’t splash out on big Christmas events and entertainment we supported Ignite life, a charity who launched in lockdown and have supported young people who are at risk and in need of support.
And having done these things, I wanted to record them, because in years to come we will remember the pandemic, the heroes of the NHS, the people who made sacrifices and suffered and the pain it caused. However, I do not want to forget the people who got us through – for many, it’s our work families, who we have spoken to every day, laughed with and shared our lower points with; the small things which have boosted our wellbeing and the acts of kindness, which have been creative, as it is not as simple as giving someone a hug and telling them you are there.
As 2021 begins it has been a tough start for many, but hopefully we can take a little strength from those around us, and realise that little acts of kindness will make a difference to those we work with, as we are all human after all.
#jointhehumanrace #HumanizingB2B