From
office
to
home,
to
embracing
change
in
the
new
normal
As
a
co-op
student
at
the
Royal
Bank
of
Canada
(RBC),
“the
new
normal”
was
a
phrase
that
I
and
many
others
were
not
expecting
to experience
during
our
work
terms.
This
phrase
was
quick
to
test
our
ability
to
adapt
and
to
persevere
in
times
of
uncertainty
as
the
majority
of
us
transitioned
from
working
in
the
office
to
working
from
home.
Although
working
from
home
was
nothing
new
to
me,
it
was
different
this
time
around.
Returning
to
the
office
was,
in
the
short
term,
physically
unattainable.
At
the
beginning
of
the
COVID-19
pandemic,
I
found
that
the
most
challenging
part
to
the
transition
was
keeping
my
day
more
entertaining
and
less
routine-like.
A
less
routine-like
day
had
a
positive
impact
on
my
mental
health.
To
simulate
my
office
work
life,
I
would
set
some
time
out
of
my
day
to
get
in
a
snack
and
a
quick
workout,
which
would
imitate
coffee
breaks
and
walks
at
lunch.
As
for
communication,
I
really
valued
the
importance
of
having
check-ins
with
my
colleagues
and
managers.
While
I
was
at
RBC,
I
worked
on
two
different
teams,
one
was
the
finance
change
management
team
and
the
second
was
the
financial
controls
team.
Daily
check-ins,
weekly
team
status
calls
and
bi-weekly
one-on-one
meetings
were
all
forms
of
check-ins
that
both
teams
ensured
to
lead
and
attend.
I
enjoyed
being
a
part
of
these
check-ins
because
they
provided
me
with
better
insight
into
my
managers’
expectations
and
feedback
on
projects
that
I
was
working
on.
It
also
created
a
space
for
me
to
continue
asking
any
career
and
work
related
questions
to
further
drive
my
motivations
and
fuel
my
curiosity.
The
last
day
of
my
work
term
was
–
well
–
let’s
just
say
it
was
a
new
normal.
I
got
the
chance,
over
WebEx,
to
prepare
transition
notes
and
train
the
incoming
co-op
student
that
was
taking
over
my
role.
It
was
great
to
see
that
RBC
was
able
to
adapt
to
the
new
normal
and
continue
providing
summer
internship
opportunities
to
fuel
the
growth
and
curiosity
of
myself
and
other
co-op
students.
My
last
hour
was
spent
virtually
with
my
team.
We
exchanged
our
virtual
good
byes
and
had
some
good
laughs.
No matter where the new normal takes you, the important lesson is to be open to change and to stay connected with your network. Good luck to those entering their new work terms. Only bright days are ahead of us!