The most important thing now is to be careful, to obey the rules and all measures and continue to be responsible to stay healthy.
“The majority of our entire team has been working from home right from the start, except for those who colleagues, who are working in the field and have to be completely protected. We also continued with our corporate social responsibility activities. Although we, as a company, are very affected by the situation, we strive to nonetheless help the community in every way we can by engaging in various charitable campaigns focus on procuring protective equipment for those people who need this type of assistance at the moment,” says Aleksandra Kožul from Novaston.
How did you organize your business activities? How is communication with clients going and what do you think in general about crisis communication?
The majority of our entire team has been working from home right from the start, except for those who colleagues, who are working in the field and have to be completely protected following all rules and safeguards. We have online meetings at least once a week and we have immediately formed a crisis team and established clear lines of communication in line with our crisis communication plan, both externally and internally, because, given the situation, that is the most important thing now, i.e. to communicate properly, send a clear message to both employees and clients, and manage yourself in the sea of misinformation. We also need to make certain decisions, calmly and rationally, but quickly enough, based solely on verified information that is viewed from multiple angles. Only in this way, following all the steps foreseen, can the results be positive and can we emerge from the crisis with as little or no consequence as possible.
On the other hand, we have continued with our corporate social responsibility activities. Although we, as a company, are very affected by the situation, we strive to nonetheless help the community in every way we can by engaging in various charitable campaigns focus on procuring protective equipment for those people who need this type of assistance at the moment. As the Novaston platform is engaged in providing unique services in various fields, we have decided to concede our networks and the site to several experts with whom we cooperate, so they can answer to various questions in their articles to make it easier for all of us to survive the situation with the coronavirus.
I try not to view everything not only as a problem but also as a challenge. I also want to get the most out of what is now offered to us, both business and private-wise, so that the end effect is not only negative. Now, the most important thing is to be careful, to obey the rules and all measures, to continue to be responsible to stay healthy because the only thing that is certain at this moment is that this pandemic will pass and that we must be even stronger for what is to come.
How do you spend your private time during the pandemic?
I have to admit, I am tired. I believe most people are. Although we work from home, there is work to do daily. We are working hard on the strategy and its implementation, how to survive in the current moment, but also how to proceed when this situation passes. While I am doing that, my four-year-old daughter is putting makeup on me, doing my hair, choosing jewellery and dresses for us to wear so we can play princesses. I’m sure all mothers can relate to this. I often look like an octopus to myself and wonder if I have only two hands. I try to exercise, sometimes I meditate a bit and do my back exercise programme, but not enough for this isolation period. I wish I had more time for yoga; every morning, I promise myself that today is the day. With a colleague from the team, I prepare various texts for our Novaston site, which relaxes and calms me a lot, because the topics are diverse and intended for everyone to survive this “corona age” together. Reading is something I do regularly, at least a little bit. I am currently reading “Anxious People” by Fredrick Backman and “Cow That Cried” by Buddhist priest Ajahn Brahm, which I wholeheartedly recommend to everyone.
What is the first thing you are going to do after the state of emergency is abolished?
I’ll take my daughter to Smederevo to see my parents, who are in isolation because of their age and chronic illnesses. Although we argue about various things on a daily basis, and especially these days, when my mum is even more concerned for us all and calls us every hour even though we are practically in similar isolation, we miss my parents greatly. It is very strange that before this happened we sometimes did not see each other for a whole month due to work and various obligations. Now, because we are prevented from seeing them, we have become fully aware of the strong bond between us and how much we need each other. After the state of emergency is abolished, I will take my sister to a great restaurant where we are going to enjoy slightly sweet French wine. And then back to the reality that was before this pandemic. I believe that we are going to return to our normal routine very soon, but I hope, we will be richer for a new experience, more willing to make mistakes and to be one with nature and the people around us.