by Emily Ogden
Moving to Canberra in January was certainly setting me up for an adventurous challenge, battling heavy smoke from fires made the move more challenging than it needed to be and even while that may not have gone as planned thankfully I was able to commence work as expected.
From the minute I signed a contract with Eat Speak Learn the staff have made sure I have felt welcomed and supported every step of the way! I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit the team at the end of last year and get to know them before starting, which is always nice to have friendly faces from day one, then from that minute I knew this would be an exceptional place to work. From the little things like being greeted with a welcome pack of essentials on the first day (containing all the essentials including emotional support chocolate), being sent my name badge to feel park of the team before my first day to no question being too silly there is no doubt the level of support the team provides to help you succeed is high! And equally important is the way this carries across to our personal life as well. The crew have reached out to provide guidance on helping me find a place to live or smaller things like being in instant contact when I was experiencing car trouble and came for assistance. It really shows how we work as one big family, not just colleagues.
We also love to have jokes with one another as seen by some crazy smiles below, and consume wayyyyy to much wine and cheese, which surely cannot be a bad thing right!
Another amazing part of my Eat Speak Learn journey so far is the clients and families I have been fortunate to work with. I have learnt amazing things from all my clients and families who continue to teach me something new every day or help me create new ways of doing things that may not have even crossed my mind! Sometimes we have even had the pleasure of working together and I cannot thank those families enough for putting up with these experiences that sometimes do not go as planned!
One thing that certainly was in no-ones plan this year was the impact that covid-19 would bring and being away from family was terrifying when this initially hit. We quickly had to learn and adapt (as did many others) how to suddenly juggle working from home, in what was certainly not ideal conditions especially as I was trying to get to know my clients when this time hit!
Like many suddenly our homes became offices, and the joys of face to face therapy sessions were temporarily disrupted. Thankfully, we had some time to prepare, lots of individuals sharing resources and our management team continued to ensure we could see as many of our regular clients as possible! As strange as this sounds our team as well continued to become closer over this time. We had many social catch ups via zoom that included games nights and trivia nights and implemented morning meeting for the first time to connect and check in with each other. Everybody constantly reached out to each other seeing if anyone needed assistance and did everything possible to ensure everyone’s wellbeing. I have even been welcomed into their homes for afternoons or dinners with various members of their families which is well beyond their call of duty but shows just how much this team is inspired to make sure everyone succeeds. I highly suggest checking out our Facebook page where there is a video on how we dealt with COVID in the team!
So, while there has been some small bumps in the road, overall, I have come to the realization I have never met a team anywhere as supportive as those at Eat Speak Learn. Through a time of great change, the support has remained unwavering and I cannot wait to see how the next 6 months turn out!
