Our Team Is Strong After Covid-19
Our team at Neroli had a lot of thoughts at the beginning of this pandemic. It was one of those things that “couldn’t happen here.” Not to us. One of those things that starts far away and disappears or loses its stranglehold before it reaches our shores. Even as the holidays passed, and it creeped ever closer, it didn’t seem real. Didn’t seem possible. And then the dominoes started falling. Slowly at first, then all of the sudden. Basketball stopped mid-game. Concerts canceled. Bars and restaurants closed. Salons closed. Life as we knew it stopped.
For our team at Neroli, we had a brief moment of “what next?” And then snapped into gear. What has happened between the day we were order to stay safer at home and now, as we prepare to reopen has been sometimes challenging – but as we reflect back on the past several weeks, what we’ll remember the most is what we have all been able to accomplish as we worked from home. Here is a behind the scenes peek of how we have stayed #NeroliStrong during the recent pandemic:
Our Team on Teams
Within just a few short days, all of our team members connected through Microsoft Teams. Each location has met three times a week to stay abreast of company updates, share virtual education resources, and train on new systems for reopening. Dogs barking in the background? Yes. Children screaming? Yes. Do we mind? Not at all.
Virtual Education
Our partners at Aveda as well as other companies have provided our team with amazing educational resources to help keep our technical skills sharp during the closure. Classes included online training with Global Artists such as Vivienne Mackinder to summer make-up trends to gel nail extensions and everything in between. We won’t be returning to work rusty. We’ll be returning to worked retooled.
Some that the team was excited about and a lot of people took were: Alchemy of Color with Alberto Roswell-Davis, Living In Color with Janel Geason & Ian Michael Black, Virtual Wellness with Analisa, and classes learning how to master Gua Sha facial massage and deep tissue on the neck.
Soft Skills
While the world has been socially distant, we’ve been socially developing. Twice per week, our marketing team has provided social media webinars to help refine and grow our practices both as individuals and as a team. From Linkedin to YouTube to blogging and every platform in between, we have an army of service providers better equipped to share their expertise with our guests and community. And we’re all having fun helping each other along the way.
Team Inspiration
For a team of creative people, losing the platform we use to express ourselves can be scary. But we have been fortunate to have resources provided for us to help keep our creative juices flowing. Some of the favorites so far have been a facial drawing class with Rec Room Craft Studio and a personal styling webinar with Chicago celebrity stylist Katie Schuppler from KS Style Consulting. These classes have not only been a ton of fun (seeing each other’s drawings—priceless) they also provide skills to enhance our services, like understanding face shapes and thinking of a guests’ total style. Next up are fitness classes with Ashley Haag and a virtual cooking class with Suzette from The Past Tree.
What’s Next For Our Team?
As regulations loosen, we’ll be busy training to provide services in the safest manner possible. Things may look a little strange for a while as we wear protective gear and minimize the number of guests in our space. But slowly, then all of a sudden, we’ll be back and better than ever. We can’t wait.
