The start of 2020 was promising to be a fantastic year for Essential Vitality. With the growth of our On-Site Massage and DSE Assessment services we were on course for our best year to date! I attributed this success to our ongoing professionalism and strong brand values, along with receiving valuable support from organisations such as Surrey Chambers, increased social media engagement, and strengthening our business connections and networks. I was excited by new opportunities on the horizon, and in response was building my team of excellent On-Site Massage practitioners and DSE Assessors for Essential Vitality. Things were looking good.

Then, underneath this excitement, ripples of concern and anxiety about Covid-19 began to surface. We had already re-affirmed our hygiene and safety procedures, but was that enough? Should we be doing more, or should we be continuing our services at all? Official guidance was unclear.

The decision was made on 17th March 2020 when, like so many other small businesses, Essential Vitality’s income was halted for the foreseeable future. Inevitably most, if not all, office-workers shifted to working from home. Turning a negative into a positive, I saw this as an opportunity to review and improve business processes and procedures. But it was difficult to focus when the future was uncertain.

Thanks to The CIPD Festival of Work organisers (Sarah Watson and her team at Haymarket.com) taking decisive action to host this year’s event virtually, I was asked to support the well-being aspect of this CIPD event digitally, in place of the planned On-Site Massages. This opportunity led to the launch of Essential Vitality’s YouTube channel! Producing our well-being videos in Lockdown presented new challenges and demanded new skills. Here, thanks and praise must go to my teenage daughter. Her expertise, hard work and creativity made the videos possible. I was proud to discover her work-ethic and professionalism, mirrored my own.

Workstation set-up and Desk Ergonomics - Practical tips on improving your work from home workstation

The YouTube videos offer well-being advice whilst working from home and were well-received at the event. Taking inspiration from this, and anticipating workplace massage and DSE Assessment services wouldn’t be resuming anytime soon, I devised a strategy to continue supporting employee well-being remotely, delivering our services virtually (you guessed it – via Zoom!)*.

I am delighted that these new services are currently in demand and I am grateful to have another (safe and viable) method for supporting employee well-being. By helping companies ensure their employees have the available tools, advice and training necessary to support their welfare, we are also able to assist Human Resources at a time when they are already over-stretched.

So, whilst this has not been the year any of us expected, I am proud of Essential Vitality’s achievements. Even during the low-times, I am thankful to have had things to be grateful for. I am pleased and proud to be able to continue to support and help others, and I am looking forward to the future with optimism.

Ten months on…. am I still as excited about the future for Essential Vitality? Maybe with not quite as much confidence because, like others, my perspectives have been changed. But yes, quietly confident, and hopeful. I feel that this is the best approach to have as we move into 2021. I wish everyone better times ahead.

*Our services include virtual well-being and DSE workshops, at-desk Guided Stretch Routine, DSE Assessments and Risk Assessments.  For more information contact info@essentialvitality.co.uk