James’ Return to Practice After Lockdown
Well, what a strange year this has been. When we welcomed in the new year, if someone would have told me I’d be a full-time childminder for 4 months, painting rainbows on my windows and standing at my door clapping every Thursday evening, I’d have thought they were bonkers!
Allegro Optical Zoom Cluedo
This awful virus has affected us all in so many different ways be it financially, mentally or physically. This is why as a team, we made sure to stay in touch via Zoom video calls every week. Each week we would simply have a catch-up, take turns in hosting a quiz or play games. I feel like it really brought us together as a team and brought out a camaraderie that was really quite fantastic to see. Everyone was looking out for one another and keeping each other sane! In terms of the quizzes we had on a weekly basis, my competitive spirit often came to the fore and with some help from my partner Kayleigh and absolutely none from Google (unlike some!!), I’d like to think I won more than I lost!
I was able to use some of the time spent in lockdown for my studies. I am currently doing the Association of British Dispensing Opticians Management and Leadership diploma. The course is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) who will also assess and hopefully award my qualification. I and was able to get a good amount of course work completed and handed in.
Better late than never
When the lockdown was finally lifted, I was one of the last to come back to Practice due to childcare. I had some catching up to do with all the new regulations and procedures. However, I soon got back into the swing of things. Allegro Optical really has gone above and beyond in keeping us and our clients safe. It has been hugely reassuring to know our safety is so important.
Working 9 to 5
When we first got word that we could return, I don’t think any of us really knew what to expect in terms of how busy we would be. Would people be worried about coming out so soon after restrictions were lifted? Would we have 4 months’ worth of appointments to book in a short space of time? As it turns out, we have been the busiest we’ve been since first opening in Greenfield in January 2019. Meltham too has picked up where it left off or more so. It has been a real pleasure to welcome you all back into both Practices. I have enjoyed hearing how you’ve all been getting on in these strange times. Since coming back, I’ve realised just how important having personal interactions with people outside of the 4 walls at home is and it is something I personally have really missed.
The pro’s and con’s of PPE
The sore ears, constantly steaming-up glasses and endless amounts of cleaning is just a very small compromise to be able to get back to some form of normality and welcome you all back. Rest assured, while you haven’t been able to visit us, Sheryl and Steve have been working tirelessly to bring in some fabulous new frames that we are excited to show you and also investing in all the essential PPE and much, much more to ensure all our safety.
It has been a pleasure to come back to work and I look forward to seeing you all soon. But as I touched on earlier, the diary is filling up fast. So don’t hesitate to book your appointments as soon as possible to avoid a longer wait than necessary.
