Get Professional Insights to Thrive Amid Upheaval

For QuiAnne’ Holmes, student development coordinator for DuWell, the past several weeks forced her to drastically adjust the way she works. 

Due to the threat of COVID-19, the Moments of Mindfulness events she helps organize were rescheduled and shifted online, the collaborations she leans on had to be done remotely and the website she updates was in perpetual motion due to a steady stream of updates and announcements.

Last week, when Holmes participated in “Thriving Through Change in Times of Uncertainty,” a new webinar from Duke Learning & Organization Development (L&OD), she joined around two dozen Duke colleagues facing similar challenges and learned about many perspectives that can help an organization navigate times of change.

“I think the workshop really helped me identify and add a name to how we all strategize in crisis,” Holmes said. “I think that right now, we’re all just working. And with the steady pace of working, we may not have time to really show how we’re strategizing. So, It was helpful to see how these different pieces go together.”

With its spring slate of face-to-face workshops canceled due to COVID-19, Learning & Organizational Development, part of Duke Human Resources, if offering a series of no-cost webinars through May on effective communication and leadership skills in times of crisis. Space is limited for each workshop, which will be held multiple times.

Sessions of “Best Practices in Managing a Virtual Team” will take place on Wednesday while “Thriving Through Change in Times of Uncertainty” will next be offered on May 6 and “Communication in Times of Crisis” will be taught on May 8.

“We wanted to provide tools and resources to enhance what our employees are doing right now,” said Keisha Williams, assistant vice president of Duke’s Learning & Organization Development. “These times are very uncertain for our people, so the question is what can we do to help them thrive during this?”

With on-campus events called off until June 30, Erika Hanzely-Layko, meeting and events coordinator for the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, has shifted how she does things, too.

Hanzely-Layko said joining last week’s “Thriving Through Change in Times of Uncertainty” webinar proved valuable on two fronts. First, she got to see some of the capabilities of WebEx, an online platform for the meeting, which allowed for breakout sessions and discussion from within the larger group. But the session also helped her appreciate many approaches that will lead to a new way forward.

“I found it to be really helpful, especially from the perspective of knowing that I was going to learn something new today and expand my horizons,” Hanzely-Layko said. “I’m so grateful to them for getting these materials together, jumping into the arena and asking what people need to be learning right now, and what they can learn about themselves to make them better employees.”

See the webinars here.

Help thare the proactive and extensive work being done by all Duke community members during the COVID-19 outbreak. Send ideas, shout-outs and photographs  here or write us at working@duke.edu.