In response to the COVID-19 crisis, yesterday the MFA partnered with Energx to deliver a virtual masterclass for MFA members, providing participants with practical tools and tips to help them feel more in control, reduce their stress and increase their energy.

Titled “You’ve Got This!”, the masterclass was announced just last Thursday and quickly attracted over 450 registrations from people from across the industry. It was delivered by Sean Hall, CEO of human performance company Energx, and hosted by Luke Cook, CEO of team experience and rewards company Funlocka.

You can view a recording of the virtual masterclass here.

Linda Wong, Director of People for the MFA, said: “Now more than ever, it is important that we focus on the wellbeing of the industry. Having worked with Energx many times, when the opportunity came up to provide practical support to the industry in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis we jumped at it.

“Sean and Luke did a brilliant job. They demonstrated how you can deliver a world-class user experience in a virtual context, nailed the content and – with such a big group – had no issues with the technology. The feedback has been fantastic with people really enjoying the enthusiasm, fun, and quirkiness injected throughout to make the experience engaging and memorable.”

Energx CEO Sean Hall added: “We are all learning right now as we move to a new normal. This means it’s incredibly important we provide people with the space and permission to learn the new skills they need to thrive and to work from home full-time, not just bombard them with information which adds to the overwhelm.

“In a crisis, people often don’t know what they need or where to start when it comes to keeping themselves well. That’s why we designed the masterclass to focus on the things we know can be applied immediately to support people’s mental wellbeing and help them feel in control.”

To understand how the crisis is impacting productivity and mental wellbeing participants were also invited to complete an Energy ExIQ assessment. Early results found that 73% of the industry are feeling significantly overwhelmed. “That is an important statistic for leaders to know in order to be able to step in and provide more support for their people working at home. Areas to focus on include ensuring employees are still feeling connected to their organisation and are not overwhelmed with workloads.”

Live polls and interactive chats conducted with participants throughout the webinar revealed important insights into the current state of mind of the industry.

When asked about their confidence in having the skills they needed for this ‘new normal’:

• 18% of those attending felt confident that they had the skills to deal with the current disruption to their normal ways of working;
• 4% were confident enough to say that they could help others cope;
• 57% said they needed extra help.

When asked if they felt prepared to work from home full-time:

• 13% said they already do and love it;
• 60% said they can do it but don’t love it;
• 20% weren’t sure how they felt about it;
• 6% said it was their worst nightmare.