A Covid-19 Internship
By Sami Jones, Digital and Communications Fellow
Due to the pandemic that hit the U.S in mid-February most non-essential businesses move to a remote/work from home model indefinitely to get the virus under control. With the shift in the work environment, a lot of people in the workforce including full-time workers, part-time workers, and interns had to readjust their approach to their work.
Calvert Street was one of many businesses that began to work from home in mid-March. One group, in particular, that saw their entire work experience turned upside was our interns. Calvert Street had 5 interns this semester coming from 2 different colleges, Middle Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University. Each intern has or is working towards a degree around politics or community development.
We decided to interview our interns about their experience working remotely and how companies can make sure their interns feel supported during Covid-19. Here are their responses.
How has your work routine changed since Covid-19?
Mainly, I have saved a lot of time not having to commute to and from work, which frees up time to do other things. Furthermore, I have found that I work more effectively in the comfort of my own home, so I feel my work has improved. - Valon
My work routine has changed pretty dramatically due to Covid-19. Instead of working in the office, I am working from home. This has its own challenges as my mom is now working from home and I have a dog. I have to balance taking care of home responsibilities while making sure I am available and working throughout the workday. As well, making sure to utilize breaks including taking a lunch has been important. - Mason
What has working from home during this time taught you?
Working from home has taught me that human interaction is so important and something we often take for granted. Additionally, not having control over my situation and feeling trapped has not been great for my mental health. It has been good in the sense of finding things out about myself and learning what I need and want in my work life for the rest of my career. - David
Work-life balance and sleep hygiene are really important to me. The transition to my room or home is normally one that signals the end of the work day or school day— a time to relax and unwind. Now that my home is also the office, I’ve had to be more intentional in how I’m using my space to make sure that I try and maintain that balance. - Lin
What are some tips you have for other interns working at home?
Get into a routine because that is the best way to make sure that you stay sane, focused, and productive. Ask as many questions as possible and make yourself available, meaning that you let people know when you are open for projects. Talk to your supervisors about what you want from this experience and work with them to figure out how you can both make the best out of the current times. Make sure to take breaks and keep yourself busy with fun new projects/hobbies when you are not working. - David
Create a designated workspace (preferably away from other family members or roommates) so it feels like you’re “going to the office”. Recognize that you won’t be working for eight hours straight, and it’s extremely important to take breaks both for your sanity and your productivity. Take the dog for a walk, grab a snack, call a friend! Take a full hour for lunch if you can – I like to take the time to sit down and eat lunch and then go for a half hour walk afterward and listen to a podcast or call a friend. - Marguerite
How has your interaction with other staff members changed?
I definitely don’t interact with staff members as much as I used to. Obviously, I interact with my director supervisors and coworkers who assign me projects, but I don’t have the informal, fun interactions with coworkers that spontaneously happen in the office anymore. I feel pretty disconnected from a lot of my coworkers honestly and I really miss the social environment of Calvert Street. My interactions with coworkers are mostly business-related (i.e. assigning me a project) rather than social. - Marguerite
The obvious absence of physical contact has made our weekly staff meetings something to look forward to. I’ve come up with one or two ideas on ways to engage each other in fun ways (Food Channel on Slack, theme days for staff meetings, etc.) during staff meetings. I try to check in with people on Slack more and in a more personal, rather than work, engagement. “How’s it going…you ok…what are you up to…?” – Dennis Alpert (CSG full-time employee)
During these unpredictable times, we want to thank the spring 2020 intern class for the amazing work they put in to help CSG. Remote work can be difficult especially during a pandemic, but we appreciate you all for sticking with us as we navigate through these challenging times. We wish you the best of luck in your careers and we hope that you can take all that you've learned here and apply it to all your future endeavors.
