Back in March, after we worked through the initial shock of the Covid -19 crisis, and what it meant for our California-based multinational energy business, we began to accept that our employees’ professional and personal lives had fundamentally changed. The new normal included working from home and, for those of us who are moms and dads, trying to keep children whose daycares and schools had gone virtual engaged.
Chevron Created a Virtual Summer Camp for Its Employees’ Kids
When Chevron human resources chief Rhonda Morris realized that the Covid-19 crisis would extend through the summer, creating even bigger headaches for the company’s working parent employees with kids whose virtual schools were ending, she had an idea: Why not launch a virtual summer camp through which older kids (and adults) could educate and entertain younger ones? Camp Chevron was up and running within five weeks, offering a multitude of classes to keep children engaged so their parents could have some time to focus on work. The company has since added many other support systems for families and learned a few things along the way. First, what happens at home affects what happens at work so organizations have a responsibility to help team members with those issues. Second, solutions born in crisis can — and often should — stick for the long term. Finally, good ideas and execution can come from anywhere.