An initiative of the Social Transformation Team with the help of the Human Resources Department, WeGen Solar Linings is a series of mini-workshops that aims to provide WeGen employees a venue for self-reflection during this quarantine period necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants are encouraged to share their feelings and realizations concerning the current situation we are collectively experiencing. The activity is also meant to be a means for the WeGen leadership to know how employees are coping under quarantine, and to determine if and when there is a need to provide additional support to them and their families.
The first Solar Linings session was held last April 28, and it was attended by the following: Atty. Cecilia Dalupan, Christianne “Kring” Santos, and Ina Alleco Silverio (ST); Ma. Clara Ysabel “Cybel” Garrucho (HR); Orlando Alparce (Sales), Charlito S. Ayco (Strategic Relations); Mia (Marketing); Analoreine Balce (Legal); Bruce Reyes (Business Development; Greg Corruz (Technical Services); and March Belle Fiel (Finance). The activity was facilitated jointly by Kring and Cybel.
Things to be Grateful For
The participants were asked to share their insights/feelings on two points of discussion: “What I am grateful for” and “What I have learned about myself”, with both points connected to participants’ respective, ongoing experiences of living under quarantine. Cybel explained the parameters of the discussion, as well as the objectives of the activity.
“We hope that the results of our Solar Linings sharing sessions will help each of us see the silver lining is the unusual circumstances we are all experiencing now. We want all the employees of WeGen to be able to participate in these sessions,” she said.
All of the participants shared that they were grateful for being with their families and being able to use the quarantine period to catch up with their parents, siblings, life-partners, and friends. They all shared that pre-quarantine, their work schedules gave them very little time to spend with loved ones; because of the quarantine, however, they had nothing but time, and they sought to make productive and meaningful use of it, first by “bonding” with their families.
Loreine, for one, said that she has been enjoying conversations with her sisters about their childhood. Pre-quarantine, they seldom saw each other despite living in the same house. “It was good to reconnect with my sisters, to laugh over our common, shared memories as children. We also talk about our parents, how they raised us, and how grateful we are to them for giving us all that we needed to grow into the strong and independent women we are now,” she said.
Greg C, for his part, shared that he was happy about being able to regularly enjoy his wife’s cooking which he has genuinely missed. “We spend our days just enjoying each other’s company. We play with our son, we talk, we eat. We don’t miss going out, and we’re all just glad to be together and safe,” he said.
March Belle and Glazel also said that they were grateful for the time they now spend with their families and the time they have to do more reading and writing.
March said that she is using the more relaxed schedule for self-care measures after a bout with acid reflux (“I am learning to respect my health and to listen to my body when it tells me it wants to take a rest”), while Glazel said that she is using the time to read the books she had previously bought but hasn’t been able to even glance at.
Learning how to slow down and practice new skills are the things that Mia is grateful for.
“I was paralyzed during the first few days of the quarantine – I didn’t know what to do with all the time I suddenly had. I had to come to terms with what was happening, and then when I accepted that the pressure of having to prepare for work every day is gone for the meantime and that it was replaced with the responsibility of staying indoors to keep safe and keep others safe, I decided to go back to the things I really enjoy doing but didn’t have time for like music and drawing,” she shared.
Sir Orly was also grateful for time he spends with his wife, but said that they both miss going to mass and receiving the sacraments in person. “We understand the need to temporarily put a halt to religious gatherings and all other kinds of gatherings, but we miss attending mass. This is why we’re grateful about the Church’s swift action to make use of technology to air mass and other religious activities via social media. This reflects deeply on the commitment of the Church to continue its mission to comfort the faithful during these very trying times.”
“I also have moments of anxiety about work, my health, the health of the rest of my family and the people we care about including our staff in WeGen – but because the Church continues to make its presence felt, I have learned to be less fearful. I have realized that now, more than ever, we have to learn to surrender to God’s will and mercy, and to abandon our worries and trust God. I am grateful for these lessons I am learning about faith,” he said.
The compassion being shown by the WeGen management led by its Founder Michael Saalfeld is among the things Sir Charlie said he’s most grateful for.
“I know that all of us in WeGen are grateful for Michael’s compassion and kindness. It’s been almost two months, but Michael has ensured that all of us in WeGen continue to receive our salaries. He is also very supportive when it comes to our efforts to work remotely,” he said.
Currently in Bohol with the rest of his family, Sir Charlie said that he is also grateful for being able to pray with all of them every day. He also said that the quarantine and the pandemic itself have made him realize the really important things in life. “I’m turning 62 this coming August, and because of the dangers that COVID19 is posing to senior citizens like myself, I realize that it’s important to really focus on the things that matter – to make the best of the time we have left. We must do the work we are given, and to continue helping others as much as we can,” he said.
Learning About One's Self
As for the second point of reflection – what they have learned about themselves – the participants also shared the things they discovered about themselves while living under quarantine.
“Many of my fears and worries these days are not so much for myself but for others. I have always known that I’m so much luckier compared to so many other Filipinos and their families because I have a roof over my head, there’s always food on the table, we have the means to keep ourselves safe and protected. I get anxious because this is not the case with many Filipinos -- I worry about the impact of the virus and the quarantine on the livelihood of the poor, on the economy, on the survival of the health frontliners. None of these things are in my control, so it’s hard to be positive sometimes,” shared Bruce.
He added, however, that when he thinks about how the planet is benefitting from the reduction in carbon emissions and lessened general pollution because of the operations stoppage of many factories and the temporary ban on mass transport, he feels a little better. “I feel that we really should all learn from all this, that we can improve on this one good thing that has happened because of this health crisis,” he said.
Ms. Cecilia had similar realizations and expressed hope that people will “create a new normal” after the pandemic. She said that even as she is aware of the many social problems that have arisen because of the pandemic and the quarantine, she chooses to focus on what should come next.
“We simply can’t and shouldn’t go back to the way things were before COVID-19. Take working remotely, for instance – it has so many benefits, for people and the environment both. We in WeGen have proven that it can be done, that doing remote work is still productive work, and that companies can implement the same policy to help their employees lessen the stress they suffer because of the daily commute, and at the same time help lessen environmental pollution. We can do many work processes using web technology—we don’t have to always travel great distances just to hold one of two meetings; we can do meetings online and get the same results,” she said.
Praying for Everyone's Good Health
The sharing of each participant was met with expressions of affirmation from the rest of the group and, applauded for their honesty and sincerity.
“We know that we are all experiencing the quarantine in ways that are similar, but there are also differences. It’s important that we support each other through this so we can not only survive, but to be better, stronger people because of these new experiences,” Kring said.
“The only way that we can all get through this difficult time is to help one another, to help those who have much less than us, and to trust that God is always here to give us strength. WeGen cares about all of us, so we should make the best of what we have and continue to do what work we can do not just to help the company, but other Filipinos. We are a social good company, and our social transformation work is to help guide our employees build a new normal when we return to work,” she concluded. #