By Joy Jackson, Relocation Africa’s HR Manager.
At Relocation Africa Head Office, we are big on check ins and prior to the onset of COVID19, we had a 7 minute daily morning check in with the team which proved to be very valuable.
When we had to go into lockdown, which required working remotely, we had to find another way to connect as a team and Zoom became “our best friend” and we started off with bi-weekly check ins, but as the restrictions started lifting and we made a decision to come into the office twice a week from 1 June, our team check ins moved to once a week, and Wacky Wednesday was born.
I have carefully selected questions each week ranging from more serious topics to the really wacky ones and I have been using this time to get our team to connect again despite the upside down world that we find ourselves in.
Some of our check in questions have included the following:
- If you won the lottery, (and the payout is in the millions) what’s the first thing you would buy / do and why?
- Share one lesson that lockdown has “taught” you and what “one thing” are you going to change when lockdown is over
- Without being modest, what do you value about yourself and what are your greatest strengths
- What is your favorite possession – please also provide a brief explanation as to why
- Reflect on a challenge that you have overcome (personal or work related)
- Share the challenge briefly, describe what you did to overcome it, and how did that change you / what lesson did you learn
- You have to sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
The karaoke check in highlighted that we have some very talented humming birds on our team, but more importantly every single one of us really lived up to our promise of embracing the unknown and were brave enough to sing on Zoom, which produced varying moments of humour (which was my intention, as laughter and fun is also important in a team).
But there has been one check in question that has really stood head and shoulders out from the rest:
If you could grab one superpower, which one would you pick and why?
Here are just a few of the superpowers that were revealed and chosen by our team:
Invulnerability; The power to be immune from all forms of physical damage. It does not necessarily mean immortal but more of an enhanced durability. Since a child I have loved superheroes because their mission was to protect the innocent from evil. I wanted to become a lawyer because I desired to represent those who didn’t have the means to protect and represent themselves against evil injustice.
My super power would be speed, I want love to speed up the current situation we are in and move to a brighter better tomorrow
I chose a crystal ball as my super power – we currently in a world of VUCA – volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity and although in Africa we are more used to dealing with this type of environment, however I would like to be giving the staff, our stakeholders a sense of comfort and certainty going into the future and I thinking having that Crystal Ball Superpower I would be able to know what is in the future and clear out all the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity and give them a sense of certainty and comfort. I do feel change is inevitable in the future and it is requiring us to build our resilience to both cope and start building our own accretion to be more versatile and understanding and be engaging with our stakeholders with care and kindness.
Shapeshifting is a power that allows someone to change themselves, on a cellular level, to shift into a different form. This could be in part, for example, just changing their clothing to match something they see, or changing their entire body to look like a completely different person.
Not only does this sound fun, but it also provides the ability to get out of tricky situations easily. Also, it would provide a chance to escape for some peaceful time on my own, if I wanted that.
Furthermore, I like the idea of being able to show someone what they would look like doing something (similar to them looking in a mirror). For example, I could show someone lacking self confidence what they might look like giving a particular speech. I could have fun myself, and help others in that way.
I will probably choose the ability to fly and have always also been interested in learning to fly a small plane or helicopter.
I think we have all had dreams where we can fly and I certainly had these very often in my dream life even though sadly not in recent years.
I also attended a course on meditation and breathing some years ago where some of the mental exercises concentrating on freeing the mind from the body entailed first imagining yourself sitting on the ceiling of your room looking down on your body, this then evolved into exploring the rest of your house from your ceiling and eventually also your city using a mountain or hilltop as your vantage point – and I realised that this was entirely achievable and an amazing experience.
My chosen Superpower would be to be invisible as so much is requiring my attention right now, and I feel pretty depleted, so if I could disappear for a short while to be able to re-charge and then return with a full life battery and be 100% present and support those that need me. Whilst in invisible mode.
I would also like to be able to time travel into the future to catch a quick glimpse of the future to reassure myself and report back to others that we successfully overcome COVID19 and that the world has learned important and valuable lessons and changed for the better in this historic time.
So, whilst what has happened during Relocation Africa’s Head Office check ins have not stayed with Relocation Africa, (what happens in Vegas has not stayed in Vegas) my hope is that you have gained some insight into our team dynamics and I challenge you to embrace the unknown with us, and share your chosen Superpower story with me by emailing: joy@relocationafrica.com
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].
Relocation Africa’s Wacky Wednesday Check Ins
By Joy Jackson, Relocation Africa’s HR Manager.
At Relocation Africa Head Office, we are big on check ins and prior to the onset of COVID19, we had a 7 minute daily morning check in with the team which proved to be very valuable.
When we had to go into lockdown, which required working remotely, we had to find another way to connect as a team and Zoom became “our best friend” and we started off with bi-weekly check ins, but as the restrictions started lifting and we made a decision to come into the office twice a week from 1 June, our team check ins moved to once a week, and Wacky Wednesday was born.
I have carefully selected questions each week ranging from more serious topics to the really wacky ones and I have been using this time to get our team to connect again despite the upside down world that we find ourselves in.
Some of our check in questions have included the following:
The karaoke check in highlighted that we have some very talented humming birds on our team, but more importantly every single one of us really lived up to our promise of embracing the unknown and were brave enough to sing on Zoom, which produced varying moments of humour (which was my intention, as laughter and fun is also important in a team).
But there has been one check in question that has really stood head and shoulders out from the rest:
If you could grab one superpower, which one would you pick and why?
Here are just a few of the superpowers that were revealed and chosen by our team:
Invulnerability; The power to be immune from all forms of physical damage. It does not necessarily mean immortal but more of an enhanced durability. Since a child I have loved superheroes because their mission was to protect the innocent from evil. I wanted to become a lawyer because I desired to represent those who didn’t have the means to protect and represent themselves against evil injustice.
My super power would be speed, I want love to speed up the current situation we are in and move to a brighter better tomorrow
I chose a crystal ball as my super power – we currently in a world of VUCA – volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity and although in Africa we are more used to dealing with this type of environment, however I would like to be giving the staff, our stakeholders a sense of comfort and certainty going into the future and I thinking having that Crystal Ball Superpower I would be able to know what is in the future and clear out all the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity and give them a sense of certainty and comfort. I do feel change is inevitable in the future and it is requiring us to build our resilience to both cope and start building our own accretion to be more versatile and understanding and be engaging with our stakeholders with care and kindness.
Shapeshifting is a power that allows someone to change themselves, on a cellular level, to shift into a different form. This could be in part, for example, just changing their clothing to match something they see, or changing their entire body to look like a completely different person.
Not only does this sound fun, but it also provides the ability to get out of tricky situations easily. Also, it would provide a chance to escape for some peaceful time on my own, if I wanted that.
Furthermore, I like the idea of being able to show someone what they would look like doing something (similar to them looking in a mirror). For example, I could show someone lacking self confidence what they might look like giving a particular speech. I could have fun myself, and help others in that way.
I will probably choose the ability to fly and have always also been interested in learning to fly a small plane or helicopter.
I think we have all had dreams where we can fly and I certainly had these very often in my dream life even though sadly not in recent years.
I also attended a course on meditation and breathing some years ago where some of the mental exercises concentrating on freeing the mind from the body entailed first imagining yourself sitting on the ceiling of your room looking down on your body, this then evolved into exploring the rest of your house from your ceiling and eventually also your city using a mountain or hilltop as your vantage point – and I realised that this was entirely achievable and an amazing experience.
My chosen Superpower would be to be invisible as so much is requiring my attention right now, and I feel pretty depleted, so if I could disappear for a short while to be able to re-charge and then return with a full life battery and be 100% present and support those that need me. Whilst in invisible mode.
I would also like to be able to time travel into the future to catch a quick glimpse of the future to reassure myself and report back to others that we successfully overcome COVID19 and that the world has learned important and valuable lessons and changed for the better in this historic time.
So, whilst what has happened during Relocation Africa’s Head Office check ins have not stayed with Relocation Africa, (what happens in Vegas has not stayed in Vegas) my hope is that you have gained some insight into our team dynamics and I challenge you to embrace the unknown with us, and share your chosen Superpower story with me by emailing: joy@relocationafrica.com
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].
Relocation Africa Morocco Immigration Interview Courtesy of Dany Glavieux
Quintin Coetzee, our Marketing Assistant, recently interviewed our Immigration Lead, Lynn Mackenzie, about Morocco’s current immigration landscape. Lynn was provided the Moroccan information courtesy of our partner, Dany Glavieux.
To listen to Quintin and Lynn’s conversation about Moroccan immigration in the current context, click here to view the recording, or view it below.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Dany for the immigration insights. We hope you enjoy the recording.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].
South Africa to Welcome First WHO Member to Help in Fight Against COVID-19
South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize will be joined by the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Tedros Ghebreyesus in welcoming the organisation’s first member who will be helping South Africa with its fight against COVID-19.
A team of more than 40 international health experts assembled by the WHO are due to start working in south Africa soon where they’ll be guiding government and professionals through the pandemic.
South Africa is ranked fifth on the international list of countries with the highest coronavirus infection rates. South Africa has about 70,000 more confirmed COVID-19 cases than Mexico or Peru -whose infection rates continue to climb.
Last month, when Minister Mkhize made the announcement, he promised that this team of experts assembled by the world health organization would add tremendous value to support South Africa. Although the daily new infection rate has slowed down in large provinces like Gauteng, the Western Cape, and Eastern Cape, there are concerns about a second wave.
Chairperson of the ministerial advisory committee on COVID-19, Professor Salim Abdool Karim has warned this pandemic is one of many more that could plague the world and now is a time to come up with international modules to stop future viruses. “We can’t say this was a complete surprise. We just didn’t know when and how severe. This is not the last, we as a global community has to have the global mechanism to stand together to make sure we are better prepared next time.”
Those who have already touched down here in South Africa arrived a few days ago for quarantine purposes and will now be officially welcomed during an online ceremony.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].
Nigeria to Reopen Airports for International Flights From 29 August
Nigeria will reopen its airports for international flights from Aug. 29, its aviation minister said on Monday.
The airports have been closed since March 23 to all but essential international flights as part of the country’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said four flights would begin landing daily in Lagos, and four in Abuja, with strict protocols. He did not say where they would be coming from.
“It is safe to fly, if we observe all those protocols in place,” Sirika said at a briefing in Abuja.
Africa’s most populous nation, which recorded its first confirmed coronavirus case in late February, now has 49,068 confirmed cases and 975 deaths.
It resumed domestic flights on July 8 and Sirika said there had been no confirmed virus transmissions on flights.
Passengers on international flights will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test in order to board and pay for another test after they arrive in Nigeria, Sirika said. They will also be required to fill in an online health questionnaire and present it to authorities when they land.
Those currently returning to Nigeria aboard repatriation flights are required to self-quarantine for 14 days, and authorities retain passports for that period. Sirika said on Monday they could “gradually” stop keeping passengers’ passports.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].