Testimony of Stéphanie LAMBERT – Account Manager

In France, the President of the Republic announced on 16 March the confinement of the population throughout the country and the “closure of borders” at the entry of the European Union.

These measures had a major impact on our travel organizer, who immediately found herself in great demand the day after this announcement by his internal and external contacts.

So we have asked Stéphanie LAMBERT, Account Manager & Travel organizer for Crealyst: “how has the pandemic affected your work and your life in the last months?

For me, The March 16th announcement was a shock.  In a few words the President announced the closure of schools and non-essential stores, home confinement, border closures and talked about health war.  I had to react immediately, on both private and professional level.

As a mother of two young children, the restriction of movement was the most difficult situation to manage, for my children as well as for me! Fortunately, after a few days of adjustment, we got our bearings.

We defined together “rules for family life in a tiny confined space😉”  and we set up a daily schedule to reconcile school continuity, professional work and distractions. In the end, everything went well. I must say that the children are full of imaginative ideas and are extremely optimistic.

Professionally, I had to deal with emergencies.

First of all, I had to make sure that all employees who were travelling at the time of the announcement could return home, in good health… and if possible quickly. With a greatly reduced range of flights and cancellation at the last minute, I experienced stressful moments.

Once this first urgent phase was completed, business travel was temporarily halted, and exchanges with external partners slowed down due to the partial activity set up in many companies. I was then able to take advantage of this forced lull to move forward on long term projects.

From an administrative point of view, the procedures in general were more complicated. More paperwork to provide, certificates to prepare and longer processing times.  But I am adaptable, I am used to it.

Today, the recovery phase is well underway and missions abroad are multiplying. The working days have resumed their intensity but health rules remain strict and that’s normal.

I appreciate this return to an “almost” normal life and I am pleased to meet my office colleagues. I now also enjoy a weekly day of teleworking and I appreciate working at home while enjoying my children.

In the end, the secret is energy & organization!