Last week I had a catch-up call with one of our clients whose wonderful talent partner is based in Ukraine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we kicked off she said to me „if I suddenly hang up it\u2019s because I\u2019m in danger“. I asked how she knows and she said she gets a text to be alerted, she\u2019ll then go and work in the bathroom, as the middle walls could save her life and it means she can still work as normal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I could feel myself getting emotional and as she continued to tell me about this I just burst into tears, saying sorry and turning off my mic and camera as quickly as poss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She knew I was upset so just sat and waited for me to get myself together, she wasn\u2019t emotional at all – talking to me like this was just part of her normal conversations now. It literally tore my heart in two, someone younger than me, pretty much doing the same job, it\u2019s just so wrong! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt unbelievable guilt being sat in my safe office, moaning that it was a bit cold and that I had so much to do when someone that I\u2019m on a zoom call with is trying to live a normal life, working and recruiting in a war zone! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We had a really good meeting and catch-up, I\u2019ve NEVER cried on a client meeting before, but she was wonderful and thanked me for my empathy and compassion although I was so embarrassed for the rest of the call – I couldn\u2019t help it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What with the ongoing war in Ukraine and the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey and Syria – these past few weeks have been a sobering reality check for a lot of us. It\u2019s so easy to forget how lucky we are and how much we take for granted, so if you\u2019re having a bad morning, read this, take a breath and be grateful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n