6 months later and a world apart
Early 2020 we finalized our series of Blogs. The theme was 25 years of EWC. This was just before the Covid-19 crisis hit Europe. With the COVID-19 suddenly the European unity dissolved, and borders were put on again. We were confronted with European politicians that threw away European solidarity. In international companies we have seen enormous efforts to adapt to the situation, sometimes together with the employees and their representatives but also often enough, just top-down ignoring the concerns of its own employees.
Recently, we see the consequences of COVID-19 for the economic environment and a wave of transnational restructuring is on its way. EWCs have learned to use web-based tools of communication and have experienced the scope but also found out the limits of this. Communicating in different languages and working with interpreters is technically possible with programs like Zoom and Kudo, but always a bit complicated. The real difficulty with these virtual tools is to get the real ‘feel’, to connect to each other when each member sits at home and is individually tied to his or her screen. It is then difficult to build strength and a collective purpose.
It would be great if we could take the lessons from this crisis into the future of the EWC work. We could use web-based communication as an addition to the meetings that EWCs and Select Committees usually have. It could improve the communication in between meetings but they should never replace the ‘real’ meetings.
One main lesson learned from the Covid-19 crisis is that we cannot do it alone. An international crisis needs international solutions. In these times of transnational crisis, and short-sighted nationalistic responses, the importance of transnational bodies like the EWC will only increase.
Sjef Stoop, EWC trainer and advisor
The EWC Service will continue to support you in the future. We hope to have inspired you with our 25 years of EWC in 25 blogs.
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