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Everyday life in in the wake of the corona crisis

Two women
Anna Löthman and Tove Eriksson: "Right now LU is a race car! Ordinarily, LU is a great ship with hundreds of smaller boats moving in its wake. Every movement is slow. Usually, it is practically impossible to turn that ship. Now things have happened fast!

How has life and work changed during the pandemic? LUM has met coworkers with widely different situations, starting with Tove Eriksson and Anna Löthman.

Anna Löthman and Tove Eriksson, Communication officers at EHL

LU has become a race car!

Many people are working from home due to the coronavirus, but not you. Why?
"We live in Lund and our partners are working from home. At work, we can work undisturbed in our own offices and there are so few people in the corridors now that it feels safe to be here. However, these days we eat lunch in a large conference room." 

Have your work methods and thoughts around your work changed? How?
Anna: "I usually work a lot on supporting our teaching staff in the transition to the learning platform Canvas, however, now I provide support for online teaching in general. You have to be quick!" 
Tove: "I am working outside my comfort zone and moderating e.g. webinars for future students in our international programmes. It is really stimulating!"

What do you long to be able to do after Covid-19?
Anna: "It will be amazing when the academic cycle with excited students in September and happy students in June gets going again."

Is there anything positive about what has happened?
Tove: "Right now LU is a race car! Ordinarily, LU is a great ship with hundreds of smaller boats moving in its wake. Every movement is slow."
Anna: "Usually, it is practically impossible to turn that ship. However, now things have moved quickly and we have learnt a lot!"

 

Isaac Canals, researcher in stem cells, aging and neurodegenerative diseases

"I talk to my mum in Spain every day”

Isaac Canals works approximately half his time in the lab and the rest from home, depending on the experiments that he needs to carry out.  

"Some days I need to go in to the lab three times on the same day, but that is not a problem as I live just three minutes from the BMC Biomedical Centre if I ride my bike."
All analyses and other types of computer work he carries out at home – something that he considers positive as he avoids interruptions.
In his home country, Spain, people have been in total lockdown until recently. It has been hugely frustrating for his family not to be able to leave their home for such a long time. Isaac Canals talks to his mum every day and is also in more contact than normal with his friends in Spain.  

"I hope the Swedish strategy with fewer restrictions turns out to be the right one. Personally, I avoid going in to the city centre to shop and I have completely stopped going to the pool to swim. That is something I will go back to as soon as the pandemic is over."
Ordinarily, he travels home to Spain three or four times each year. He is aware that it may be a while before the next visit. In the autumn at the earliest, but it may even extend to next year. 

"I want to travel home as soon as it is possible, if there are still airlines that have survived the crisis!"

Lars Norén, receptionist at LUX and recently graduated upper secondary school teacher 

Frustrating to see people not keeping their distance

How has your daily work been affected by the coronavirus pandemic? 
"We have fewer tasks to do in reception so we have taken the opportunity to look over the lecture theatres and group rooms. To avoid closing the premises to students we have spaced out the furniture, put out signs regarding social distancing and taped distance markers on the floors. It is frustrating to see people who, despite these precautions, do not keep their distance." 

How has your behaviour changed? 
"Slowly. I visited my parents in Stockholm at the end of March, which is something I would not do now. It took a bit of time for it to sink in that if we all take responsibility – keep our distance – we can flatten the curve and reduce the risk of chaos in the intensive care wards." 

What do you think about the state of society right now?
"Ordinarily, I think there are far too many people in the city, so this is just right. However, I worry about the economic consequences." 

How do you see the future? 
 "I am hoping for on-campus education in the autumn. Distance education does work; however, most people need the social context."
"Given that the crisis has positive effects on the climate, with cleaner water and a clear sky, I hope it is the push needed to invest long term in climate-friendly alternatives."

Mats Eriksson, Professor of Geology

Extremely unfortunate that laboratory sessions have been affected

How has your daily work been affected?
"Not much. I come in to work every day and stay in my office. There is less personal contact with colleagues and friends, which is sad in the long term, but I have a fantastic family to spend time with."

How have your work methods and thoughts around your work changed?
"The big difference is that all teaching is online. That is sad since I enjoy teaching and having direct contact with students. A significant consequence is that all laboratory sessions and study visits are affected, which is extremely unfortunate."

How has your behaviour changed?
"I would say that I was already careful with my hand hygiene before, however, it has been raised to new neurotic levels, ha ha. Work-wise, it has reminded me that perhaps all deadlines are not so important and how smooth it is to communicate online."

What do you think about the state of society right now?
"I am not so surprised given the state of the planet, the economy and the world population growth. However, I am concerned about people who belong to risk groups and  those who are socio-economically vulnerable in both Sweden and abroad. At the same time, it feels like a much-needed break from the furious pace of the Western World as well as for nature and the climate.

Maivor Hallén, Library manager at the Faculty of Engineering

Students have started to return in hordes

How has your daily work been affected?
"Previously I commuted each week via flights from Gävle where I live, now I work from home full-time. There are many meetings in Teams and Zoom, but I come from the University of Gävle, which has 50 per cent of their teaching online, so I am used to it."

You may be hoping that the education becomes more digital in the future?
"Yes, there are many benefits, for example, lectures can be recorded so the students can watch them again. The Faculty of Engineering places great value on the campus culture, which I also think is good. The students need and help each other."  

How much of your organisation is open now?
"The Faculty of Engineering libraries have switched to a digital service via email, chat, online meetings and telephone, however all the libraries are closed with the exception of the Study Centre Library, which is staffed for two hours per day. The library also has study places for approximately 400 people; however, we obviously do not want everyone to sit here."
"Recently, students have started to return in hordes. They probably long to see each other and study together, but that is not so good from the point of view of the spread of infection. We have signs about keeping a distance and washing hands, but we are yet to rearrange the furniture." 

What do you long for after the coronavirus?
"I long for coming to work as I would on an ordinary day, and for an open world."

Ann-Kristin Wallengren, pro dean for first-cycle education at the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology and professor of Film Studies

Increased willingness to help among teaching staff

How has your daily work been affected?
"In the same way as everyone else's. Our existence is digital. I have many meetings every day and now they take place via Teams or Zoom. We see people on screens and miss the social aspect, small talk and breaks. However, at the same time I feel that the meetings on Zoom are sometimes more effective, although they demand more of the chair for them to be good."

"As part of the transition to distance education, my workload as pro dean for first-cycle education has of course increased. Overnight, our focus has moved from regular tasks to entirely new ones. Despite this and all the uncertainty, I have experienced a positive attitude from people."

"It is difficult for the teaching staff; however, in the switch to digital teaching there has been a lot of willingness to help each other among the teaching staff. They support each other, share tips, PowerPoints and so on. Without that willingness to help it would not have worked this well."

How do you see the future?
"The creativity born from being forced to find solutions to the problems that the University has had to face due to the coronavirus pandemic will spill over to other things and continue to provide new ideas even after the coronavirus. We will of course also have acquired lots of experience from the crisis."

Anders Kullberg, IT coordinator at the Faculty of Science faculty office and the Department of Biology

Challenge to provide support to staff working from home

How has your daily work been affected?
"As IT coordinator I have many hands-on tasks, however, it is surprising how much can be handled remotely. Providing support to users who are working from home has been a challenge. It has also been tricky to get hold of webcams and headsets when meetings are to take place remotely. We have, of course, talked about digitisation for several years and now we had to throw ourselves into it head first."

How have your work methods and thoughts around your work changed?
"It has focused a lot on how to approach users: not sitting too close, washing your hands and managing hygiene so that you do not risk spreading infection via keyboards and mice."

What do you think about the state of society right now?
"It is exciting to see how humanity is handling this. Somewhere there is perseverance and confidence in the fact that there is a future after the coronavirus. It is fantastic to see people standing on their balconies and putting on musical performances while entire societies are shutting down. It demonstrates a great determination and will to get through this together."

What do you long to be able to do after Covid-19?
"To avoid thinking about washing my hands after every time I touch a door handle. And to be able to relax a little."


Camilla Ennerberg, international coordinator at the School of Economics and Management

We have had to learn to solve unexpected situations

How has your daily work been affected?
"I live in Copenhagen and I have worked remotely since mid-March when the border with Sweden was closed. Every morning I have a meeting with my colleagues in the international office via Teams and we use Skype and email in our contact with students. It works well, but I miss the daily contact with colleagues and students."

How have your work methods changed? 
"My work involves receiving exchange students and sending students at the School of Economics and Management on exchange to partner universities all over the world. My work and that of my colleagues has been greatly affected by Covid-19. Several exchange programmes have been cancelled and many incoming exchange students have returned home. We have had to learn to solve unexpected situations when unpredictable events occur around us." 

How has your social behaviour or life changed? 
"I have cut back significantly on social contact. I am home a lot and when I go out it is to walk, cycle or shop. I have learnt to appreciate things I took for granted before, like moving freely and meeting people when and where I like. I look forward to meeting colleagues, friends and elderly relatives once this is over. As well as going to the gym!"

Natasa Olsson, Finance officer at Department of Laboratory Medicine

Working from home facilitates the daily juggle 

Natasa Olsson works from home, but goes in to work once a week. 

"I need a break from the 'new normal' and to get certain signatures from researchers. Although the researchers are satisfied as long as they can get hold of me, you need to meet in person sometimes."  
She thinks it feels luxurious to work from home and it is a great help in the daily juggle not to have to commute 1.5 hours each day to get to work and to avoid the stress of driving and worrying about getting to places on time. After downloading Forticlient – which prevents her from being shut out when the VPN goes offline – the different finance systems that she uses work well. However, there are of course some disadvantages of working from home as well. 

"My children are little and they have been home from school at different times, which sometimes makes it difficult for me to work to the extent that I need to. I can barely go to the toilet without someone knocking on the door after three seconds. So I definitely miss the 'me time' that being at work actually entails, and my colleagues in particular."
Natasa Olsson thinks the crisis has strengthened the collaboration between colleagues and has been pleasantly surprised by how willing they are to help each other. In the future, she hopes there will be increased freedom to work from home and that staff may not necessarily have to be in the office five days per week. 

 
cover photo

About LUM

The first edition of Lund University Magazine – LUM – was published 1968. Today, the magazine reaches all employees and also people outside the university. The magazine is published six times per year. Editor Jan Olsson.

LUM website in Swedish

Isaac Canals, researcher

Portrait of man.

Mats Eriksson, professor

portrait of man.

Lars Norén, receptionist

Portrait of man.

Maivor Hallén, Library manager

Portrait of woman.

Natasa Olsson, Finance officer

portrait of woman.

Anders Kullberg, IT-officer

portrait of man.

Camilla Ennerberg, international coordinator

Portrait of woman

Ann-Kristin Wallengren, pro dean and professor

Portrait of woman.