17th March 2020: the verdict is in. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, France is under strict confinement, schools are closed and employees are forced to work from home. In this anxiety-inducing climate, everyone has to find a way to organise themselves, to work differently, to deal with the children and everything else... It followed then that the Cala Learning Hub network, launched in January 2020, had to be present and maintain a link with its international HR community. "In these difficult times, I wanted to do my bit, because the ambition of the Cala Learning Hub is precisely to facilitate learning, experience sharing and networking," says Joanna Menezes, founder of Cala Consulting.

Online discussions to support each other

In the weeks that followed, members of the network met up every Wednesday at 3 p.m. for these "HR Mid Week Catch up", i.e. one-hour discussions in English via Zoom. There was a lot of enthousiam for these meet-ups ! Between 3 and 15 participants met virtually every week to benefit from the support and mutual aid of the community: sharing best practices, passing on useful information (legal documents, studies, etc.), giving and receiving practical advice, etc. "Many of the members - myself included - experienced these encounters as a breath of fresh air in their daily lives, because it was a convivial moment that brought comfort and above allowed the individuals to feel less isolated and alone," explains Joanna.

A chance to discover new HR topics

Among the topics discussed: how to work effectively during lockdown, the role of HR and managers in keeping in touch with staff, the preparation for the return to the office... But also, over the months, new topics such as continous learning or the development of physically and emotionally secure workplaces.

These virtual meetings then gave rise, as of autumn 2020, to the Cala Learning Hub webinars which now take place (free of charge) every month. We have come full circle, so to speak," says Joanna. And I'm really happy to have been able to provide a space for Cala Learning Hub members to exchange ideas to help them through this unprecedented time.