Christina Pennetti

I can totally relate to your post, Christina. I work in the communications department within my organization. Prior to COVID, we rarely met as a department. We had biweekly meetings scheduled but they were often cancelled. Once we were sent home, we were required to zoom every morning at 8:30am. We also upgraded our Wrike subscription to include, reports, calendars, and proof and approval. During the shutdown, we have relied heavily on having everyone track their projects and progress on Wrike. This has been a major shift in our process. We are scheduled to return to the office in the next two weeks, so I’ll be interested to see if these new processes stick.

Great post, Christina! I work in marketing for a real estate company in Philly. After the city shut down and we started working from home, it was required to have a 9:30am and 4:00pm Zoom meeting every day with the leadership team. In the morning meetings, we would let everyone know what was on our agenda for the day and at 4:00, we would let everyone know if we accomplished our daily goal. Prior to COVID, I would rarely have any meetings with leadership and I would work on my own schedule. I am returning to the office this coming week and I am not 100% sure if this process will continue.

I can relate to your situation a lot when it comes to going digital during this crisis. Luckily, our company was already in the process of implementing some work from home capabilities as well as digital tools for meeting and collaborating. I’m lucky to work for an organization that is on top of things. As the crisis hit, the company went to full remote work for everyone. With this change we became even more collaborative. We talked more on zoom. We met more to make sure everyone was OK. We discussed projects more. I feel like we’ve become closer and more effective as a team.

As discussions of reopening are happening, I hear fellow employees ask we’ll keep remote work going as an option. Remote work certainly helps with work/life balance. If we are in fact more productive, collaborative and efficient, how can an employer force employees to come back to work? It’s a tricky situation for employers of a digital workforce. But it’s one they should look at from the process efficiency perspective, among others, to make the right decision for employees and the business.

Great post Christina!
I didn’t know much about blockchain before reading your post. I only knew it was originally devised for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. .Your post explained what it is and its purpose well! Blockchain is fast, cheap, secure and the future It is only a matter of time that people./ companies start to utilize this technology. As you metioned, blockchain has a long way to go but I’m interested to see how it will evolve.in the future.

Christina – This is great. I’d love to see this implemented with returning US Soldiers. Veterans have a suicide rate this twice the national average. Organizations that hire a lot of veterans (like we do) and the ESGR (employer support for the guard and reserve) could really benefit by having this available to look out for PTSD and more.

Christina, this is a well thought out post. As your research pointed out, mental health is a huge problem. Technology, like telemedicine, is advancing rapidly to make patients more comfortable discussing mental health and accelerating the speed of treatment. I read an article this week about the first direct flight from New York to Sydney 19 hours and 16 minutes. Pilots wore EEGs to monitor them for alertness and sleep. The tech for your ideal is available and inexpensive. There is great value in a product like this. I think health systems and insurance companies would be interested as well.

Christina,
This is a great idea! You have presented a very realistic solution to a problem that many people struggle with daily. I think discretely integrating the sensor technology into different head wear and pairing to smart phones via blue tooth is critical!

According to Gartner (https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2018-11-29-gartner-says-worldwide-wearable-device-sales-to-grow-) wearable device sales are predicted to grow 26 percent in 2019. With wearable technology becoming so main stream, do you think their will be opportunity to sync your proposed technology with other health monitoring technologies that currently exists?

Having the ability to monitor for EEG and predict solutions is one thing, but having the capability to monitor for EEG, EKG and perhaps the individual’s average footstep count or daily activity routine could take your health suggestions to a whole new level.

Christina, we discussed your post in our breakout session. I shared that my niece has PANDAS. It has been a very difficult journey for her and her family. Over the last ten years, my sister has traveled the east coast searching for answers, desperately hoping that she’ll find a medical professional who will offer a treatment to help my niece restore her mental health. My niece has tried every treatment available from long-term antibiotics to IVIG to cognitive behavioral therapy. None have provide sustained success. I know my niece is not alone. There are so many young people who would benefit from a solution like this.

I have two girls (ages 6 and 12), and I worry social media is already influencing their self-identity. Over the last several months, my girls have become obsessed with being VSCO. For those of you who aren’t heard, VSCO is a photo-editing app with its own filters and social media subculture. According to the CEO of VSCO, the app wants to be the chiller, more creative counterpart to Instagram, free of bullying or anxiety or “compare culture.” VSCO may have missed the mark. It hasn’t lessened the comparative nature of social media given that being VSCO is lifestyle that requires enough wealth to afford the respective uniforms. When doing back to school shopping, my girls insisted on having the “VSCO starter kit”, which includes things like scrunchies, vans, friendship bracelets, and a hydro flask. In a matter of months, being VSCO has changed their fashion and even ideologies. And I oop…they aren’t even teenagers, yet!

This is such a great article. Thank you for writing. Magazine covers used to be the social pressure on teens – now it’s Instagram and Snapchat. Do you think it also affects parents? Is their self-image based on showing what kind of parent they are or showcasing their own kids which then adds pressure to the kids?