Pandemic, protests and presidents: A look back at some of the most inspiring 2020-centric quotes

By Marco Buscaglia, Tribune Content Agency
Published in the Chicago Tribune, December 27, 2020

This year has certainly been one of the most unique years on record. People were relegated to their homes as a deadly pandemic spread across the country, took to the streets to engage in large-scale protests and engaged in one of the most contentious presidential elections in years. We compiled some of the most 2020-relevant quotes from previous stories for a work-related look back at the year. 

On making yourself more hireable during COVID-19

“Focus on gaining the skills that will be valuable when the economy starts rolling again. That is going to differ depending on the field you’re in, but online learning is probably going to be the way to go, whether you are looking to gain skills that will be needed in your industry or if you are looking to transition into another field,”

-Matt Sigelman, CEO, Burning Glass Technologies, Boston, Massachusetts. 

On going back to the workplace after the pandemic ends

“I think you are going to find that people are not going to like it. It’s almost like what happens at the end of the summer when you’re in school or at the end of a vacation when you’ve spent all this great time with family and now you need to go back to the office. There's going to be that feel to it. We'll re-adjust, for sure, although many of us will do so grudgingly but I really do think that it’s never going to be as it was. We have to be ready for that.” 

-Dr. Andrew Shatte, Ph.D., psychologist and chief science officer at meQuilibrium, Boston

On choosing potential employers carefully

“Will I go back and check their reactions on social media to Black Lives Matters? Will I look to see if they’ve actually taken steps beyond those posts and tweets to create a strong workforce by hiring young African-American employees and giving them the same salaries and opportunities to advance that they give their white students? Of course, I’ll be doing that. “I’m not spending any money on companies that refuse to acknowledge as a consumer, or worse, a company that’s hostile to my culture and my beliefs. I wouldn’t want to work for a company like that, either.”

-Gwendolyn Smith, Chicago

On returning to the classroom

“How can my students have real conversations and do group work? How can I see all my students and not expose them to each other’s germs? How can my kids share materials and books? How can I walk up to a student, look at their work and have a conversation without fear that I’ll bring something home to my family?”

-Anonymous, seventh-grade language arts, Bensenville, Illinois

On working with narcissists

“If someone needs to be praised for their well-being, that’s fine. But only if they’re still willing to do the right thing for others. If all they want is praise and they insult other people at every turn, get out of there as soon as you can. No job’s worth that trouble.”

-Sara Jackson, career consultant, Chicago

On helping employees feel safe at work

“Employers should consider offering calm zones or rooms for mediation and sensory distractions from their new office normal. Incorporating wellness workshops and guided meditations and encouraging a daily, socially-distanced stretch or exercise can also help.”

-Sheri Damon, mental health counselor and founder of The Foundation for Learning and Inspiring Health and Healing, Marshfield, Massachusetts

On judging companies based on their reaction to COVID-19

“I’ve been looking to see how they handled employees when the COVID outbreak first started. I don’t want to work for a firm that just sent everyone packing as soon as this all started. I understand the financial realities but there are a lot of places that offered furloughs, severance, part-time hours and some other creative options instead of just laying people off en masse. I’d like to work for a place that has that sort of culture.”

-Tamara Reavis, financial planner, Denver

On dealing with a past arrest at a protest when applying for a job

“The elements of the charges have to be met in order for someone to be charged with a specific crime. [If asked], the person should answer honestly, as you do not want to start a job by being dishonest. However, the applicant should pay close attention to what the question is asking, as there is a difference between being convicted and found guilty of a crime versus being arrested in the past X-amount of years. An arrest does not equate to a conviction. An arrest may not even let itself be part of your record.”

-Gustavo Mayen, attorney, Boston

On teleconferencing with others

“Obviously body language is different on Zoom mainly because a weird brain thing is happening. When you meet someone for coffee, you nod and smile and react to what the other person is saying. Take that same approach during Zoom. React to what people say.”

-Alison Henderson, body language expert and owner of Moving Image Consulting, Chicago 

On talking about politics at work

“You want to talk about the election with your co-workers? Here’s my advice: Don’t.”
-Terry Volkman, executive coach, San Francisco

On new ways of doing business globally

“Because of the enhanced technology, one can easily imagine a white-collar workforce in the New York international division almost never having to travel. Instead, they’d maintain foreign time zone hours locally while utilizing virtual teleconferencing capability to work with their foreign counterparts.”

-Albert Goldson, executive director of Indo-Brazilian Associates, a global advisory service in New York

On declining the call to return to the workplace

“If you refuse the direct order of your workplace, it is safe to assume your career will suffer. If you enter into an interactive dialogue with your employer about when and how to return to work safely, and you determine it is safer to work from home, then I’m hopeful that employees will not be penalized.”

-Danielle Capilla, vice president of employee benefits, Alera Group