ILO Global call to action for a human centered recovery, adopted at the ILC in June 2021, framed the conceptual context of the event.

Heinz Koller, ILO Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia shared his vision of the current socio-economic situation as well as his personal reflections on life and work during the pandemic. Mr Koller expressed gratitude to all ILO Moscow staff for their excellent work during the pandemic, thereby even increasing the relevance and visibility of the ILO vis-à-vis our constituents, the donor community, and the UN family at the national level.

Olga Koulaeva, Director of the ILO Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, noted that the webinar was arranged in a challenging period of post-pandemic recovery, which in this sub-region still features high numbers of infected and hospitalized. Services to the ILO constituents have been provided with an ILO usual high quality and commitment, while the staff well-being and protection have been in focus since the very beginning of the crisis. Return to Office has been a recurrent topic for all-staff meetings and consultations since summer 2020.

Other colleagues, representing ILO HQ and ILO Country Office, in an open, heartfelt, and inclusive dialog, provided their insights into the last 21 months of the pandemic and its impact, from the individual and organizational angle.

Teleworking has become a dominating working modality for many staff, accompanied with uncertainty, distancing from the team, often with fear and anxiety. Online communication has replaced a usual face to face interaction, both internally and with external partners. It has both lead to new and exciting patterns of interaction – and built barriers, which has required new approaches and often new skills. The pandemic has transformed the way we communicate and reach out to each other, and this has affected our modus operandi, requiring reflection and understanding the implications, in order to systemically address the change, in a spirit of human centered approach.

ILO Moscow all-staff motivational webinar made a strong accent on values, principles and norms, facilitating an inclusive and participative discussion on what unites and motivates the ILO team as individuals and professionals.

The webinar created space for a lively interaction, reflection and exchange on what the pandemic has meant for each and one of us, how it has influenced our Organization, the way we work and behave.

The webinar offered a motivational Team Building segment delivered by Alan Richter and Joan Dubinsky from QED Consulting.

The webinar also featured moments of creativity which demonstrated a strong team spirit of belonging, inclusiveness and collaboration.

According to Mikhail Pouchkin, Deputy Director, ILO Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, “this event has brought us closer together, in a challenging time of uncertainty and disconnection due to the pandemic. We have talked about our values, that unite and guide us in our work and as individuals, we talked about work life balance and sustaining and even leveraging quality services to our constituents. This event has been a moment of openness and connectivity, which will inspire and motivate us in our undertakings. We look forward to stay connected as a strong team with a strong spirit”.