String That Binds

by: Kathleen Mae F. Tatlonghari

“Sabay tayo magdinner.”

“Out na me. Mamaya ka pa ba?”

“Coffee?”

“Wait! 5 minutes!”

These are simple words and phrases that we probably did not hear and already missed during the tax
season of 2020. Words, that are enough to give a boost of energy and strength in the most stressful and
tiresome times.

Everyone would agree that this is the longest and by far, the most unusual of all tax season.

Every engagement is a challenge but the best thing about it is the fact that we will not do it alone.

Working in VVC, everyone knows that we are not only limited to the team we have but every employee is a part of the bigger picture. Quarantine made us physically separated from each other and many probably had a hard time coping up with the “new normal”. Our home is our new workplace and there is no colleague on our left and right.  Stress probably doubled due to fear and many had a hard time concentrating. This means that we had to go an extra mile for our team and ensure that everyone is healthy physically, emotionally, and mentally.

I am beyond grateful for my team and I really appreciate how we would always have a team meeting almost every week not only to check the status of clients but to check how everyone was coping with the situation. It is funny that I was able to get to know my team better during this quarantine as compared when we were in the office. I realized that this quarantine enabled each one to check on each other’s life. We were not just colleagues and teammates, but we were human beings caring about each other’s families and well-being. We talked about our struggles, our families, dogs barking in the background and even love life. For me, it was a breather from all the pressure and stress, and I found myself getting back on track and more productive than usual after having a good laugh from my teammates.

“Communication is the key.”

We probably heard this quote a hundred of times already, but not until we are in the exact moment of
applying and needing it, will it make more sense than what we usually understand.

Our superiors are not one turn of a head away. We are miles separated but we are always one call away.

Nothing beats a productive call with all the best answers and course of action when we already hit-a wall. This is the most fear-inducing tax season, but it is also the season when all of us were brought closer together through communication in the digital age.  Ironic how it sounds but the farther we are,
the closer we became. We were brought together by challenge, by fear, by hardship, by pressure and the string that binds is the word communication. One sentence can sum up my tax season and I believe this is it.

“A shared challenge produces teamwork and a surpassed hardship becomes a milestone.”