From face-to-face to virtual teams: Work organization during the Covid-19 pandemic

Context: Work teams in the Human Resources and Financial Department of a large consumer goods company needed to reorganize and adapt themselves to the compulsory remote work imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Through daily online meetings, they interacted, learned to deal with the new scenario, perceived difficulties, and found opportunities. Now, beyond the actual challenges, they are facing uncertainty about to what extent this work organization will be maintained in the medium and long-term. Teaching goals: Analyze the characteristics of the work-teams, reflect on the factors that facilitated and hindered the performance of virtual teams, discuss leadership in remote work contexts, and consider possible changes in teamwork in the post-pandemic period. The case generates reflection about face-to-face and virtual teamwork, as well as on barriers, facilitators, and challenges for the implementation of remote work, which enables fostering competencies and skills of recognition, definition, and resolution of problems, strategic thinking, and proposals for changes in work organization. As it presents different contexts and opinions, sometimes contradictories, careful referrals are required. Data source: The case is based on real data obtained through an electronic questionnaire sent to employees in June 2020. The name of the company was kept confidential. Although real speeches, characters and their interaction are fictional. Applicability: It can be used as a teaching tool in modules and assignments related to Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior, and Team Development, present in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Teaching notes establish educational objectives, recommended use of the case, lesson planning, and guiding questions for discussion in classroom.

Influence of Sars-Cov 2 lockdown on the incidence of facial trauma in a tertiary care hospital in Rome, Italy

OBJECTIVES: Italy has been the first affected country in the western haemisphere by SARS-COV 2 with over 200.000 cases during the first months o the pandemica. To control the spread of the virus, the whole country was placed under lockdown with limitations in the circulation of people and vehicles from March 2020 to the first half of the month of May. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We aimed to analyze the incidence and type of facial traumas referred to our tertiary care hospital during the months of Italy lockdown due to SARS - COVID 2 spread compared with those during the same months of 2019 to determine eventual variations in the incidence, type and causes of trauma. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: During the 2 months of COVID-19-related lockdown, a dramatic decrease in facial trauma patients was observed at our tertiary care hospital with a shift toward older age ranges. Regarding the causes of trauma, the largest percentage reduction was found in road, sports and work accidents;this percentage reduction was not found in aggressions. A small increase in the percentage was also found regarding surgical indications, likely because more severe cases were more prone to be referred to the hospital despite the fear of being infected.