What was your last big professional challenge?

Facing a major challenge at work

"What's been your biggest professional challenge?" It was incredible.

It was the challenge of COVID-19, which came at quite a unique moment in my career.

I started working at my airline in January 2020,and six weeks later, COVID hit.

After just a month and a half, I had to start working remotely for safety reasons.

I barely met the team.We were spread across Italy. I'd just started settling in with the small team in Milan. It meant working from home without knowing anyone else.

A month and a half later, every plane was grounded.

So we had to start thinking about a… We considered restructuring, using government measures like furlough schemes and other supports just to keep going.

There was even talk, though never carried out,of cuts and a full organizational review.

And for an airline that had always done well,it was a real shock, especially for the staff.

For me, it was a really tough time.I had support from management, but I was clearly on my own.

It meant having little contact with staff, and when I did,it was never with good news.

Relations with the unions were strained,they'd mobilized strongly to avoid any restructuring.

And above all, we didn't know what was happening, COVID-19 was completely unpredictable.

We'd open, then close, then open again.It was two very difficult years,working on several fronts at once.

We had to work with public authorities to make sure staff kept receiving financial support,so they could live as normally as possible.

I worked with the unions, not easy, as relations were tense and talks difficult, to reach deals that kept the company standing and help employees keep their jobs.

We also worked with head office to avoid drastic decisions and to keep things balanced in case recovery came, which it eventually did.

We had to rebuild and maintain trust with staff,something that had clearly been damaged.

My company has always valued its people, and still does.

Of course, having to say overnight,"We may need to make cuts," was hard for people we've always valued.

We still do, but it was such a unique situation that the message could sound mixed or contradictory.

It went on for over two years, and honestly, it was hard for me personally.

But little by little, step by step, we rebuilt that trust, which I believe is vital.

HR isn't just about rules and procedures,it's about building trust between staff and management.

It was a time when proving that in practice was tough.

But we managed, with real determination.I gave it my all,always available, late nights, early mornings,weekends, but the situation called for it.

I think the relationship with staff recovered quite well, though…...with the union reps, where dialogue is normal but based on trust and respect,it was something that it never fully recovered, even after years.

I'd say that was my hardest challenge,partly because I was fighting it alone, being the only HR person in Italy,while management and HR are based abroad.

There were difficulties, but I'd say we overcame them well.