PLATO: 'You know that the beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a young and tender thing; for that is the time at which the character is being formed and the desired impression is more readily taken.'

We have been working from home for a couple of months now. Everyone, be they staff or student, will have had a completely different experience. Before the coronavirus pandemic, most people (90%) viewed working from home as an opportunity to cut back on commuting time, or to improve their concentration (by eliminating distractions) to finish a particularly difficult job*. But what is it like now that we are forced to work from home and have had to manage without our colleagues for the past few months?

Our situation changed drastically this March. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid transition to online teaching and working from home. It was also a challenging period for me as acting ombudsperson. Did people have trouble getting in touch? Things got quiet for a while, but people found their way to my online 'office' pretty soon. It's been busy ever since, and I really appreciate that. I also learned a lot over the past period and explored some subjects in my field in greater depth.