P.E.I. accountant working from home uses parody videos to connect with colleagues

For Ryan Pineau, going into the office wasn't just about getting work done, it was also about having fun with his co-workers.

Like many others on P.E.I., Pineau is now working from home due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

So, he's created a way to stay socially connected with his co-workers, while they have to be physically distant.

Pineau started creating parody music videos, offering ways to adjust to working from home. He posts them online.

He's a chartered accountant and partner with Grant Thornton in Charlottetown and has been working from home for the last week.

"The first couple of days was probably like many people that are just adjusting to working from home," he said. "It was just figuring out what a new routine might look like and setting up shop."

However, by Day 3, he started getting a little "antsy."

"So, [it] might have been a little bit of creativity that came out of that," Pineau said.

Now, he is occasionally putting down the calculator and picking up a mic.

He has taken popular songs from many different decades and reworked the lyrics to reflect his experience working from home. He said he's hoping his lyrics strike a chord with his co-workers and possibly brighten their day.

He came up with the concept while thinking about how to engage with colleagues and boost morale, Pineau said.

"I knew everyone was taking care of their clients, but I know it is a very stressful time for some of our colleagues so it turned out as a little bit of an internal joke," he said.

He was home one day and said the idea for the first video popped into his head. He sent around his parody Working Out My Backdoor to his co-workers.

"I sent that around just internally to a few people on our staff to give them a little laugh. It's not just them if they are going a little wacky working from home — everybody's feeling the same thing."

He said his colleagues enjoyed his parody so he decided to continue to make them and post them on Facebook and YouTube.

Pineau said he's been getting feedback online and from his live audience at home — his wife and daughter. 

"At first I think they might have thought I was a little crazy, but I have a daughter that is almost four years old and she's getting involved in the videos and now she is asking every day if she can make a video because whenever she does her scene correctly I give her a candy," he said.

He said his co-workers are having a "good time" sharing his videos with one another.

"One of the national leaders from our communications department has seen the video and asked if they could share it nationally," he said.

The company has set up a page about how to cope with working at home and posted his videos there as well.

"I'm getting messages from across the country from people," he said.

"A guy reached out to me, he used to work at [Grant Thornton] in Egypt, and they are seeing them over there, and he reached out just to say thanks."

So far Pineau has made five videos. He said each video takes about an hour to make, and he plans to keep them coming for as long as he is working at home.

"I'll try my best to keep doing it," he said. "If I can keep coming up with good material."

Pineau said there is a silver lining to working at home and being stuck inside because of the global pandemic.

"I think it's a perfect time to get out of your shell and do something a little different."

COVID-19: What you need to know

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Common symptoms include:

• Fever.
• Cough.
• Tiredness.

  But more serious symptoms can develop, including difficulty breathing and pneumonia, which can lead to death.

  Health Canada has built a self-assessment tool.

  What should I do if I feel sick?

  Isolate yourself and call 811. Do not visit an emergency room or urgent care centre to get tested. A health professional at 811 will give you advice and instructions.

  How can I protect myself?

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

• Clean regularly touched surfaces regularly.

• Practise physical distancing.

More detailed information on the outbreak is available on the federal government's website.

More COVID-19 stories from CBC P.E.I.