From a Brand New Office to Remote Work

Earlier this year, we inaugurated the new GSoft office. Fourteen years and a few million dollars in the making, this space felt like a culmination of everything we’d worked towards. A few days later, we proactively decided to shift towards working from home amidst news of COVID-19 spreading before the government deemed it mandatory to do so. The switch from happily working in a new office to working in our homes was swift, and although we had the tools in place to make the change, it still took us by surprise.

I’ve always been somewhat of an outlier in that, for the most part, I’ve never felt particularly inclined to work from home. Simply put, I don’t think that working from home is somehow a magical means of curing our workplace woes. That being said, I’ve never been one to miss out on a learning opportunity. Now, after taking a few weeks to adapt and reflect, here’s how I learned to channel this unexpected change into a few actionable lessons. 

Good Communication is Key 

I’ve always thought of myself as a decent communicator: we have company-wide meetings every month where I speak directly to the team. But with all of us isolated at home, new challenges are popping up.

When you’re working remotely, you have no other option but to face these challenges head-on, and I can’t stress enough how big a role transparency has played in keeping our team motivated, productive and on track. Company leaders often fail to communicate with their teams, and that leads to detrimental results. Especially in moments of crisis, information and direction are more essential than ever as people seek guidance and reassurance. 

It’s a wakeup call; as a leader, you can’t assume that just because things are going well, you don’t need to update your team. Those company-wide meetings have been amped-up to a weekly summary and a bi-weekly video talk. Not only has it created a much stronger sense of belonging, but it’s also helped us align around the same challenges and prioritize our efforts.

Post COVID-19, I’m determined to maintain this practice and over-communicate, even if my colleagues are tired of hearing from me. 

Provide Support From Afar 

With open communication comes the ability to support your team. When I was in the office, I felt like I had the flexibility to jump and help my colleagues when they needed me. It felt as though this ability to quickly provide support to my team was diminished once I transitioned to remote work. Thankfully, we have modern solutions to address this issue.

We’ve always used Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom, but now, these tools have become integral in translating our in-person presence into a virtual one. It’s allowed us to streamline and enhance our discussions, and now, if anyone wants to reach me, I’m just a few keyboard clicks away.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve also been amazed by how my colleagues have become increasingly proactive and self-motivated; they’re a team of intrapreneurs. Clearly, support doesn’t mean hovering over your team- that’s unnecessary, but it does mean being open and available. It’s empowering for your team to know that, even if they don’t need it at the moment, help is always there.

Focus on Empathy 

While many of us often prioritize productivity, the reality is, the world, as we know it, is changing, adding new complexities and challenges. Instead of strictly focusing on productivity, we should also be focusing on caring for our people.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to accommodating your employees, but generally, the best practice is to regularly check-in with your employees to gauge how everyone is feeling. This kind of data is invaluable because it gives you a jumping point from which you can create policy changes.

We use our own product, Officevibe, to keep track of our engagement throughout these uncertain times. Recently, we surveyed 2500 Officevibe users, and 33% expressed that they felt uncomfortable with being isolated. Through collecting data, we’ve implemented a few policies to best suit our employees’ needs because, even though we can’t stop isolation, we can make staying at home a little easier. For example, parents working under difficult constraints can work on a reduced schedule without a pay cut, and each employee receives up to $500, as needed, to create the right office setup at home.

Personally, having my 16-month-old bustling around me doesn’t always make it easy to focus, but I’m incredibly thankful to have a partner who can take care of the baby. During these times, we need to embrace empathy and understand that each one of us is facing a unique working situation. 

Moving Forward

While it’s interesting to think about the future of the workplace, there are more pressing matters at hand, like your health, the wellbeing of your loved ones, and managing your stress. Thinking about work should come second.

This crisis is teaching us that we need to become more agile and flexible. From a business point of view, companies need to think about ways to build more resilient, diversified business models that don’t fall prey to thin margins, but that’s a discussion for another time and another article.

For now, I’ve come around to seeing the benefits of remote work; I feel as though I’ve gained a sense of clarity. It has allowed me to view my company with fresh eyes. Overall, I still believe that there is no need to choose between remote and office work. There are benefits to striking a balance between the two. 

Do I regret investing in the new office? Not at all. Working remotely has helped us discover new muscles: we’re more agile, communicative, and trusting than ever, and I’m looking forward to taking these key learnings back to the office.