Our teams settled swiftly into the world of remote working, using videoconferencing as our main tool for communication. But as the weeks and months passed by, the challenges and positive outcomes revealed themselves.
A few things we saw:
1. As a globally dispersed team, with counterparts in 33 countries, we saw divides disperse and new work friendships form as teams came together to share solutions, best practices and support for their collaegues.
2. Productivity remained the same. Whilst our sales staff remained at home, the ability to reach out to their customers and leads was not so restricted.
3. The silent grew louder. In the classic board room, the loudest perhaps muffled the ideas and creativity of others. Conferencing gave every person space to contribute, bringing more ideas and creativity to the table.
4. Weekly catch ups became priority. Time slips away from us all. But with a need for connection and management of staff, the once unloved 'catch up' is now firmly in all calendars.
5. A renewed emphasis on people, connection and wellbeing.
Where the challenges lie:
1. Connection is poor. Sometimes IT may let us down, but more importantly our team miss interaction. An email, video call or catch up, is no subsitute for a smiling face next to the desk.
2. Thinking out loud. The use of that phrase is usually the start of something magical. Not so easy at home, alone.
3. Taking a break. Staff wellbeing and time management, not so easy to monitor at home.
Without doubt, our workplace will be different moving forward. For the better, we have showcased our teams strength and durability in tough times; we have understood the needs of our team members and adapted our operations to suit and we have built trust with our team.
The new way of teamwork is not limiting, its exciting and our team will continue into a more connected future.
