It seems like it was years ago when we saw the first government-regulated shutdowns. Here in Oregon, it was the middle of March.
At first, the “working remotely” thing seemed okay, it was getting the job done, while we were all being forced to isolate from one another.
But as weeks turned into months, we started to notice a tangible difference. The first thing was the culture, which had pretty much been shattered. It’s hard to have that sort of thing w
hen nobody is physically in the same place, even though you’re doing everything in your power to keep people connected and communicating.
With everybody working from home, we also started to notice the lack of collaboration. By no fault of anybody, working from home led to less innovation and less creativity—two of the things that allow us to thrive.
Another issue that popped up during this “work from home” period was being able to train people, not just new hires, but teaching everyone how to do new things at work. This was becoming increasingly difficult to do over video calls and seemed to take a lot longer than it would if we were in person.
So we decided to say enough is enough, and work to get everybody back into the office.
Working in the office:
We now have the team in place, (with proper health protocols in place of course) and we are already seeing the changes just a few weeks in.
The morale is already way higher as people are able to work directly with each other. You just can’t replace what teamwork brings to the table. Walking into the office and knowing you will be able to tackle the day with your team by your side is invaluable.
Our team has already told me they feel things are better with everyone working together under the same roof. One of our business coordinators Travis Dickey said, “The best part is having the morale of your peers and working together as a team in person to accomplish goals.” And that is really what we were after with getting people back into the office.
We have also noticed we’re all able to collaborate much more efficiently. Instead of having to get people on a zoom call or set a meeting, you can just talk to them face to face. And oftentimes these little chats turn into something bigger, brainstorm sessions that involve everyone. That’s not something that was possible with video calls.
Beyond that, it’s just not normal to be so isolated from people. Another team member, Mitchell Virkelyst, summed it up great when he said “I like being able to leave my house and see people in real life. I enjoy seeing smiling faces and being able to lean over and ask questions rather than setting up video calls and going back and forth on there. I am a people person so I enjoy making people laugh and creating relationships in person.”
We have also seen the way that having a dedicated place to work, such as an office, can be beneficial. It has been shown that the brain subconsciously knows where it is, so by going into the office it actually helps to change your frame of mind, buckle down, and understand that you are in the office to work. This is the same principle where the brain knows when you are close to a toilet. Yep, simple but true, the office is a change of scenery that helps your brain to focus on what you need to get done.
The efficiency of things is so much better now. There is an energy about this place. Things are slowly coming back around to the way they used to be.
So, we’re here. We’re in the office. We’re ready to take your business to new heights through innovation and collaboration.
