As the local governments relax restrictions on stay-at-home orders, companies are grappling with how we go back to work. There are some companies (Nationwide Insurance, Facebook, Twitter) who have already made the decision to shift a large portion of their workforce to permanent work-from-home status. Many others have not yet made decisions yet, but for all, the pandemic has created an unplanned social experiment that has caused us all to rethink how work is performed. Can we perform our work as effectively in a remote environment as we did when co-located?
BRMi’s teams have been working very effectively through collaboration tools, video, and hyper-facilitation. However, something is missing—the ideation that comes from shared energy, the nuances of body language cues, and the hallway connections. A total remote workforce environment is just not as productive (or as fun) as on-site team interactions. BRMi employees have always been energized by working with each other and working in this remote environment has highlighted how much we crave this interaction.
We have come up with innovative ways to interact with our teammates and with our clients:
- Online watercooler forums where anybody can post and chat about the “trivial” chit-chat that we all engage in on a daily basis – what did you do this weekend? how’s your new puppy doing?
- Team happy hours – while it’s never the same, getting together after hours is still a good way to connect
- Wellness sessions – yoga, meditation, healthy eating sessions
We look forward to the day when we can reconnect with our teams and collaborate in a shared physical location.
How do you envision the workplace of the future?