Getting Back To Work

The future of work is changing.

People have enjoyed the freedom of working from home, and even as the world has gotten safer, it’s unlikely that it will ever get back to the old normal.

However, I’m not willing to give up on the office just yet.

There are benefits to being in the office –and benefits to working from home.  Going forward, I suspect that many companies will adopt a hybrid home and office solution.

I shot a video with more details. Check it out.

 

When my company was running out of my home, we had 20+ people there. But, because it was in the house and seemingly everything was so integrated with our daily lives, our culture reeked of “family.” We developed a closeness that’s hard to match otherwise.

As a company grows, it can be hard to maintain that sense of “family togetherness,” but it’s worth trying.

Culture is the engine behind great companies.  As a result, if you let your culture die off, so will your future.

Technology marches on – and there are now more and better tools to foster the quality of remote work and remote teams. As a result, during COVID-19, I was impressed by how our team stepped up. Our tech teams started using discord servers to stay in touch better. We used Microsoft Teams for internal meetings and chats. We used Zoom for external meetings. We intentionally scheduled ‘fun’ activities to lighten the mood. And, of course, we made sure to check in on people more often.

Still, while running a high-performing company can be done remotely, I think it’s easier and better in person. As I mentioned in the video, our team is back in the office twice a week. We have better snacks, we cater in lunch, and we try to schedule important meetings on those days to maximize our team’s time in the office.

I’d love to know what you’re doing to focus on culture this year (and how you’re managing in-office vs. work-from-home with your team).

Thanks.