As I sat at my desk on the first day of moving to our new office, I watched my colleagues run all over the place to get things done – obviously confused about how anything works in an agency.
We were a new firm, all of us fresh graduates from the university who came together to grow the next biggest marketing and brand strategy agency, but without any relevant working experience. These colleagues will go on to become the driving force and the backbone of our fast growing company.
At that point, it dawned on me the importance of having a company culture that is inclusive enough to embrace the diverse personalities and individuals on our team. Since then, it was all about finding our work balance, sync and figuring out a culture that is people focused and helps our team do cool stuff and have fun while at it.
Remote working has always been a part of our company culture, but today, we take it a step further to entrench it in the core pillars on which our organization is built and will make it a permanent standard, both during the global pandemic and beyond. The aim is to enable our employees work on a mobile basis for a minimum of two days a week, whenever reasonable and feasible. And in case you are wondering, this is not a COVID-19 induced pivot. It is the result of a deliberate long-term strategy to create a company culture that puts people, the employees first.
After successfully working remotely for three months during the Coronavirus pandemic I can boldly say that working independently of a fixed location (office) offers many advantages and is possible on a more permanent scale than originally thought. A majority of iSupreme’s employees confirmed their desire for greater flexibility and for personalized solutions when it comes to deciding where they work.
By remote working we mean more than just working from home. Employees get to choose the work locations where they’re most productive; coworking spaces, cafes and other recreational facilities. I believe that people are different and as such, they work differently. Some are nocturnals and work best at night, others diurnals who work best during the day and as such, our remote work system will serve both. Work in person at the office is to supplement remote working as appropriate for brainstorm sessions, strategy meetings, client meetings and briefings, team bonding and other activities that require in-person interactions.
This new policy will further develop our already flexible and attractive yet robust company culture and focus more on employee performance and outcomes instead of the amount of time spent in the office or the amount of hours it takes to finish a task. Success will be measured by what our employees are accomplishing instead of how many hours they work.
To successfully implement this policy, we have put in place systems and structures that empower our employees and enable them to work anywhere and anytime. From virtual workspaces like Slack, project tracking and reporting platforms like Airtable and Trello, clear communications and progress reporting guidelines, to data allowances and other incentives, we are trusting our employees, providng an environment where they have what they need to do successful work and entrusting them with the freedom to explore and work on their own terms.
Hello. This post was really motivating, particularly because I was looking for thoughts on this matter last Tuesday. Vikki Nial Anniken
Glad you loved it. Thank you.
I quite like reading an article that can make people think. Also, many thanks for allowing for me to comment! Caty Rogers Vassell