The communiversum – the name says it all
Working from home, virtual meetings, digital tools: all under circumstances that have radically changed the lives of all people overnight and will have a lasting impact. If someone had described this scenario in 2019, it would hardly have been taken seriously. And yet all communicoder have been working remotely from each other in the home office ever since.
Home office 365+
As already described at the beginning of the pandemic, the conversion of the processes was not difficult thanks to the digital tools that were already in use at communicode. Smaller digital gaps have now been closed and we have found that the more integrated and networked the tools are, the better the cooperation works. What's more, the better we are prepared for changes and can react pragmatically and spontaneously... We experience it first hand: working successfully from home is not a question of technical expertise, but rather of active communication. Certain agreements and rules for video calls and conferences have been established and make life and work easier. Coupled with a good dose of empathy, dealing with them even improves. Our meetings are not getting fewer, but shorter. And more focused. What was initially very exhausting and unfamiliar has now become routine. In addition, we certainly tried every good tip from the media and numerous ideas of our own so as not to lose the connection to each other, even at a distance and outside of work. However, a certain fatigue after such a long time cannot be denied.
Does more flexibility also mean better quality of life?
Almost all communicoders were only exceptionally in the office last year. If we still had a problem with space at our location at the beginning of 2020, since the first lockdown we have seen a gaping emptiness in our offices. Colleagues who live further away appreciate the new situation in particular, as they no longer have to travel to work, which is often associated with stress. Apart from the fuel, costs and time that are saved, this has a positive effect on most people's biorhythms and gives them a noticeably better quality of life. Unfortunately, the other side of the coin is the isolation in your own home, especially during this exceptional situation. In addition, there is a complete lack of a predetermined structure of the day into work and leisure sections. The spatial conditions at home are often not ideal and also not so easy to change, especially in families with children. Being able to work flexibly in terms of time and place is undoubtedly a great advantage, but mustering creativity and discipline for your own best structure is a challenge for each individual. The call for a vision of working together in the office is getting louder, because we miss each other and our long-standing customers and partners as well as our traditional company parties. Almost everything takes place online, but how wonderful would the hustle and bustle before and during a trade fair feel or how long ago was a summer party with photos and videos of the event still a topic of conversation...
Home office 365+ becomes Remote first
Against the background of falling incidences and increasing vaccination rates, it is time to think about our future working environment in the communiversum. Come to the Ruhr area or stay where you live: The realization that communicoder does not have to be on site all the time to work productively and transparently for everyone involved is irreversible. The commitment and discipline of our colleagues have proven this beyond a doubt. Therefore, the thought that working from the home office will become a permanent fixture is not far off. But we're going one step further here: Today we can imagine communicoder being able to freely choose their place of work. Then nothing would stand in the way of a longer stay with the family - at a more distant place of residence. Just like looking after the house and animals with friends, to name just a few examples. Important: It would then be the responsibility of the individual to set up their work environment equivalent to their tasks.
More communicoder despite less space
As an agile company on a growth course, there are even advantages when it comes to recruiting employees. Preferred candidates do not have to move and can even be at home in a neighboring country. That would make our community even more diverse and colorful than it already is. The growth of our agency would then also be much more independent of the current office space, because these are no longer used by everyone at the same time. The right to a permanent desk of your own automatically gives way to desk sharing. Internal apps make it easy to organize who will find space in the office when and where, and who you might be able to meet for a meal or just a coffee.
Where is the corporate culture?
The remote first strategy may not be a problem for the experienced communicoders, but it is definitely for new employees and trainees. However, there is a "tiny" catch: communicode has always been a company that values diversity and community. Different types with the same target agreement and still remain who you are: We want to get to know each other (get to know each other) and experience each other - grow together and with each other. One of our greatest strengths was and is the close connection and interest in the personality and development of the individual. Keep learning together and stay curious is our credo. Friendships are formed, among each other and also with customers and partners. All of this has significantly shaped our corporate culture and values and is still very important to us.
Improvement is our goal
The pandemic will therefore continue to cause a major upheaval for us, albeit less in the area of digitization. Forming a corporate culture in which people experience togetherness even from a distance is our challenge now. How many encounters in the business premises is still useful and what do we need for this? In order to find out, we make our way together with all communicoders and discuss needs, wishes and framework conditions for our different teams. The topic of leadership at all levels must also be considered intensively.
However, one thing is certain for us: the classic office has become obsolete and now we want to reinvent our physical working world. We like to turn everything upside down in the truest sense of the word. We used to tear down walls and move around the house depending on the team we belonged to. Today we envision a comfortable working environment that is characterized by individuality in terms of shape, color and materials. Space for creativity, co-working and encounters or a break from work are equally important. We are convinced that not only the quality of our work results, but also the way we work and work environment counts in order to be successful in the long term. After all, we want to position ourselves even better for the changes that we at communicode would like to continuously advance and that the world still has in store for us. Despite all the horror and drastic measures of this pandemic, we see great opportunities for the further development of our organization. The commitment to our location in the Ruhr area does not contradict this. On the contrary, we love our homeland and enjoy the advantages of an attractive place to work and live in the middle of Germany. From time to time we will announce news about these topics and our communiversum here.