Tools, rituals, and tips for social cohesion

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Working from home has been popular among creative professionals since long before 2020. However, some things work better in a team setting. Not having to travel to the office as often makes economic and ecological sense. The panel discussion with Stephan Heinrich focused on the advantages and disadvantages of working from home and the support provided by employers. For example, by providing infrastructure such as technical equipment and internet, establishing clear communication structures, regular virtual meetings, and tools such as Asana.

Per home office:

More flexibility in working hours and working environment, leading to a better work-life balance.
Larger talent pool through recruitment from different regions
Contra home office:

Social isolation due to a lack of personal interactions and contacts. Alienation from ukraine phone number data colleagues and thus a loss of social cohesion.
Impairment of team spirit and exchange of ideas due to lack of physical presence
Communication challenges such as misunderstandings and limited nonverbal communication
Of course, business management issues were also discussed, such as the reduction of office space.

Processes & Policies – Necessary for success or killers of creativity?

At the same time, in another room, our Sascha Behmüller brought up something that concerns us a lot: How can we ensure consistent quality? Do we need to implement standardized processes to scale, or does this restrict the "freedom" of our employees? As we again observed from the packed room and the ensuing conversations and questions, many agencies are dealing with this.

“It's not about each individual being efficient in their own way, but about the efficiency of the entire company.” That was one of many good statements and points made and discussed in Sascha's session.

As soon as the first growth phase begins and the need arises, processes are introduced. Words like "our quality is inconsistent," "errors have crept in more frequently," and "the company wants to scale" are recurring in communication. But shouldn't the focus be on communicating the added value to colleagues and gaining support, especially during this already very tense phase? This can be achieved by involving employees early on and by keeping the added value for those present at the forefront of communication:

Faster independence in tasks (and not having to constantly ask),