We’ve all heard, “it’s the new normal” more times than we’d care to recount. But what exactly does the “new normal” look like in your personal experience?
Here are ten things that have changed in our office over the past 365 days:
- Remote Work: Like many businesses, we did the WFH thing out of necessity. There’s no substitute for being face-to-face, but we know that the world has changed so we’ve changed with it and remote work is now part of our office culture!
- Technology Upgrade: With so many Zoom meetings happening, we needed to ensure connectivity. Our main conference room got a sweet sweet upgrade to make virtual meetings a breeze and we re-wired our entire office with the fastest internet available.
- Podcast Popularity: What’s a multimedia/broadcast company to do with the pandemic-fueled interest in podcasting? Curate our very own podcast, of course! We recently installed a state-of-the-art studio within our headquarters with the goal to go live in the next few months. The studio will also be available to our clients, so practice your radio voices.
- Website Overhaul: The digital-first revolution has made stellar websites a necessity. We performed an audit of our own website and updated it to meet the demands of 2021 and beyond.
- Bring Your Dog to Work: Everyday?!? What was once a few and far between occurrence has now become a near-daily experience! Our office dog brings his owner to the office several times a week and he is a very good boi (the dog, not Jonathan).
- Check That Temp: Unfortunately, the pandemic has necessitated daily temperature checks and wearing of masks while in the office. We’ve also had to place a moratorium on the M&M dispenser in the snack room…maybe not such a bad thing for our waistlines?
- COVID Camaraderie: We’re all been through a thing. And we’re emerging on the other side, stronger and more collaborative than before. COVID may have forced us to modify our methods of communication in the blink of an eye, but we managed to pull it off pretty well IMHO. Zoom Happy Hour helps, too.
- Virtual Etiquette: You won’t see these in Emily Post. We’ve learned that the “mute” button is essential but difficult to master, virtual backgrounds don’t always hide reality, and to always wear pants. Also, be judicious in your use of the kitten filter.
- Keeping it Real: Gone are the days of keeping our home lives separate from our work lives. Dogs will bark, kids will interrupt, the doorbell will ring, and virtual school just NEVER. ENDS. These glimpses into our coworkers’ lives have given us the opportunity to develop creative solutions while cultivating empathy and understanding.
- Casual Fridays (Every Day): Our office has always been pretty low-key in the fashion department, but lines between “business casual” and “casual” have definitely blurred. As long as everyone wears pants (see #8), it’s cool.
Despite all this change, we’re constantly working to make sure our clients can be successful and having fun while doing it.
