Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Cat Johnson – Coworking Marketing Maven
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Andrea Pirrotti-Dranchak – Competitive Advantage
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Jeremy Fennema – Tech Innovation Alchemist
The sense of togetherness at the beginning of the pandemic was echoed across the country as society officially stepped into the “new normal.”
Although employee engagement was high in the first few months, enthusiasm started to erode as loneliness and isolation became the more common theme in remote working positions.
As a result, work culture has taken a hit without face-to-face interactions. Now, companies have attempted to use virtual events, lik Zoom happy hours, to keep workers connected and nurture community.
“We’ve had to get more creative with how to keep collaboration and engagement high,” said Joe DeCosmo, chief technology officer and chief analytics officer at Enova. “We don’t have the great perks in the office available to use, but the culture is still the same — team members are super-empowered to manage their time and do their work, and we encourage innovation and creativity.”
For instance, Enova has kept their employees engaged through resource groups that cater to employees of color and women. Virtual meetups are used to discuss ongoing issues and other related topics that would organically be discussed during lunches in order to help keep teams connected.
Additionally, the company hosts light-hearted gatherings such as virtual karaoke, trivia, book clubs and more.
“We’re trying to replicate hallway conversations because we’re not having them,” said Jim Kruger, Enova’s chief marketing officer. “We’re trying to introduce people from different functions to create a more collaborative environment.”
