BUILDING CULTURE & COLLABORATION FOR THE NEXT NORMAL, CHAPTER 3:

Building a Virtual Culture by Humanizing Work

Check out more remote working resources and products or explore what hybrid working means for companies today >

Videos in this Series

Chapter 1: Working from Home & the Hybrid Worker Are Here to Stay >

Chapter 2: Managing Your Business Through the Phases of a Crisis >

Chapter 3: Building A Virtual Culture by Humanizing Work >

Chapter 4: Transitioning Out of Band-Aid Crisis >

Chapter 5: Preparing for Post-Pandemic Business >

Transcription:

Brent Leary
What about also, how do you make sure that you are employees have the right skill sets. And I guess the right cultural kind of fit, going forward, because it seems to me like customers are changing rapidly, and their expectations are changing rapidly and you know now during the pandemic and it'll carry over until after, so how do you make sure that you get the right mix of skill sets and kind of cultural fit going forward?

Mona Abou Sayed
Well, I mean, I think, much like we did interviews in the past where you had them meet a variety of people one on one and in a team setting in a group setting. I think it's going to become imperative to continue with video interviews and see how they are able to react. I always have liked to in the past I've done interviews with people where actually give them a problem solve and ask them to present because the majority of your job is going to be to stand up and present on a problem, you've just been introduced to a week ago. How are you now going to offline on your own, do the research and come back with your thoughts and ideas and present to people you don't even know? So I think we're going to have to be a lot more creative about how we assess an individual's capability to solve problems without having that interaction directly. And, and, you know, being in this kind of environment. And I think there's a lot of, you know, Kurt, you know, a lot several companies do use like personality and assessment tests and things like that, I think to a degree that measures something some things but I really want to see how are you gonna react when you're on camera and you're talking to people who are not in the room with you. What is your vibe? That's important.

Laurie McCabe
Yeah, it is important, and I think also it's important, obviously there are a lot of people that are shy or introverted. And if you know I've had people say to me, you know, oh I don’t know how can do that, and do these videos or talk to a group of people. And, you know, some of us are very comfortable others aren't, and so there probably needs to be some kind of help, so that the people that are just not, you know, they're just shy or more introverted but they're really good at doing their job, you know, other than being on a zoom, or you know whatever you know kind of online meeting. They can do that comfortably and do it well and let their skill set, you know, shine through.

Mona Abou Sayed
I think it's also a key piece of that is once you know once you do bring the employees in, it really starts from the top, it's a culture that starts from the top, if you are in meetings where leaders are not turning your video on or their scheduling. You're never going to get that adoption, you're never gonna get that connection but I believe you know you know there's a balance to be had, I believe, in the last few weeks it feels like I've been on meeting video calls from 7am to sometimes 6 and 7pm. The video fatigue is real.

It's okay and acceptable I don't think we need to shame people when they have to turn their video off that's okay, I think we need to encourage it by just humanizing it and one thing that I've actually noticed is I get in calls sometimes and somebody kind of frantic and they're like oh my baby's crying and pick up the baby it's okay. Yeah, yeah. Pick up the baby I've met dogs, I've met babies. This is great. I’ve seen tours of some people's home. We've got to kind of add this human piece and, and when you're real you know we all become real right when we bring it, bring your whole self to work. You build so much better collaboration as a team. When, when you can identify with people and those connection points are real. So.

Laurie McCabe
I think you're right, you know people see you in your home and I remember, I was here and my significant other, Jeff, was in the other room, and I had the camera pointed the other way, anyway he was like bringing laundry and folding it, and it was pacific time and somebody is like, who is that man in the background folding your laundry. You know, hey, that’s life.

Brent Leary
That really is.

Laurie McCabe
Hey, it’s a good thing he’s folding laundry.