Dear Team, I miss you.

It seems like yesterday I was sitting in an all agency meeting when one of my colleagues raised his hand and asked if my company had an action plan in case of a global pandemic. I paused—the question threw me for a loop, thinking, “That would never happen.” Well, not only did it happen, it happened fast. Like so many other companies, within 5 days, we had to figure out how to move our entire workforce home for the foreseeable future and rethink the way we operated to account for everyone working in isolation while not disrupting the projects we had in progress. And all this because of some mysterious plague that none of us quite understood at that moment. 

As a business owner, I have become accustomed to new and unexpected challenges that pop up daily. Whether they are creative challenges, client challenges, HR challenges or employee challenges, until now they have all seemed solvable. And when necessary, I’ve always been able to come up with a plan B that just seemed to make sense. 

I have to admit, I haven’t quite figured out my plan B with this one. COVID-19 has twisted my brain in an entirely different way. Not only did I have to worry about the logistics of moving everything remotely in a seamless way, I had concerns about what this would mean for the company, all while stressing about the most important thing, the health and wellness of my family, friends and employees. Every time I turn on the news I hear that thousands of more people have died and or are sick, and millions more people have filed for unemployment. The numbers are staggering and difficult to comprehend. I know so many small businesses that are also reeling from the impact of this virus, unsure of what the future holds. I am very grateful that my company continues to be busy and I must admit, having the ability to focus on work has been a great distraction from the surreal reality of what is happening ‘out there’. 

Now that we have all safely “sheltered in place”, I find myself trying to overcome a new challenge. How do I continue to keep morale up and creativity flowing during this unusual time? For 23 years, I have built a culture where in-person collaboration has been so important to me. We have leaned into new technologies and mobile solutions that have made our business more efficient and more distributed, but my favorite part of my job has always been sitting face to face in a room to solve problems, share ideas, and have passionate debates eye to eye with other smart people on how to make the work stronger. For some reason, the energy doesn’t totally feel the same on a Zoom call. 

There has been a giant movement in the past few years to embrace a more flexible work-from-anywhere approach. And even before Coronavirus hit, I was able to see first hand why and how this made sense. But just like that, BOOM now EVERYONE is working from home. And although my staff has evolved, found our rhythm, and totally figured it out in theory, it lacks something important. To me, It’s like going from a gas burner to an electric burner when you're cooking your food. Though they both get hot, It’s just not the same without the fire. My colleagues are my fire, and I truly miss seeing them.

I have read countless articles on how companies are re-thinking if they even need their physical locations anymore, mostly because people are proving to be just as productive at home. But I have to say, as efficient as we are working in isolation, we are lacking what, in my opinion, is the most important ingredient to creating the greatest work: human connections and the feelings they evoke.

So as we look back to all the things that might have annoyed us about each other in person, like the overly chatty cubicle mate, the hovering boss, the lunch stealer, the too loud computer typer, the small talker at the coffee machine, the mess maker, the late meeting comer, or that employee who always cooks the smelly food in the kitchen, I reflect on them as happy reminders of the connected world we all took for granted. (And I can’t wait to be annoyed by them again soon.) Although the new way we work may look very different on the other side of this pandemic, with more people working from home, continued social distancing, staggered in-office schedules, and custom face masks as the new fashion statement, I personally am looking forward to getting back to the office, to the space where the magic used to happen, and to seeing the great people who create that irreplaceable feeling of warmth in that space. Only when it is safe do so, of course.

As we run into new and unexpected challenges in business, I always like to come away with important lessons. And though I’m sure there will many more before this is chapter is over, here are four that have stuck with me so far:

1. It is possible to adapt to even the most challenging situations in business. Just when you think you can’t, do it anyway. 
2. Give your employees lots and lots of trust. They will always rise to the occasion and make the company proud.
3. Nothing will ever replace the feeling of in-person human connections. I don’t care how advanced technology gets.
4. Go ahead and throw a scarf over a pajama top. You will always look put together on a video call. :)

Keep Ruling!

Valerie