Peter Drucker said it already in 2006: Culture eats strategy for breakfast. You can still have your strategy on paper so beautifully; In the end, the people make the culture. Corona measures and new working models threaten that culture. What can we do to make the 'back to office' route as smooth as possible? And what role do events play in this? That is what we got the answer to during a special Breakfast Session with a number of clients.
A glimpse into the future: higher fun factor for internal events
Hans Klaver, Sales & Marketing Manager of Obsession, kicked off the morning with a special news broadcast. He mentioned briefly the most eye catching results of their recent survey with regards to the emotional and financial damage due to the decrease of personal contact. The host of the morning, Pauline de Wilde, passed the baton to Keynote speaker Hidde de Vries, who shared his wise lessons with representatives from bol.com, Rabobank, BDO, Adyen, Siemens, KPN and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. They then shared what their back to office policy looks like. “We find this exchange of information important,” emphasizes Hans. “We are partners for live and we can only be that if we know exactly what is going on and if we are approachable.”
The morning's main outtakes
Vitality and wellbeing was already important before corona, but has received extra focus in the past year. It has become even clearer that people perform less when they are less comfortable in their own skin and that this is due to, among other things, poor internal communication or an annoying manager, believes formal Vitality Manager Hidde de Vries.
Live events coming back soon
Clients who have joined agree with him, even though everyone within their company does their utmost to keep everyone on a lead. Despite this, young staff in particular were becoming lonely. Online onboardings and digital drinks will be exchanged for live events next fall. Some partners have even rolled out an entire calendar to give their employees hope again.
New working methods
The ratio of working from home and being at the office varies greatly. At two companies there is even an experiment going on to determine the best ratio and office layout. Online panels, personas and focus groups are used to gain insight into the wishes of employees. Flawless technology seems to be the crucial basic ingredient for change. “Otherwise people who work from home would rather go to the office because they don’t want to miss out,” said one of the breakfast guests.
Communication remains key
Whether communication needs to take place online or offline - it became clear over the past year that communication is key when it comes to keeping employees, customers and other stakeholders involved. According to Hidde, internal marketing is very important. “Which internal objectives do you have to achieve and which marketing resources are you going to use to motivate people intrinsically?” For that reason, some partners have spent a lot of extra budget on internal communication. In the coming months, that budget will mainly be used for live events.
Hybrid to the max
Gerben Plasmeijer, co-owner of Obsession, sees the added value of physical and online being optimized in the near future. “While it will be more about fun and meeting in the room, the focus outside can be on learning by participating. The hybrid form offers opportunities for more inclusive and sustainable production. And I believe that your mobile will be the connecting factor.”
Staff party 2.0
When asked whether the staff party will get a revival this fall, the answer is a resounding 'yes'. Not only do some companies have a whole list of things to celebrate, it really does a lot for trust and team spirit. Social and content will always remain connected, according to a number of partners. During a Christmas or New Year's party, the annual figures will probably pass by. In the short term, the Thursday afternoon drink will get a flying restart.
Team feeling back in 3 steps
According to Hidde, there is no one size fits all plan to get the team spirit back. “My advice is: leave it in those teams. What the wishes are depends on logistics, the organization and the people. Transparency is very important here. Just like 1 on 1 contact. Jan Liebregts, partner and operational manager of Obsession, is pleased that he has an assertive group of colleagues who are given space to express themselves. “We have learned to listen more closely and it is really my mission to maintain that open culture.”As Partners for Live, we are always ready to help you think about the optimal Back to Office route for your organization or company. Contact Carmen Meems for a brainstorm or short sparring session!