BabbageStays@Home: Together at a distance

From an office that is full of energy every day, to working from home and seeing each other almost exclusively via video calls. The corona measures that were introduced in March also represent a challenging change for us. At the same time, this situation creates solidarity, creativity and new insights. How does Babbage deal with these new challenges, what do we learn from this situation and how do we see the future? Read it in the blog of our Managing Director Lieke Severijns. 

Stay connected

We are already working alternately in the office when on Sunday, March 15, intelligent lockdown starts and we all have to work 'from home as much as possible'. From an office that is buzzing with energy every day, where the interaction between colleagues is enormous and collaboration is optimal, to an "everyone for themselves behind the laptop at the kitchen table, bedroom or study" situation, from Deventer to Den Dolder.

That takes some getting used to and we have been looking for the right mix to maintain the involvement, the level of cooperation and the group feeling. Also to keep the morale high for everyone. Keeping the team together and facilitating is one of the major challenges at the beginning of the lockdown. But also to remain visible for our network, and to stay in touch with professionals and clients. We now do introductory meetings and updates by (video) calling them a lot. The masterclasses of the Babbage Academy will be webinars for the first time, we collect stories from our communication professionals on the front line, and share tips for and from all home workers.

We find our digital way 

It turns out that we are all much more flexible than we thought. We realize that working from home is less harmful to the environment, while at the same time it can be very efficient. Video interviewing works out very well. We notice that people are more at ease in their familiar environment and that makes it easier to have a good conversation.

To keep the team enthusiastic and involved while working from home, Marijn, our own stand-up comedian, organizes the virtual Babbageborrel with a bingo or a pub quiz every week. Carina gave all colleagues working from home tulips, Monique gave everyone a book. Sheralynn (HR Advisor) wrote sweet cards and calls colleagues every week, and the Easter Bunny brought sweets. We also used this period to renovate the office. A new kitchen, a new color on the walls, new desks for all colleagues and fresh plants. Of course, our office is now also completely 'corona-proof'.  

Remote collaboration

We are all in the same boat and this period brings us a lot: creativity, inventiveness and positivity. Now that the daily rat race has come to a standstill, we have been given the time to tackle some “overdue maintenance”. We have literally cleaned out and refurbished the office, we are working on a new website and our CRM is being cleaned up. Fun, creative activities have been devised to remain visible. The online webinars of Babbage Academy are going well and we are drinking more virtual cups of coffee with the peers from our network than ever before. The solidarity we feel in this period is very strong. We have a good and agile team, everyone wants to think along. Perhaps the team spirit, strangely enough, has actually become greater.

Wake up call

This situation is also a wake-up call for all of us. We need to take better care of each other and our environment, our unbridled wanderlust and consumption has its limits. For us, this translates into things like the fact that working from home is quite efficient. Until two months ago, we officially had 1 home-working day per colleague, but not everyone made use of this. Now that threshold has been overcome almost everywhere and in the future, working from home will also be easier, more frequent and more efficient. You also see this changing with clients, that is a permanent consequence of this time. 

Starting up again

We have arrived at the “next phase”. The period of reflection and working from home has certainly paid off. A barrel full of creative ideas that we can get started with, enthusiastic colleagues, a beautiful new office… All this makes us look to the future with confidence. 

The labor market is changing and it is still difficult to predict how this will develop further. You can see that everyone is reviving from the perspective, now that the measures are being relaxed somewhat. And we also notice that because the demand for professionals is increasing again. We are eager to see each other again and to be able to work together (partly) from the office again, but it will take some time before we can be there with the entire team at the same time again. 

We would also like to meet our network and our candidates 'live' again. For example, for those who want, this can be done outside with a get-to-know-you walk in the parkWould you like to take a walk with us or have a coffee remotely or virtually? Call us and we look forward to seeing you!

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