It was Friday 13th, a year ago, when the Slovenian government declared the epidemic. Meaning, on Monday, 16 March, companies shifted their employees to remote work (where possible), schools and kindergartens closed, and social distancing became mandatory.
We all knew the lockdown was bound to happen sooner or later, but still, the isolation regulations caught the nation by surprise.
We talked with CorpoHub partners about their first thoughts and feelings last March, how the company adapted to the new working conditions, coped with Zoom burnout, what has changed, and what stayed the same.
But also, more importantly, about all the opportunities that have arisen along the way.
Q: What was your first thought when the government announced self-isolation in March 2020?
Matej: Ups, now it’s serious.
Daniela: I was actually feeling very humble towards the whole situation. I got the feeling of a global crisis, and I somehow knew that history books would write about that. It was a mixed feeling of being part of something that serious.
Lojze: Uff, this isn’t going to be OK.
Voranc: In a way, I was a little bit anxious, and on the other, I was curious how the full-time remote work will turn out in our company.
Q: Were there any profound shifts in your work mode?
Matej: Standing desk, every day, all day.
Daniela: Basically – from office work to home-work. In the beginning, it was not hard at all, but after a couple of months, as an extrovert, I really started to miss the office environment badly. Having kids at home was a definite game-changer.
Lojze: Moving from an office on the first floor to a new basement office where there is more peace for my work and disturbing others less.
Voranc: I’ve got the best coworker ever, my wife. 🙂
Q: What did you miss most last year? Or maybe still miss?
Matej: Travel!
Lojze: Activities such as Playing Lean, Agile Balls, LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, and the like, which cannot be performed online.
Daniela: I miss the office space. I really do.
Voranc: I miss the most in-person workshops and the social interactions that come with them.
Q: Your favorite hobby or activity to unwind after a long day? Did anything change compared to the years before?
Matej: Walks, running, meditation.
Lojze: More walks during the evenings, many new climbed peaks during the weekends.
Voranc: My hobby hasn’t changed, so I still start or end my day with running, cycling, or swimming.
Q: What challenged you the most this past year?
Matej: Homeschooling 🙂
Voranc: Because all workshops are now online, I’m sitting at the desk a lot more than before.
Q: Have you noticed any major shifts regarding agile transformation or lean innovation?
Matej: Agile is still strong and mainstream.
Lojze: Many statements within the meaning of: “If we did not before, but now we really have a lot of re-innovate.”
Voranc: The covid-19 situation is a perfect example of a VUCA world where adaptability is the crucial ingredient for the organizations’ survival. Agile is the best way to achieve this flexibility and create a culture of transparency, learning, innovation, and frequent value delivery.
Q: Your greatest achievement in the past year?
Matej: Awesome big online events.
Daniela: In terms of achievements, I am super proud of the whole CorpoHub team. Despite great Covid-19 turbulence, we managed to have a great year, business-wise and relationship-wise. We thrived and we succeeded. How? With a passion for doing what we love, quickly adapting to new realities, acting instead of winning, and of course with a little bit of luck, too.
Lojze: The creation of a number of virtual teams in a common mission, that have not been seen in the physical world at all.
Voranc: I’m proud that we were radically open-minded and constantly searching for new ways of delivering value to our clients.
Q: Where did you see the opportunity for growing your business?
Matej: Online events, online workshops, doing it really well, and helping others do it, too.
Lojze: Co-working across any kind of borders as new normal, common.
Voranc: There is a huge opportunity to grow more agile leaders that will transform the organizations in the private and public sectors.
Q: Your prediction for the future?
Matej: The future is hybrid.
Daniela: We will have a changed lifestyle for sure – our habits changed, work mode will shift to hybrid. We have been given the time to reset our values, work, relationships – now let us make the best out of it!
Lojze: Less predictive and therefore an exciting future.
Voranc: I hope we will use this opportunity to permanently change how we all think about business and find better ways of organizing work.
