How the Effects of 2020 are Changing Company Culture at Top Floor
Company Culture
Unprecedented. It feels like I’ve heard this word used more often in the past year than the rest of my years combined. What we first thought might be a two-week shutdown has turned into a year-long matter we’ve all had to adapt to without knowing when it will end. Working from home, socially distancing, and masks have become the ‘new normal’ for most of us. So, what does the new normal look like at Top Floor and how is 2020 changing our company culture?
Remote Workforce
Friday the 13th took on a new meaning in 2020 because that afternoon in March, our managers let us know that we would be moving to a fully remote workforce and that we should take our computers and such home with us when we left for the weekend. March 16th, 2021 marked a year since we started working from home. Although the transition was tough at the beginning, I think we’ve all settled into our new schedules and habits. Our ownership team has been very helpful and supportive, and the rest of our team has been understanding and patient, which has made the transition much easier. Another aspect that has allowed us to continue doing our jobs is technology. Without Wi-Fi being as accessible as it is, or the video conferencing capabilities most of us use several times a day, working from home would not have been a viable option.
Virtual Meeting & Parties
Since we aren’t working in the office and can’t meet in person, Top Floor adopted virtual conferencing tools like Zoom and Google Meet. These tools, which were only created within the last 10 years, have been exceedingly helpful with the transition to working remotely. Capabilities like being able to share your screen allow us to hold internal and client meetings that have a very similar effect to how we used to hold meetings, minus the human contact.
Conferencing tools are changing company culture, not only for client meetings but also for how we celebrate holidays and events as a team. We’ve held virtual parties for basically every major holiday and also have also hosted surprise baby and wedding showers. Each party is made special by the encouragement of fun backgrounds, trivia, and other activities. Although I’m sure most of us miss the in-person gatherings, these parties help maintain, if not strengthen, our sense of community and unity.
Work-Life Balance
When I first started working from the place I live, it was hard for me to find the right balance between my work life and personal life. For example, I didn’t have the tangible divider of a commute anymore. When I would leave the office to drive home, my brain would recognize that it’s time to stop working. Now, I get up from my desk and sit on the couch 10 feet away from where I’m sitting the rest of the day, and that transition was a little harder in the beginning. Again, our entire team has been really understanding when it came to this adjustment. We are encouraged to take breaks throughout the day, such as taking a walk, especially when the weather is nice. We also have slack reminders set up that help remind us to get up and move or exercise; this helps break up the day a bit more.
Wrapping it all Up
When we reflect on the past year, there’s a lot of negativity we could point out. Instead, I want to conclude with some positive ways 2020 is changing company culture for the better. Because we moved completely virtual, we’ve come to appreciate our co-workers more. We also had the opportunity to get more creative with team building and parties. Lastly, we learned to balance our work and personal lives by taking walks during the day and making sure we aren’t overwhelming ourselves. All in all, the last year has been unprecedented, but it hasn’t been all bad, and it’s important to focus on the positives so the negatives don’t stress us out too much. To learn more about Top Floor and our culture, visit our site or check out this video celebrating some of the big wins over the past 365 days.
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