Workplaces regain Vibrancy at orange
Businesses plot to keep staff happy in post-covid return
Worm farms, sea monkeys, flexible working arrangements and clear communication are helping Bay employees transition back to office work.
Holland Beckett Law Tauranga practice manager Sharline Fitzgerald said working from home took a toll on local staff.
All but two staff worked from home during the red setting and they all did their best and didn’t seem to be overtired from lockdowns, she said.
“We had the attitude of, ‘We’re all in this together and we can do it’.”
With the change to the orange setting, Fitzgerald said the office was “more vibrant” and seemed to be getting “back to normal” with most people back.
“People really appreciate ‘normal life’ more now and don’t take it for granted anymore.”
Fitzgerald said taking a staged approach to returning to the office and strict guidelines around Covid-19 symptoms “empowered” employees to feel comfortable and confident.
People came back when they were ready; those who were more exposed to health issues could stay away longer and those who came back had enough space for social distancing.
While they looked forward to morning tea celebrations and bringing
People really appreciate ‘normal life’ more now. Holland Beckett Law Tauranga practice manager Sharline Fitzgerald
office traditions back, being able to talk to people was “the most important thing”.
Rotorua-based Salt+tonic app developers director Matt Browning said the team was in a “good mood” and they were doing more to bring back the community feel of working in the office.
Team-building initiatives included
raising sea monkeys, starting a worm farm, lunchtime show-and-tell, and personal peer review sessions for praise and feedback which they might not get at home.
The company offered colleagues incentives to support local businesses; a fruit box from Brown Owl Organics, milk from Volcanic Creamery, and coffee from Mourea Coffee.
Salt+tonic employee Josh Dillner might miss being able to roll out of bed to get to work in the morning, but believed being around colleagues and immersed in the office culture was better for getting work done.
The Rotorua father of two and app developer said it was easier to focus on work when his children weren’t hopping on to his lap and his cat wasn’t climbing on his shoulders.
Zoom also wasn’t the same as seeing people in person.
Tauranga Business Chamber spokeswoman Laura Boucher said while she and her team all enjoy the flexibility of working from home, connectivity was a common challenge.
“One of the common challenges is ensuring there is no ‘fomo’ from not being able to be in the office.”
The chamber moved to Microsoft Teams in 2020 to ensure the connection remains, not just for workrelated chat but the daily “water cooler” type conversations.
Boucher said it was important for its small team to have easy and open lines of communication to support each other through times of change.