Workplace 4.0 – WWF goes virtual
Workplace 4.0 – WWF goes virtual
Nevertheless, it has changed us - our togetherness, our work, our lives.
The Panda family, as we often refer to ourselves, was suddenly working in complete isolation, everyone individually, as we transitioned to working from home.
From a technical standpoint, we were quite well equipped even before March 2020 as we primarily used mobile devices, had just introduced teams, rolled out telephony across the board, and had been using Zoom for over a year. For four years already, very broad and generous guidelines had enabled us to work from home - yet somehow everything just felt very different now.
We were nearly overwhelmed with work and demand, which was unsurprising given the issue. There were more inquiries to WWF colleagues than ever before and at the same time we had to completely revise the way we collaborated. All meetings were now virtual, travel was completely banned, many project areas were no longer accessible, and some colleagues in the field were now unable to perform their work.
We found the ways and means to continue our success - also thanks to our colleagues’ motivation and flexibility. Everything was allowed, we largely suspended all internal regulations and works agreements related to work time, and the issue of flexitime based on trust took on a whole new significance. Many colleagues also discovered that working from home allowed them to work in a more focused way at their own pace – eliminating the long commutes provided a better work-life balance.
We quickly developed new virtual formats: virtual staff meetings with 300 participants, using Mentimeter to vote on decisions, whiteboards and Miro boards were covered with sticky notes, workshops were enhanced by including real walks (of course, everyone walked alone from home listening/talking on their mobile phones).
Nevertheless, by now we all yearn to see our colleagues again. Interpersonal relations have fallen by the wayside, our sense of community has suffered badly, even though our WWF band, the PandaZ, treated us to a COVID motivational song via video.
But there were also great moments and insights that would never have happened otherwise. I’ll never forget the crazy dance moves on Zoom with over 100 colleagues, or the sound of the birthday serenade over my headphones. Despite everything, the longing for normality remains ... but what is that really?
In December, WWF launched a new internal project: INA, the New Working Worlds Initiative. Let’s consider the question "What habits and strategies have we adopted that we’d like to see become part of the 'new normal'? What was good, what was bad?" We launched a large survey within WWF Germany, with discussion forums, surveys, and team interviews. We found that one-third of the employees want to return to their familiar workplace in the office. One-third would like the ability to work flexibly, alternating between working from home and a flexible workplace somewhere in the building (we call this Flexi-Panda), while another third prefers to permanently telework. We are currently also consulting internally with the works council on how to reconcile all these desires. What regulations will we need? How will this affect our work? What will that mean for management, and what will it expect from those it manages? Ever greater flexibility, increasing individualism – can this work? What will "the office" look like in the future? What kind of spaces will we need going forward? We are consulting with architects and looking for "spaces" to meet, collaborate on projects, or talk quietly on the phone.
We don't have all the answers yet but are working on it. One thing is certain: we have learned valuable lessons that will help us transition to the "new normal".
Oh, and by the way - the German "Working Hours Act" and the concept of "flexibility" somehow still don’t seem very compatible, so something clearly still needs to be done.
WWF Germany is part of the international environmental protection organisation World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). For 60 years, the WWF network has been working across the globe to stop environmental destruction and to shape a future in which people and nature live in harmony. In more than 100 national and international projects, WWF Germany is currently working to preserve biological diversity and the natural foundations of our lives. Over 500,000 sponsors support it in this work.
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This is a post from our newsletter "People in Business" 1-2021. The entire newsletter can be found here. You can also subscribe to this newsletter and receive the current issue directly on the release date.
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1 https://www.zoonosen.net/zoonosenforschung/was-sind-zoonosen | WWF-Podcast: ÜberLeben, Episode 36 – Zoonoses Pandemic Risk Increases as Destruction of Nature Continues (wwf.de) | One Year after Wuhan (wwf.de)