David Hengartner, Co-Founder & CEO GETKICKBOX.COM
1. Where are you right now? Where are you working?
I’m currently at my home in Zurich, which has been my home-office since March. Thankfully, it’s close to nature. This made it easy to get some fresh air and clear my head after hours on calls or working on spreadsheets. Now that summer is here; I’ve also been heading to the lake almost every day after work for a quick swim – it’s just a five-minute bike ride away.
2. How do you feel about working from home? Which advantages have you discovered in the current situation?
Working from home has made me more productive and has also influenced how I manage my team. Of course, being close together in the office makes it easy to walk over and have a chat, but this situation has changed the way we collaborate in a positive way. Not only is everybody very focused while working from home, but all of the digital tools have turned it into a very effective way of working and collaborating. We have learned a lot about how to be productive while working remotely during this time, e.g., through online workshops with Miro, etc.
But I still believe that as human beings, we need social interaction, so we are slowly making our way back to the office using a hybrid model. This way, people spend some days in the office, and some working from home. I believe that finding a good balance in this respect will be crucial for the future, as there is value in both.
I feel like all companies have been pushed to be more flexible when it comes to home office, meaning that it will be much more accepted going forward. In the past, it was reserved for digital companies, but now it will be much more widespread. Covid-19 created a massive push in digital transformation and new ways of working.
3. How has your daily working life changed in comparison to the past? How do you manage to give your clients and projects 100% as you would if you were in the office?
Since we were already working with international clients, we accustomed to using digital channels such as Slack for our community. We’ve always been very responsive, and I feel like we’ve upheld that, whether our employees are in the office or at home. We always try to offer our clients the best experience and be there for them.
In comparison to the past, I certainly have to make more of an effort to separate my work and private life, and I’m still learning. For example, putting my laptop away in the evening or reserving set times for lunch. It was easy to end up in back-to-back meetings without a proper lunch break, more so than in the office. It’s essential to set yourself boundaries and establish clear routines in the home office. But overall I am very optimistic that these hybrid models will stay and personally I am a big fan of flexible work models, where employees are able to define the best way to get their things done.
Reto Wenger, Co-Founder & Operation GETKICKBOX.COM
1. Where are you working from?
I am at home in Wiedikon, in the middle of Zurich. My workplace alternates between the bright gallery with a fantastic view of the Üetliberg and a darkened guest room. While I like working in the gallery, I prefer the guest room to make all the phone calls and Skype-, Teams- and Zoom-sessions because it’s much quieter in there.
2. How do you feel about the home office? What advantages do you derive from the current situation?
I only shower every third day, round the clock in a jogging suit,…just kidding. I try to keep my working routine as close to normal as possible. Working from home also has a great side-effect on my diet. I eat healthier and more balanced compared to my time in the office. I try to get out of the house at least every other day, even if only for a short time. My motto: stay as close as possible to normality with targeted power breaks like cooking, playing ping pong or basketball matches.
3. How has your working day changed in comparison? How do you manage to look after your clients and projects although you can’t visit them personally?
We are in the great position to work with a young and dynamic team. We’ve been working completely digitally for a long time in certain areas, for example in cooperation with our development team in Rotterdam. I enjoy testing new tools and the limits of remote. Of course, I miss face-to-face conversations. But by working remote I was able to push parallel projects with a normally unimaginable efficiency.
In the collaboration with customers, partners and freelancers we have started using tools like Slack, Zoom and Calendly a long time ago. Due to the current situation we have complement our tool suite, for example with the remote workshop tool "Miro". Something that under normal circumstances would probably have taken 3 times as long, but with the necessary focus can be done quickly.
I am absolutely convinced that both our extensive remote experience as well as the strong and focused setup will give us a long-term advantage. I am proud to say that not only can we introduce GETKICKBOX 100% remotely to a company, but we can also support any company in running their program 100% remotely, with everything that goes with it: Certified Remote GETKICKBOX Coaches, Remote Freelancer Marketplace, and so on.
We are perfectly prepared and will become even more digital and global as a company through the Corona crisis!
Gion Tuor, Growth GETKICKBOX
1. Where are you right now? Where are you working?
I’m working from home at the moment and have set up a workspace in my office.
2. What do you think of working at a HomeOffice? What are the main benefits and how do you profit from the current situation?
For me, working from home is a challenge with positive and negative aspects.
Positive: I find it easier to focus, I don’t have to commute, and we’ve been forced to carefully consider the topic of remote work and the necessary tools. This way, we’ve learned how to use new tools and methods, which I think is a really positive development. True to the motto: “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
But, of course, we can no longer enjoy casual, spontaneous chats with colleagues over coffee. These things have to be planned now. In our case, we have our daily, 15-minute “Kick Coffee Meeting.”
So, there are lots of positives, but also some pain points that need to be addressed.
3. How has your daily working life changed in comparison to the past? How do you manage to give your clients and projects 100% as you would if you were in the office?
Of course, the location of my everyday work has changed: Work, living, and spending free time all in the same place. My productivity and efficiency are at least on an equal level, if not higher. This is all thanks to the fact that we can now send the toolboxes straight to the Kickboxers at home and continue to coach the Kickboxers remotely. Correspondingly, we were able to quickly digitalize Kickbox’s analog modules, enabling us to offer a concrete and functional remote innovation program.
Furthermore, we have received feedback from various peers that more ideas are being submitted. This then inspired us to launch a home office campaign to address any pain points experienced while working from home and find solutions to them from the bottom up, using our employees’ own ideas.
Lorena Ricci's workplace, Growth GETKICKBOX
1. Where are you right now? Where are you working?
I work from my wonderful penthouse in Chur, Graubünden. I love the sunny, panoramic view from my terrace.
2. What do you think of working at a HomeOffice? What are the main benefits and how do you profit from the current situation?
There are certain benefits when working from home, but it is also challenging. I try to go outside, and move around several times throughout the day to stay somewhat active, especially when it's a nice, sunny day out. I like the flexibility to be able to take a break during the day and work until the evening hours. And working from my balcony during these days is rather comfortable. However, I miss the spontanous exchange and chats with my colleagues.
3. How did your workday change during the corona crisis? How is it possible to stay in contact with your customers as in the past?
All of us have to be very flexible. But that’s one of the things we have in common right now. Staying in touch with peers, colleagues and partners seems to have become more important than ever these days. It is fun and challenging at the same time to achieve the next level of remote work together with the community. We are proud to be able to offer all processes virtually and still keep the quality very high.
Michael Hunkeler's workplace, Growth GETKICKBOX
1. Where are you right now? Where are you working?
I am in my shared apartment in the heart of Zurich. I live together with two friends. One of them is a freelance motion graphic designer and the other one is finishing his PhD at the ETH. Together we've turned our living room into a coworking space, which gives us a hipster atmosphere at home.
2. How do you feel about the home office? What advantages do you derive from the current situation?
I find the home office extremely paradoxical. On the one hand, I have the impression that not much has changed, because I'm used to being able to work from anywhere and teamwork is also very easy to work with digitally.
On the other hand, everything has changed because I can now only work from one place and I realize how much digital collaboration is invigorated by sporadic, personal interactions. But in general, I find it a super exciting chapter in the context of digital working and I'm curious to see what we can take away with us after the crisis.
3. How has your working day changed in comparison? How do you manage to look after your clients and projects although you can’t visit them personally?
GETKICKBOX has both a physical (kickboxing) and a digital component (platform / community). What has changed for me is that customers are now even more interested in the digital advantages of GETKICKBOX. This has enabled us to push ahead with fully digital offers for launch, coaching and workshops even faster, which makes the situation super exciting for me.
Fenja Persello, Product Lab GETKICKBOX
1. Where are you right now?
I'm at my home office in Winterthur with my roommate. Together we created a workspace in our home.
2. What do you think of working at home? What are the main benefits and how do you profit from the current situation?
I am able to plan my day in a very effective and productive way. That gives me the chance to use my creative skills to full capacity. Since I cannot move around as I usually would, I started to implement workouts into my normal day to day life as much as I possibly can to stay active. And with working from home it is way easier to get my daily chores like laundry done as well.
I like having chats with my co-workers and colleagues about daily news, current projects and to just stay up to date on their status quo.
3. How did your workday change during the corona crisis? How is it possible to stay in contact with your customers?
Because of the fact that we were always working in a very flexible way, we already had a remote infrastructure up and running and able to communicate with each other. Wherever there is an internet connection we are able to work.
The corona crisis does not allow us to do our usual face to face workshops with our peers, partners or team members. So we created a challenge and tested several tools. We optimized our product for a better global teamwork, because we had to focus on the goal to create a perfect virtual Kickbox experience.
I believe we actually have the chance to become better during this crisis. We try our best to support our community in these crazy times with an intrapreneurship program, so that important business ideas can be tested and realized in the near future.