Multi-location work requires cooperation between management and employees
A well-managed and healthy work community can benefit from multi-location work in many ways,” says Juha Eskelinen, Researcher.
“Every once in a while, I go for a walk during a remote meeting, and our employer encourages it,” says Eva Koivunto from Visma.
I am working from home today, because I have worked longer days at the office recently and yesterday, we had a work-related event in the evening. I wanted to have an unhurried morning and work from home while sipping my morning coffee.
As a member of the Visma brand team, I am responsible for the development of Visma’s employer image in Finland. Our team can freely choose between working remotely and at the office, depending on our tasks and choosing the option that best supports our work-life balance.
Workshops and planning are easier when everyone is present at the office at the same time.
Actually, I cannot say which specific tasks are better suited for the home and which for the office, I think the big picture is more important. My job involves organising events, and in-person work is a natural choice when I participate in those events. Workshops and planning are easier when everyone is present at the office at the same time.
Tasks that require concentration and days full of remote meetings are typical reasons why I stay at home – it feels pointless to attend a meeting remotely while I am at the office. However, I do not like to sit the whole day in front of my computer. I rather walk during remote meetings, if I can. Many of our team members do this. Once, I even saw someone ski during a meeting! Our expertise does not depend on our surroundings, as our employer also points out.
Not everyone can work at home, which is why the office also has quiet areas that are dedicated to concentration.
We keep in close contact with our manager and team members daily, talking about current projects and the progress we are making. We have a weekly one-hour meeting on Google Meet. At the office, we of course meet each other face-to-face. I can contact my manager or colleagues any time, but the prescheduled meetings ensure that we stay in contact even during busy weeks.
Our working culture has been built in such as way that hybrid working does not reduce the sense of community. For example, we always keep the cameras on during remote meetings in order to be truly present for each other in day-to-day work.
Our office was renewed last spring to meet the needs of working life better. The renewed office has different spaces for in-office days, such as communal areas that support interaction and office areas where quiet talking is permitted. Not everyone can work at home, which is why the office also has quiet areas that are dedicated to concentration and where talking is not allowed, not even for work matters.
My work is not time-bound, which I enjoy immensely.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased our understanding of different situations and made us more agile in responding to even quick changes, and the hybrid model makes work more flexible. For instance, I had to cancel my participation in an event because of a mild cold at a few hours’ notice, so we made a quick decision to organise the event in hybrid form: my colleagues and the participants were at the office and I gave my presentation from home through a remote connection. Everything went smoothly!
My work is not time-bound, which I enjoy immensely. Sometimes, I might have creative ideas at eight o’clock in the evening. If this happens, I take out my laptop and write them down. I take this into account in my working hours by, for example, starting the weekend earlier on Friday, if I worked in the evening on Thursday.
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