Finding the Helpers and Being the Helpers

In the last Wednesdays at 1, CoFounder and CEO Felicite Moorman and CoFounder and CTO Ryan Buchert discussed what life has been like in the past three to four weeks since many states and cities started mandating staying at home besides essential activities. Add this event to your weekly calendar by registering here.

Felicite began with saying there are people joining the webinar who have experienced the loss of friends and family members due to COVID-19 and the entire STRATIS team sends heartfelt love and condolences. Grief.com is a helpful resource on learning how to share grief with the Team even when apart.

There are many mixed feelings around April Fool’s Day and it’s important to remember that happy moments happen within serious times and it’s not just okay, but important. Felicite brought up her daughter who pretended she cut her hair as a prank on her classmates. One STRATIS team member takes the day very seriously, as her tradition with him was to plan elaborate jokes with her father for months.

Have there been any surprises in general or about people you live with?

My daughter has been teaching her teachers how to Zoom and coaching her friends, too. It’s been adorable to see her be herself.

An audience member said he’s surprised with how many people are embracing the work from home lifestyle.

A STRATIS team member responded that he’s found that he and his wife have different work styles, as he is able to work even with many distractions while she prefers complete silence.

When can we start thinking about what’s next? What will stick about what’s going on now?

An audience member brought up one thing he’s talking to with all current clients is that there’s still learning and growth potential currently. People who said they could never work from home are figuring it out. With his restaurant clients, he’s had conversations about keeping the current delivery system in place even after the dining area could be opened again too, as this is now what people are expecting.

Also, his work involved having difficult conversations with clients and traveling to see them in person, but now those conversations are happening over Zoom - and still working. This may continue to work out in the future and save significant expenses.

Ryan added that upon getting the first set of metrics back about the STRATIS teams, a lot of teams are as productive or even more productive. The sales team has had the biggest changes with some metrics going off the charts. The next step is learning how to best optimize these processes for the long-term.

What are some best practices you’ve developed?

On video calls, I’m extremely backlit as a silhouette so I can look like a secret spy and not wear makeup. Just kidding, April Fool’s!

Don’t be afraid to get up to stand every hour. Set a new precedent so meetings are 45-50 minutes instead of an hour to give urgency to get things done. This can also leave that last 10-15 minutes for a quick walk.

Ryan added that he is putting more work into aligning his day and organizing prior to meetings. There’s a difference between going in and out of meetings physically and having back-to-back Zoom calls.

As elderly homes are locking down, Ryan has been testing video calls to make sure his family in retirement homes know how to connect online. Though this can add work to your plate, it can be fulfilling to be a helper for similar situations in this capacity.

What are ways you’ve been kind to yourself?

I did admire my hair...doesn’t count, skip that one. I’m just kidding! For me, finding symbols of abundance or peace have been important. This could be anything, but an item that gives a sense of self or normalcy.

An audience member said a tap room recently opened in his office building and has still been open for to-go orders, so he he sees this as his small self-reward.

What are some gentle joys that you’ve had?

I love seeing and hearing my kids interact with their classmates and teachers. They crack me up. I also love getting to interact with our teams in a different way.

Audience members commented that they’ve appreciated reconsidering how they interact with their own spaces, keeping things clean on a regular basis, and having nights “out” by setting up the dining room table with a tablecloth and candles.