Leaning into the Hybrid Workplace at Avenue
Guided by Flexibility, B Corp Agency Navigates Constant Change
Over the past two years, Avenue has embraced being a remote company. And what a journey it has been. In March of 2021, Avenue became a fully remote company (officially)! Pre-pandemic we had a beautiful office space in Portland, Oregon, team workstations, and a conference setup that allowed us to host clients, partners, and team meetings. And we were steps away from delicious food, drink, and culture. However, as a team, we had only stepped foot inside our office a handful of times since March 2021, and the primary reason was to keep our office plants alive and watered. When our lease came up for renewal later in 2021, there was no logical reason to keep it. So, we didn’t.
And a lot has changed since then!
The Future Is Hybrid
I believe that the future of work is hybrid. Not just for the office environment, but for how companies, clients, and partners will work together long term. As the pandemic forced long-term closures and social distancing requirements, marketers, too, faced the cancellation or rescheduling of in-person events, networking, conferences, store grand openings, and more. Virtual events and live-streaming were quick to become a mainstay as marketers pivoted to find new ways to engage with customers, prospects, and the community. Using platforms like Zoom and technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to create immersive experiences, hybrid options are providing increased access and comfort to those who require or prefer the virtual environment.
And, shockingly, when we transitioned to being a fully remote company we continued to thrive, onboarding new clients, doing great work, and enjoying less of a commute. When returning to the office in our original full-time capacity was discussed at quarterly planning sessions, there was no sense of urgency. We were successfully doing our thing without the traditional butts-in-seats metric for productivity. We also found new ways to stay productive in the virtual landscape and to support our team.
However, we did acknowledge that there are benefits to face-to-face collaboration on projects, brainstorming sessions, and all-around fun that happen organically when in person that you just can’t get over Zoom. And thus, Avenue continues to focus on what’s next: Finding and using the spaces of our agency friends and partners, getting together in person for socially distanced team activities, and perhaps creating a new office space where we can mingle together in the future 😉. Stay tuned!
How We’re Leaning into the Hybrid Workplace
First things first. As we embraced the remote work environment and the realization that we were in it for the long haul, Avenue’s first order of business was to get every team member equipped with a state-of-the-art workstation. In fact, the transition to working from home 100% allowed us to upgrade our office equipment to brand new Fully sit-stand desks (bonus: They also are a Certified B Corporation!), new monitors and desk chairs, and more. It’s important to Avenue that all team members have what they need to be comfortable and productive in their home office. New team members are now sent all of their virtual workstation items directly to their homes before their first day.
Check out our Team Takeover highlight on Instagram to see our work-from-home setups and a day in the life of Avenue’s team members.
In addition to our individual home office setups, the hybrid model has allowed us to be more intentional about planning team-building activities and in-person quarterly and annual planning retreats as well as allowing for flexible schedules. It’s common for a dog’s grooming appointment, midday workout, or a walk around the block to show up on calendars. We’re flexible so that our team members can have the freedom to take care of their personal lives around work.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the flexibility of being a remote and hybrid company has allowed team members to work abroad in Bologna, Italy, for three months — as well as from the Oregon Coast, Joshua Tree, California, and other places on the road and on the go!
The Positive Impact of the Hybrid Workplace at Avenue
As a team, we’ve cut our carbon emissions with employees no longer making commutes to and from the office. And we’ve been able to take the savings from no longer carrying an office lease and reinvest it directly back into our team. This year, we also rolled out Avenue’s official Summer Holiday Week and Winter Holiday Week when we close our virtual office to help our team members take a break. These months have been an opportunity to continually learn and adjust our practices to help our team build resilience and be empowered to rest and recharge. As we begin 2022, we will continue to learn and evolve while making progress toward being a better remote and hybrid workplace for our team.
This article was originally published at https://www.linkedin.com. B The Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
