Welcome back to On the Rise, where we explore how businesses can operate on kindness and put nice folks first. This month, I’m looking at the future of work.
In the Pavilion and Operatix 2021 State of Sales Development report, we found that nearly 95% of SDR teams can work remotely and 87% of companies are either fully remote or hybrid.
The Wall Street Journal also raised good questions around remote and hybrid workplaces in a recent article.
Similarly, I’m wondering about the impact of our work environments. Are there soft cues that can’t be recreated virtually? Will people really be comfortable in an office again? Can we find a solution that actually works for entire teams?
Not to mention the interpersonal dynamics of remote vs. office. Is there some kind of weird advantage that opens up to people based on where they work? Maybe the hard-charging, reckless CEO looks down on those at home or remote folks get lost because they’re the only ones not sitting at the physical table.
Or do great candidates opt out of companies that force them to show up in person? Do parents that have grown to love extra time with their families opt out of the in-person setting and do remote-first companies end up getting better talent?
At Pavilion, we are fully remote with team members across the United States. We did this as much out of necessity and opportunity as any kind of conscious intention. We grew rapidly in the middle of the pandemic and there seemed to be great talent all over the country — from Oregon to Texas to Florida.
On one hand, we brought in more diverse perspectives (more on that in Volume 1). On the other hand, most of us have never actually met our colleagues.
Clearly, there’s some kind of cost to this approach. No water cooler moments. No instant feedback on your cold call. No learning via osmosis.
Our solution is to choose moments for in-person connections and bonding that come from a more traditional office setting. We’re hosting our first in-person company offsite next week, fittingly called Come Together. And we’re exploring an option I call Clubhouses, shared working spaces that can function as regional offices of Pavilion for those who want it.
Talking with my friends from BombBomb, AlphaSense, and Ethena, I heard a similar refrain. Offices are open for those that want to come in, but few do. So, they’ve had to get creative with their office space. Now they are all looking at using their offices as an event space, renting it out for others to take advantage of the setting.
I’ll just come out and say it — I think remote first is better. But, of course, and despite the fact that I run a networking company, I’m a homebody introvert.
But who knows what the future of work will hold?
Founded in response to the rise in remote learning and working, Class aims to bring human connection to a virtual world. Pavilion member Russell Teter told me the software was originally built to replicate a classroom setting on Zoom, but almost immediately, the Class team got inbound interest for corporate use cases.
As companies continue to adapt to employee preferences, we need a way to facilitate one-on-one conversations, breakouts, and interactions typically associated with in-person training or meetings, virtually.
I believe businesses like Class will be the way forward. We all need connection, but the ways to achieve that are vast and open the door for exciting new ideas and technology.
We worked with Ambition to interview top revenue leaders on how they motivate hybrid or remote sales teams — without compromising growth. Download the guide.
This time will have long-term mental health effects on your team. Here’s how you can support them and create a culture of balance. Read more.
Last month I talked about our support of Ecologi to plant trees and reduce carbon. This holiday season, we’re working with Pavilion members to fund 50,000 trees by the end of 2021. You can keep track of our progress or donate here.
Thanks for reading. If anyone is in the Tucson area this week, I’m running the marathon on December 4 and would love to meet up.
Until next time,
Sam
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