At The Receptionist, we use standups to communicate and stay connected with each other. President, Founder, and CEO Andy Alsop is joined by Sarah Reimer, our People Operations Coordinator to talk about how standups started, how they evolved during COVID, and the impact we’ve seen both professionally and to our culture.
From a Way of Communicating to Something a Bit Lighter
Standup meetings began when our team was smaller; as the team grew (and pre-COVID), we would still get together, in person for standups, making sure to communicate pertinent information with one another. The focus at the time was a bit more “business” and we aimed to be efficient with everyone’s time.
When COVID hit, and we went from semi-remote (a week in the office and then a week off), the Leadership Team realized that the mood had shifted and we needed a change. They wanted to lighten up the standups, so in addition to the business-related communication, we also check in personally: how people are doing, the status of our mental health, where and how we need support, and more.
FABRIC is Apparent in our Standups
We’ve been able to have fun in our standups (our Halloween standup is a favorite), and we’ve all added to our binge-watching lists thanks to everyone’s show recommendations. We’ve shared about our personal interests, family, and pets. Through these standups, we’ve been authentic and bold, learning to be more vulnerable with each other during this challenging time.
Though we look forward to being back in the office and back to our semi-remote schedule (at some point!), we plan to keep this lighter approach to our standups, in addition to checking off those business-related items that are also important. This evolution of standups is definitely one of the pros of COVID, and for that, we’re thankful.
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