Joining our Spotlight on Human Capital event is Stacey McKibbin, CEO at Consilio and Google Certified Speaker, to lead a panel discussion on fostering company culture in the era of remote work.
Company culture is an integral part of the overall employee experience. Meetings, lunches, events, training workshops, and even corporate travels—all of these allow employees an opportunity to socialize, learn new skills, and advance in their careers.
But then, in a blink of an eye, the pandemic changed the work dynamics within organizations as everyone shifted to remote work. The connection that was once present in the workplace dwindled, as employees worked at home and had to find new ways to collaborate from their computer screens.
What can business leaders do to provide employees with a good experience, wherever they may be working, and help them deal with feelings of isolation and disconnect while doing so?
We recently had a quick Q&A with Stacey McKibbin, CEO at Consilio, to discuss the new employee experience.
Q: What is a typical morning routine for you?
My typical morning routine includes a little bit of meditation. I like to read to kick-start my day. Sometimes I’ll read articles, sometimes books. It just depends on my mood. Then I have to take my dog for a walk and get the kids off to school. At this point, my day starts, generally consisting of getting my day mapped out and kicking off a meeting or two since I am in business development.
Q: What’s your primary source of news? Where do you go for updates on industry trends?
I like to use my Flipboard app on my phone. That’s generally the one where I’ll get national and international news. I’ve got several peer groups that I’m a part of, and that is where I get a lot of my industry-related information. Things start going on in the business community that I think affects professional services and B2B businesses. I read a ton, probably on average, two books a month, so that’s where I get my information.
Q: Is there a figure in the HR world that you admire?
I often will think of Simon Sinek for HR, who wrote “Start With Why” because he is big into work culture. I’m big into Stephen Covey as well for a lot of the same reasons. They focus on how you can own your responsibility to create results. I believe in a human capital space; that’s a big part of what it’s about in the software, in the technology space.
Q: Can you give us a teaser about your upcoming session with us?
I just finished a survey with business owners asking, “what is the new norm in terms of the virtual environment and the remote workspace.” Without fail, the vast majority, and that was over 60%, said we are going to come back into some hybrid space where it’s going to be a little bit home, a little bit remote, a little bit in the office, and it will fluctuate between the two.
I don’t see a massive shift for going back to the office anytime soon. I think this is the new normal. So learning how to manage yourself and your team concerning this remote work environment will be critical to success long-term. If you’re the one working remote, or you’re the one driving a return to the office, you’re going to experience this all around you with your colleagues and the rest of the team. So I think having your arms wrapped around it and understanding how to effectively navigate this new environment will be critical to your long-term success.
Stacey will be part of a panel discussion, “Virtual Culture: The New Employee Experience” at our Spotlight on Human Capital event on August 5. Save your spot today.