Flexibility opens the door to opportunity

Meetings were held virtually instead of in-person and at the office. She had to coordinate with her husband, who is a teacher, exactly who could focus on their work and when. At the time, her daughter was only four years old. Sometimes she would burst into an important meeting in her pajamas, or she would be hungry or bored and demand attention from her parents. “There was a fair amount of mutual understanding, because many colleagues felt the same way,” Lisa remembers. “The situation was a big challenge for everyone.” And it was something that could only be mastered as a team, both at home and at GF.

It took two weeks, but she then had a great idea for how to keep her daughter busy during working hours: a schedule with specific games and crafts, including defined breaks. “We had to buy a few more Lego sets, but it was worth it. After that, the days were more relaxing for all of us.”

Lisa also started to settle in better into her new job routine. Online training made it easier to use the new communication tools such as Microsoft Teams. “There was some initial skepticism, but our meetings quickly became more efficient,” says Lisa. Her team soon started to set specific meeting times to coordinate things. “You automatically get to the point faster if you only have 30 minutes for each topic,” Lisa says.

She learned during the pandemic that it pays to tackle challenging situations with an open mind and creativity while focusing on the positive aspects. For example, when she is working from home, she can distribute her working hours throughout the day with greater flexibility and can sometimes attend meetings in the late afternoon. Before the pandemic, she was a part- time employee and was only in the office until midday. Now it is possible to deal with personal matters between meetings or extend her lunch break if necessary. “The new flexibility has taken the pressure off my private life, so now I’m also much more relaxed at work.”

And there was also a new career move for Lisa. Just in time for her return to the office in April 2022, Lisa was appointed manager of a team of three. She goes into the office for half the time, and the other half she works from home. She even increased her workload from 50 to 70 percent, because she had been a part-time employee since becoming pregnant. “That was why I was not interested in a team leadership position. Now I have a good feeling about it. We have the necessary flexibility for a good work–life balance.” Lisa is grateful for this opportunity. “I think it’s great that GF practices its values like this and is open to hybrid work models.”