Greetings from the Home Office - Episode 5: Roman Reichelt, Credit Suisse
Roman Reichelt, head of marketing at Credit Suisse, opens the doors to his new workplace within his own four walls in the fifth episode of the "Greetings from the Home Office" series.
Roman Reichelt is Head of Marketing at Credit Suisse (Switzerland). The 37-year-old is responsible for all marketing initiatives, advertising campaigns, events and sponsorship appearances of the Swiss universal bank. Digital, Content & Data Marketing is also in his area of responsibility. He previously held management positions in marketing at Migros for more than nine years, with overall responsibility for the last few years.
Werbewoche.ch: How long have you been in a home office?
Roman Reichelt: We have already been working in so-called "split operations" for two weeks, i.e. one half of the team is in the right office, the other in the home office. But since Tuesday, March 17, we are all at home.
Did you face any technical issues while setting up your workstation?
No. Credit Suisse is spread across many offices, and Skype conferences are part of our daily routine either way.
Where have you set up?
I am lucky that we have a study and guest room. Honestly, so far it was rather the latter. The room is bright, has a view and sun. It could have been worse.
The coronavirus has society firmly in its grip. Those who can stay at home, stay at home. The advertising and communications industry is also shifting operations to the home office on a large scale. With the series "Greetings from the home office," Werbewoche.ch sheds light on everyday working life within the four walls of one's home.
Published so far:
What all do you need to be able to do your job?
Coffee (laughs). And of course: my laptop, a headset and a stable Swisscom connection. Plus lots of white sheets of paper to sketch and organize ideas and connections. For security reasons, by the way, I can't work on my private computer, but work on everything nicely separated on my secure CS laptop.
Is it difficult to separate yourself enough when the children are at home?
No, since two-thirds of my workday consists of phone calls, I'm pretty clear about when I'm not available. But I can hold my little son in my arms every coffee and lunch break - an absolute emotional plus.
Do you have home office experience or is this a first?
I have only rarely made use of this so far. I prefer to be around people.
Based on initial experience: Which processes are difficult compared to the normal office routine?
My people know and fear that I get up and draw on the whiteboard more often. That's how I usually sort out thoughts or discussions. Now I send photos of these doodles or have to be more precise with language on the phone.
Which jobs go smoothly?
Actually everything else.
Is there anything that works even easier or more productively on its own?
Prepare meetings intensively. While you are often interrupted in the office, you can study documents for longer at a stretch at home.
Should the home office phase last longer: What do you do to keep the ceiling from falling on your head?
That won't happen. The optimist has something to gain from everything in life. Just like the two figures that have made it onto my desk by chance: a Super Mario, who stands for joie de vivre, and an old Nano from Migros, who is a bit grumpy, but also makes me laugh. (laughs).
What do you miss most about the physical office environment?
The thing I love most: people.
As we all know, everything has its positive sides. What is it in your current home office situation?
As I said: better suited for basic strategic questions and preparatory work. But I would trade that back without hesitation for physical workshops, fun and discussions with my team.
