Greetings from the Home Office - Episode 11: Katja Metz, Leo Burnett

Katja Metz, has been living in Switzerland for one and a half years and is Managing Director at Leo Burnett. Previously, she worked for over 20 years in creative and network agencies in Frankfurt and Berlin.

Werbewoche.ch: How long have you been in a home office?

Katja Metz: The agency has been in the home office since March 16. I personally went to the home office on March 17, as I was on vacation in Lapland. During this time, the home office was proclaimed. I didn't think I would return to my desk, but luckily I had my laptop with me.

Is your entire agency located in a home office?

Yes, we have moved completely into home offices. From almost 300 employees at Stadelhofen, we now have almost 300 individual offices. At the agency, only the reception desk is still manned to receive the mail.

Did you face any technical issues while setting up your workstation?

Our IT did a super job and provided all employees with the necessary hardware and software in no time at all. And if there's ever a problem, it's solved immediately. The guys should really be applauded.

Where have you set up?

I have a nice bright room with a desk. This is actually the guest room. But since it is not possible to receive guests at the moment, it is the office. But I always move around: to the kitchen, to the living room, to the balcony. A little change is good. At the agency, you're always in a different place.

What all do you need to be able to do your job?

My laptop, my cell phone and a cup of coffee. But most of all, I need my team. Without the team, nothing works, whether face to face or forced to go digital.

Do you have home office experience or is this a first?

Especially in my position, you have to be flexible. I'm usually available when I'm on the road - except when I'm on vacation. It's just that being tied to one place for so long is a big adjustment.

Based on previous experience: Which processes are difficult compared to the normal everyday life of an agency?

Of course, it's much easier if you can take a quick look at the screen during creation. You can quickly shout something out to each other or the employees come into my office with a question. Now you have to plan everything and it's much more time-consuming, you lose the spontaneity and what that creates. In addition, the constant sitting at the screen and a different kind of concentration that you have to muster is extremely exhausting. In the evening, I'm always much more exhausted than after a day at the agency.

Which jobs go smoothly?

Actually, almost everything works out amazingly well. Even heated dictions with the creation in a vote 😉

Is there anything that even works easier or more productively in the home office?

The coffee machine is closer.

What do they do to keep the ceiling from falling on your head?

I regularly do online Pilates or yoga, even that works quite well. After a full day at the desk, the exercise is extremely good in the evening. Otherwise, I do virtual dinners and aperitifs with friends. And music is very important. I need music several times a day, sometimes a little louder. Every morning I first listen to "Wake uP" by Arcade Fire at disco volume.

What do you miss most about the physical day-to-day life at the agency?

The liveliness and hustle and bustle that exists in the agency is completely missing. Video calls are all well and good, but they can never replace a face-to-face meeting. I also miss the meetings with clients, because it's always better to talk together around a table than in a Skype call where you can't see one person and hear the other.

As we all know, everything has its positive sides. What is it in your current home office situation?

As far as my colleagues are concerned, I think they have developed a great way of dealing with each other. Everyone is there for each other, tries to help where they can, and we find solutions together. "We are all in there together" is really lived. You are in this situation together and you also try to make the best of it together. I have to say I'm pretty proud of my team and my colleagues. We are growing together even more in the spirit of our motto "Power of One". It just works when we all pull together.

What would you like to give your colleagues in the industry to take with them through the crisis?

Try to take everything positive that now arises from the special situation and thus from the new way of working together with us when we go back to "normality". Such great moments of togetherness are emerging right now. I feel so much empathy and willingness to help, and we absolutely have to preserve that for the times after Corona.