Greetings from the home office - Episode 18: Tanja Hollenstein and Hans Peter Riegel, Riverside

Tanja Hollenstein and Hans Peter Riegel run Riverside together - their services include strategic consulting, communications, cultural projects, and digital film and publishing production. Tanja Hollenstein is one of the most renowned corporate communications consultants in Switzerland, while Hans Peter Riegel is known as an advertiser as well as an author and media artist. Riegel is a member of ADC Switzerland.

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

Tanja Hollenstein and Hans Peter Riegel: We were already in the home office before the Corona crisis, because we have been looking for a suitable office, actually more of a studio, for some time. But something like that is unfortunately very rare to find in Zurich, or completely overpriced. Over time, we got used to not having a fixed location. We work wherever we happen to be. On the road with the laptop and now primarily in the home office. We visit our clients or rent rooms for larger meetings in the various hubs just around the corner from us in Kreis 5.

Was it difficult to make the decision before the crisis to "settle down" in your own four walls, even professionally?

In our industry, there are always moments when something has to be finished, even in the evening or on the weekend, which is why a workplace at home is actually normal. As an entrepreneur, you are almost always in the office. That's why it wasn't difficult for us to decide not to have expensive offices until we had an optimal solution.

Were you well equipped for the current crisis thanks to the home office experience?

Riverside consists of four companies that deal with digital strategies and the various disciplines of digital communication. Simply because we permanently cooperate with external partners who bring special know-how with them and who are located in other places, not infrequently in other countries, we work networked via digital media. So even in the Corona crisis, we don't have to change practically anything in the way we work, and we have perfect "social distancing.

Where have you made your home?

The kitchen table is everything: office, studio, meeting and, of course, dining area.

Working tools.

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

Macs, laptops, phones, and coffee and Coke.

Which processes are difficult at home compared to an external office?

The meetings with clients, partners and colleagues also work via video conference - but the personal contact, which is a much more lively exchange in the literal sense, is missing.

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

Overall, we find that we work more efficiently, more concentrated and, of course, more cost-effectively without the conventional working methods and structures.

What do they do about the ceiling falling on your head?

A few strength exercises every morning, sports in the fresh air, horseback riding in the woods or just walks in the neighborhood to air out the head.

Wide search in circle 5.

What do you miss most about your normal day at work?

Spontaneous meetings.

Are you confident that your company will come through the crisis unscathed?

Everything is much quieter. Nevertheless, we are busy with various projects, preparing publications and, together with our culture division, the major festival for digital art - DA Z, which we are producing in the fall. We are also using the time to optimize our offering. Ultimately, it is of course extremely helpful in the current crisis to have virtually no personnel and infrastructure costs. We are therefore confident that we will emerge from the crisis even stronger.

Social distancing exercise at the front door.

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

We have never been so relaxed.

When and why did you last laugh in connection with the home office?

We always have a lot of fun.

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

Stay healthy, stay optimistic and dare to think new things.