Greetings from the home office - Episode 34: Pam Hügli, Serviceplan Suisse

Pam Hügli is CEO and partner of Serviceplan Suisse. She has been in advertising for over 20 years and has many years of experience in brand positioning and management of national and international brands. Collaboration in a spirit of partnership and a lively exchange with clients are particularly important to her. Besides communication, cooking is one of her great passions. This was even the case before the home office.

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

Pam Hügli: Since March 16, 2020, so soon two months. But the sense of time is somehow already lost after two weeks.

Is your entire agency located in a home office?

Yes, except for individual employees who take care of the rights on site in the House of Communication from time to time. Of course, taking into account the known precautions.

Did you face any technical problems when setting up your workstation back then?

No. Surprisingly, no. The move went very smoothly. Even then, solidarity among each other was shown by organizing car pools to bring monitors or other hardware to the home office.

Where have you set up?

At my house at the dining table.

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

A laptop and a large screen. And after the first few weeks, I realized that normal chairs are probably not ideal for my back. My colleagues are now amused by the fact that I bounce around during calls. I also bought myself a fancy standing desk, brand self-made: stool on dining table. Running.

Is it difficult to separate yourself enough when the children are at home?

I don't have one myself. But the neighborhood kids recently got a trampoline. It's right under my workplace. My joy about this is limited.

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

Absolute premiere. And I'm doing really well. To be honest, I wouldn't have thought so.

Which processes are difficult compared to the normal everyday life of an agency?

Votes. One finds oneself endlessly in calls.

Which jobs go smoothly?

Reconciliations. They usually start more punctually.

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

Voting. No sooner is one over than the next one begins.

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

I spend two to three hours a day outside with my dog Lola and train her to be a show dog on our walks (a second leg never hurts).

Has something like home office jitters started to set in for you?

No. I have Netflix. And a full wine cabinet. And my business partner, Raul Serrat, who put rye in my mailbox for my own sourdough bread production (bananabread is for beginners).

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

Although we sometimes have very cheerful calls, I miss the spontaneous laughter with colleagues, joking around and banging slogans in the hallway.

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

It would be presumptuous to claim that it will pass us by without leaving a trace. But we are trying to create as good a starting position as possible for the post-Corona era. Together we can do that.

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

I am impressed by the cohesion among each other and the attentiveness of the work colleagues. Although we are physically separated, it feels to me as if we have all become closer nevertheless. That is a good feeling.

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

I actually laugh every day with my colleagues. We try to see the whole thing in a positive light. But last week I had a very personal constellation. On this day my mood was - admittedly probably quite obvious - pretty bad. When I came home after walking the dog, I found a beautiful bouquet of flowers with words of encouragement from my GL colleagues Kerstin Schnyder and Sonia Ducu. That really got me up.

Even if you don't have a crystal ball: Do you expect the current situation to continue for a long time?

We stick to the predictions of the crystal ball of Dani Koch and Alain Berset.

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

Wine. Helps. Always.