Greetings from the Home Office - Episode 36: Norbert Rieger, Michel Bognar and Elie Kerbage, Truestory

Elie Kerbage is co-founder of the Zurich-based digital creative agency TrueStory, which he runs together with Norbert Rieger and Michel Bognar. The team now comprises ten employees.

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

Elie Kerbage: Since March 16. I had just returned from vacation. Fortunately, the world was still in order on the alp. Arriving in Zurich was a bit special.

Is your entire agency located in a home office?

Michel Bognar: That's how it is. However, we are now slowly starting to work staggered in the office again - meaning a maximum of three people at a time. This way, we can also ensure compliance with hygiene regulations. With ten employees, this solution fits tiptop.

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

Norbert Rieger: Compared to the technical challenges we sometimes faced during live streaming or on production sets, setting up the workstation at home was a breeze.

Where have you set up?

Bognar: Depending on the weather and mood in the garden, in the living room or in the office of my apartment. Where I can be flexible, of course, I like to be.

Michael Bognar, co-founder and co-CEO of Truestory.

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

Rieger: Actually, just good ideas, a permanent video call to the team and my laptop. Secondscreen and desk chair certainly help too, but even more so the view of the greenery and the squirrel that passes by the window every day.

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

Kerbage: It is impossible to stand out. At least the weather was good all of April, which helped keep the kids busy in the garden. But no employer should be under the illusion that his employees achieve nearly the same level of productivity when there are children - in my case, two toddlers - frolicking around at home. My wife works a 70-percent schedule, and we share work and childcare time as much as possible. That at least helps to get organized to some extent.

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

Rieger: Since I live in St.Gallen and don't commute to Zurich every day anyway, I had already set up a good workspace at home before Corona. Overall, I work more productively from home, even if I already miss the personal exchange and my ping-pong victories at the agency.

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

Bognar: Team meetings usually develop a dynamic with emotional interactions. If, on the other hand, during the video call one participant "freezes" every 5 minutes, is distracted by other things in the background or most participants are tired because it is the fifth call of the day, then the team exchange becomes somewhat tedious.

Which jobs go smoothly?

Kerbage: In general, most of the work in our industry goes smoothly in the home office.

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

Rieger: Which has a positive effect on productivity: Because of the quiet environment, I can focus even better than in the hectic day-to-day life at the agency. And: lunch planning goes much faster! What always triggers a long discussion at the agency is now decided for me by my refrigerator.

Norbert Rieger, Co-Founder and -CEO of Truestory.

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

Bognar: Then I go for a walk with my wife and little daughter - that helps!

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

Kerbage: It depends somewhat on my own mood and that of my children. All in all, I am very grateful that our existence is not threatened. There are enough other SMEs in Switzerland that have to fight for survival. The price of staying at home is very low for us. And if the tantrum does make itself felt, I simply make myself a beer in the late afternoon.

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

Rieger: What I miss most is the commute, where I spend almost 4 hours a day on the train and streetcar... No seriously: I miss our insane team, the social exchange, the many laughs, the ping-pong matches and brainstorming sessions. And our comfortably furnished office.

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

Bognar: We have also lost some orders or they have been postponed indefinitely. This is very unpleasant in terms of responsibility for our employees. However, we now have time for many other things that we have always postponed until now. For example, our new website will go live soon and we are working on some very cool internal projects that we have wanted to do for a long time. So we definitely won't get bored.

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

Kerbage: Without having a guilty conscience, it's possible to live the kind of deceleration that you long for in the busy phases of everyday life at the agency. And even though it's always exhausting with the kids, it's also wonderful to be able to spend more time with them.

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

Rieger: We were sad when all festivals for this summer were cancelled and a very nice project we had planned for M-Budget in collaboration with JvM/Limmat thus unfortunately falls through. But most of the time I'm laughing. For example about some hilarious videos from previous projects of ours, which I just edited for the website. Have fun watching them.

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

Bognar: I don't think we'll all be really sure until a vaccine is developed.

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

Kerbage: We are all creative and will find one or the other solution to the crisis - everything will be fine.