Greetings from the home office - Episode 37: Benjamin Moser, MediaCom Switzerland

Benjamin Moser has held various positions at MediaCom Switzerland for seven years and recently took on the role of CEO. He started his career at Mindshare and Carat in Germany.

Werbewoche: Home office time is coming to an end in many places - when will you return to the agency?

Benjamin Moser: We have created a concept that allows employees to return to work from May 11. The employees themselves decide when and how often they want to work from the agency.

Is your entire agency located in a home office?

For the most part, we are in our home office. Occasionally, colleagues are on site when there are tasks that are not feasible from the home office, or when the ceiling at home threatens to fall on our heads.

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

No, or at least no problems for which MediaCom is responsible. Only my two boys sometimes steal the bandwidth in the W-LAN, as a result of which the team calls are jerky.

Where have you set up?

I'm lucky enough to have my own room, where I can work undisturbed and which has everything I need. The only thing missing was a good office chair, which I got from the agency after the first few days in the home office.

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

The most important thing is to have enough time to talk to our customers and colleagues. A little unoccupied time in the diary helps a lot, because often the conversations without a specific reason are the most valuable.

Did you have to "upgrade" or get materials from the agency during the home office period?

I ordered a different keyboard online that is much more user-friendly, having previously chosen my hardware based more on design than function.

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

Since I have my own room and my wife keeps the two bullies in check during the day, it's no problem for me to distance myself. Nevertheless, the two of them regularly crash my video calls, which is currently almost part of the good tone and no one has ever held it against me. Nevertheless, I know from many people in the agency that it can be very challenging to do justice to your job and your children at the same time.

Have you had home office experience before or is this a first?

Until now, there was rarely a reason for a home office, at most in emergencies or when a craftsman had to come by. I've never been a big fan of it - but I can see a few advantages now.

Which jobs go smoothly?

Everything that concerns the factual and factual works quite well. I would even say that many tasks can be done a little more efficiently. You are less disturbed in your concentration, or you can decide much easier not to be disturbed for the moment than when you are sitting in the office.

Which processes are difficult compared to the normal everyday life of an agency when you have to do them "from a distance"?

We are an agency. A very central part of that is the interpersonal and personal exchange, away from all the to-dos. For example, I have a hard time at our virtual town hall meetings. You can't directly observe colleagues' reactions to what you say and present, which is why it's harder to gauge the mood. That's why I also take the time every day to talk on the phone with at least two employees with whom I don't otherwise work directly every day. I am very interested in how my employees are doing and how I can support them in this difficult situation.

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

People are more accessible, meetings always start on time, and I feel like I'm making faster progress on many topics.

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

When I need to get my mind off things, I go to my game room and try to improve my high scores. It's a great way to switch off and recharge my batteries.

Did you learn or perfect anything during that time?

Yes, my "live catch" and "shatzing" techniques while playing pinball are getting better.

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

Yes, increasingly. I will definitely integrate some positive insights from the home office experience into my daily work routine, but I'm also really looking forward to seeing my MediaCom family again. I'm even looking forward to the daily traffic jam again.

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

This may sound strange, but I miss the car trips to the agency and back. For me, those are always the moments to get ready for the day in the morning and to recap and wind down in the evening. The trip from the dining room table to the home office is done in five seconds. There's no time for these rituals, and so the boundaries between work and leisure are often blurred.

What do you generally miss about normal everyday life?

Above all, I miss the freedom to travel. For example, I would like to visit my family in Germany again.

Looking back, what will you miss most about the current situation?

I will miss being able to see my boys every day, without exception, and to play a round of soccer with them in the garden for an unscheduled half hour.

Are you confident that your agency will survive the crisis?

I have no doubt whatsoever about that. We have long-standing and intensive partnerships with our customers. The current situation is even bringing us closer together and increasing our appreciation of how quickly and flexibly we have responded to the changes and developed new solutions.

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

We already had a strong sense of cohesion in the agency before Corona. However, this has become even stronger in the last few months and all colleagues meet each other with an unbelievable amount of understanding and willingness to help. This is of great importance to me and makes me even more aware of why I am part of this agency.

To what extent will your agency benefit from the crisis or from the lessons learned?

We see ourselves fully confirmed in our decision to rely on agile working methods, which we already implemented two years ago. This learned agility has made our work much easier, especially in the current situation, and has allowed us to focus fully on our customers instead of first having to come to terms with the new circumstances ourselves.

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

That was definitely in our last virtual townhall meeting and I laughed with joy. Our employees had played us a self-produced thank-you video for how we manage these difficult times. This gesture made me very happy and left me a bit speechless.

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

Strong and reliable agencies at the side of their customers have become even more important as a result of this crisis. Agencies that succeed in adapting to the changing needs of their customers need not fear for the future.