Greetings from the home office - Episode 38: Matthias Kiess, TBWA\Zurich

Matthias Kiess has been with TBWA Switzerland since the end of 2004 and has been responsible for the Executive Board since 2012. Previously, he held various marketing positions in the consumer goods and pharmaceutical industries.

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

Matthias Kiess: We will target a phased return to the Office, which is expected to be ushered in on May 25, 2020.

Is your entire agency located in a home office?

More or less. There are a few who would like to renounce the home office and get a taste of the agency air again, which is why they keep coming back to the office. The famous second home.

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

No, that actually went without a hitch. The infrastructure was in place and the necessary software was already available and only needed to be activated.

Where have you set up?

On the one hand in the "Dependance" of my wife and me (see picture above), on the other hand in case of need conflicts distributed over the whole house. Terrace in good weather included.

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

Mobile, Wi-Fi, MacBook and rest.

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

A decent keyboard, a decent mouse, and a second monitor made my work life a little easier still.

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

Thanks to the fact that our "Dependance" is on a separate floor, the demarcation is much easier. But it doesn't prevent the little moments when the door opens shortly before noon and the youngest asks: "What's for lunch? You are quickly brought back to family reality and know what to do.

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

Well, the home office experience has been very sporadic so far and this compulsion to make a sudden change was then very eye-opening.

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

Many decisions are made in detailed conversations, and it is not always easy to conduct these via screens. If more sensitive conversations are called for, such as in the human resources area, screen-to-screen communication can seem very distant and impersonal. Pitch processes, on the other hand, also work remotely, although the exchange is different.

Which jobs go smoothly?

Project management and communication can easily be done remotely with the appropriate tools. As soon as it comes to the conception and coordination in the teams is necessary, the challenge becomes greater, but so far it has always worked without a hitch. In addition, over time, a familiarity develops in the collaboration, which makes many formalities superfluous.

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

Of course, the distraction is smaller and as soon as one deals with topics such as future issues, agency setup strategic concepts or calculations in the privacy of one's own home, the isolation certainly brings efficiency.

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

Ride your bike to the office every now and then. There's hardly anyone there and you're automatically in work mode and have almost more peace and quiet than at home. It's also important for me to be physically active, which I do with frequent side trips to the Horgenerberg.

Did you learn or perfect anything during that time?

I think we were lucky in bad luck with the beautiful weather. So I was able to acquire new skills in stand-up paddling and now transform our garden into a bijoux after a rebuild with disastrous aftermath. Which was exhausting, but at the same time a very satisfying activity. In general, one notices that thanks to the increased time available, the amount of physical activity has massively increased, which is very liberating.

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

I rather think that I have a Corona-coller, and not a Homeoffice-coller. What is currently happening here makes me very thoughtful and raises questions about proportionality.

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

One senses a great withdrawal, which manifests itself in a basic mood of skepticism, fear and risk aversion. The intuitively human, which shows itself, for example, in encounter, exchange or desire for change, is thereby repressed and leads to an unsatisfactory state.

What do you generally miss about normal everyday life?

The carefree attitude. Now everything is questioned and weighed.

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

This open form of working from the office and home office gives you more freedom that you can use for the benefit of yourself and your family, which definitely equates to an increase in quality of life.

Are you confident that your agency will survive the crisis?

Yes, I am. We are well positioned, have a strong team and a portfolio of great customers with whom we will continue to launch successful ideas together in the future.

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

As already alluded to above: the newfound freedom.

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

You must always approach new things with confidence. Changes are digested faster than you can think. Only those who are constantly in flux can move forward. So let's use the situation to once again question ourselves more about what we can do even better.

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

In the digital Monday meeting, 9 a.m. on Hangout. Because that's when you laugh the hardest at your own incompetence, when technology is once again in control and you're desperately asking yourself: "Did I do something wrong again? And the whole agency witnesses it online.

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

Stay brave.