Greetings from the Home Office - Episode 39: Roger Hämmerli, Andy Was Right

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

Roger Hämmerli: We have just started a cautious return. Slowly, everything is ramping up again. However, since we never had "office duty", each employee can just arrange it as they like and all non-mandatory meetings are held via Slack/Zoom.

Is - or rather was - your entire company in a home office?

At the beginning of the extraordinary situation, home office was mandatory for the whole team. From time to time I was in the office to water plants or empty the mailbox. My employees would never have forgiven me if our plants had not survived it.

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

Not really. All of the employees have Macbooks and the necessary tools installed at our place. For me personally, it wasn't a problem either, since my apartment could be described more as a tech and gadget retailer.

Where have you set up?

Funnily enough, I spent most of my time standing at my refrigerator (see photo). The simple setting and comfortable working height helped keep me from getting completely rusty. Otherwise, of course, at my office desk or the "podcast chair".

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

A smartphone with enough battery and my voice in good shape.

Have you had to "upgrade" or move materials out of the office during the home office period?

No. When we broke down the tents here, I grabbed the most important utensils for our podcast and then that was it.

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

I was never the home office type. When I was at Ringier, the weekend was my home office because I couldn't show up at the office all the time. Otherwise, I've managed to avoid the home office so far. I'm not often in my apartment, but when I am, I want to switch off.

Which processes are difficult to handle "from a distance" compared to normal everyday work?

As a start-up, the biggest challenge was to further sharpen the team culture and processes. In the last few weeks, we have also expanded a lot and training employees via Slack call is somehow not so casual - to put it diplomatically.

Which jobs go smoothly?

Operationally, all the work went smoothly. There was and is nothing to complain about. My team did a great job and I'm very proud of them for mastering the task so brilliantly.

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

Not for me. I simply function differently. But for individual employees, the home office is a true creative space. Our Andys should step on the gas where they personally function best.

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

Fortunately, I have a duplex apartment that lets me walk a lot of stairs. I also do my morning and evening laps in Glattpark. Otherwise, I throw myself into work. When you've just launched a start-up, there's nothing better than putting all your focus on it.

Did you learn or perfect anything during that time?

If I were to say cooking, that would be laudable, but just plain wrong. I honestly didn't have time to pursue another passion besides work - but that's okay with me.

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

Difficult to say. You'd have to ask my coworkers if I've become obnoxious or if they can still take it.

What do you miss most about the physical workday?

Since we very often network and work directly together, the personal exchange is missing. Those short two to three sentences so that both sides understand what is meant and, of course, contact with the team. In a young company, characters are still finding their roles and for that you have to spend a lot of time together.

What do you generally miss about normal everyday life?

I'm actually from Glarus. I had my peace and quiet there for 18 years, and when something was going on in the city - yes, Glarus can call itself a city - it was great. What I like about Zurich is the fact that there is always something going on. This city is alive on every corner and in every alley. Of course, that has been lost and I would like to have that "feeling" back.

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

Nothing. Anything else would be a lie. But I am grateful for the many "free" lessons that the crisis has given me as CEO.

Are you confident that your company will survive the crisis?

At the beginning of the crisis, I thought to myself: "Shit, you have the huge challenge you always wanted and now something like this happens...". I'm sure I have more gray hair now than I should have at the age of 29, but I'm currently more confident than ever that we've not only come out of the crisis stronger, but that it has also essentially shaped us as a start-up and a team.

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

Our team has learned a lot when it comes to communication. Suddenly, we can't just communicate every little thing across the table, but have to pay attention to how information is best received. Every employee had to learn how to communicate more efficiently and clearly. A young team here is just having communication lessons on the fly, and that will be useful to us long after the crisis is over.

To what extent will Andy was Right benefit from the crisis or from the lessons learned from it?

Many companies have realized how important fast, authentic communication can be. You don't always have time for long decision-making processes and eternal discussions. We were able to show many new customers how to react to circumstances on a daily basis. For us, the crisis was an opportunity to test our business model in extremis - with success. We have never been busier.

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

Laughter and stupid jokes are never in short supply here. With Leo, we have the flat joke master par excellence in our house, and Remo just made another roar yesterday when he imitated Christian Gross' legendary FCB Locker Room speech. It's remarkable how old we are by now. Our interns have looked very distraught.

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

As a newcomer to the industry and a start-up, I don't want to raise my finger too strongly here and hand out big advice. I can only advise what has helped me during this time: Not to look left and right all the time, but to focus on your own business. The opinions of others don't pay your bills at a time like this.