Greetings from the home office - Episode 3: Christoph Bürge, Butcher Rottmann Bürge

Christoph Bürge is CEO of MRB Metzger Rottmann Bürge. He has been an advertiser through and through for over thirty years and is responsible for creative and multiple award-winning campaigns in all industries at renowned agencies in Germany and abroad.

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

Christoph Bürge: The agency is definitely in the home office since Tuesday. It was somehow a weird picture to see the employees moving out with screens, chairs and plants. And this although the agency will move to the new location in Zurich's Kreis 4 in spring anyway.

Is your entire agency located in a home office?

The whole MRB is in the home office. The whole MRB? No! Bruno (Editor's note: Bruno Breitenmoser, Production, Partner MRB) holds down the fort at the agency and makes sure that all the information, documents and tools flow into the home offices if they aren't there already. And I commute between my home office at home and my new home office (there's no one there anymore) at the agency - a totally new way of working.

Did you face any technical issues while setting up your workspace at home?

MRB was well prepared, external access to the server intact, platforms and software for decentralized work installed, first digital team meetings held, etc. - the transition to the home office was seamless.

Where have you set up?

At home, I snatched up the living room with a view of the greenery. It's almost better than the backyard view at the agency. The only challenge with two home offices is to always have the right cables and equipment in the right place.

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

Laptop, mobile, internet, paper, pencil, coffee, brain power. And the daily inspiration of all the other MRBers.

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

My teenage daughter is totally upset that she can't go to school and meet her friends. So she really soaks up the daily e-schooling and spends an extra hour on social media platforms. We don't get in each other's way - except in the kitchen - and are a good home office team.

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

I've always put aside the agency hustle and bustle from time to time and like to work at home, putting one strategy or another down on paper in total peace and quiet. Now it's the other way around, at home I almost only conduct video meetings and then briefly drive to the deserted agency for a few quiet moments.

Based on initial experience: Which processes are difficult compared to the normal daily routine at the agency?

So far, everyone is very focused at work. Although we actually suspected a slowdown in the agency's daily routine, we are moving extremely briskly and efficiently. However, we will quickly miss the face-to-face meetings and the constant creative exchange of everyday agency life. And the client meetings, too.

Which jobs go smoothly?

Actually, everything works smoothly or even better. What is often done on the fly in the agency's daily routine now has to be tackled in a more organized and structured way from the home office. That's good.

Executive Board meeting in Corona times: Silvan Metzger, Michael Rottmann (from left) and Christoph Bürge (bottom right) meet via video chat.

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

Employees show up more punctually for video meetings than they do in the agency's day-to-day boardroom... 😉 You can definitely keep that up after the Corona timeout, please!

Should the home office phase last longer: What do they do to prevent the ceiling from falling on your head?

We set out to make the home office feel like normal everyday life: Fixed working hours. Regular exercise. Breaks and inspiration. Well-furnished workplace. No trainer pants.

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

I miss the many people around me and the many human little things that home office and the digital world can never, ever replace.

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

Home Office in extremis is a new work experience that will make us fitter and more agile for whatever comes our way after the Corona sabbatical. I'm looking forward to it!