Since the day Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker shut the state down due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we’ve been eagerly waiting to get back to work at the office. Of course, the work never stopped as BCDVideo is considered an essential business. That first Monday after the shutdown, we dove back in, keeping production and logistic operations in the facility, with sales and office operations working remotely. Not knowing any better at the time, our thought process was that in two months, we’d be back to normal. To quote Bob Uecker in the movie Major League, “oops, just a bit outside!”.
We kept up with demand, doing all we could to get things done. But even after all these months, remote work is still foreign to us. Our company culture has always depended upon being together.
From food truck company lunches, team meetings, March Madness brackets, and wellness program – both mental and financial – we’ve always worked to keep ourselves connected by doing these tasks together. We engage best as a team and thrive in spaces centered around collaboration, inclusion, and the general buzz within our facility.
That vibe was like music to me. As we are now over a year into it, I realize it is what I miss the most. There was always a certain electricity to it. That buzz had a driving beat. Now it’s time to get that harmony back.
Like other companies. we have taken numerous steps to invest in employee safety – having a nurse take temperatures, hand sanitizer stations throughout the building, wearing masks, social distancing, installing industrial-grade air purifiers, and having the building sanitized twice weekly. On top of this, our team members have invested in themselves, honoring their commitments on staying safe outside of the workplace.
As we start slowly bringing teammates back this month, our intention is to bring everyone back in house by July. We realize readjusting to what used to be our normal culture won’t feel “normal” for quite a while. Just because things are getting better doesn’t mean this isn’t hard and requires continued diligence.
The challenge, for myself and my company, is to embrace the transition and remember that individual productivity peaks within a shared community.
As Henry Ford said over 100 years ago, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
Working together has been our story of success for over two decades. We’ve adjusted for COVID over the past year, now COVID needs to readjust to the BCD way. That buzz you are hearing isn’t the 17-year cicadas, it’s the sound of success – BCD is back on track.