Connections and Remote Work

The 1st thing we said when the pandemic broke out was “We do remote monitoring; we WILL get this remote thing right”.

Here we are, eight months into COVID and our new reality of remote work. I believe a majority of the high-tech industry has reached similar conclusions:

• Remote work works. To a degree. Productivity can remain high with a team dedicated to a mission.
• We spend less time commuting and have more time for personal commitments. However, over time, many have become emotionally depleted as lines between work and life have become blurred.
• There is less brainstorming; potentially creativity is lost.  
• People miss the social aspects of work: personal interaction, spontaneous discussion, feeling connected. Moreover, it is more of a challenge for new employees to build relationships and develop an attachment to the organization.

As we began adapting to this new mode of work, it quickly became clear that we need to be intentional about sustaining our organizational culture and sense of belonging.  As Nuvo’s management team, we knew we wanted to focus on communication, community, and compassion. Managers had to find new ways to support their employees – being mindful that everyone is different. This required more flexibility, empathy and kindness than was needed before to build and retain trust. In August we conducted a survey, to validate our assumptions about remote work to help us determine what to focus on.  A particularly successful initiative was a remote yet interactive session, led by Aylon Slater, an organizational consultant and expert on cross cultural training, which engaged all three of our sites (Israel, Ukraine and US). We learned about similarities and differences across business cultures and gained tips for more effective communication. After all, focusing on communication includes embracing and openly discussing our cultural variability. In addition, we implemented new collaboration tools, sent care packages, and continue to recognize and celebrate small and large efforts. Regardless of the initiative, our guiding principle is to be honest, be flexible and be kind.

At Nuvo, we have evolved and adapted to our changing environment. Much has been gained as well as lost; I like to think of the change in terms of “different”, not better or worse. What most of us want is the best of both worlds. The flexibility of working from home, with a sense of connection and community we all need. We firmly believe that we can be both relentless about achieving results and compassionate towards our employees. Clearly, for many organizations remote work in varying degrees is here to stay and this is a huge workplace transformation. For Nuvo, the future of work is hybrid.

As I reflect on our new reality, I cannot help paralleling the development of a new employee experience to Nuvo’s mission to virtually connect pregnant women and providers, enabling a new, empowering patient experience. At Nuvo we are passionate about creating connections, connecting moms to high quality pregnancy care, connecting providers to high quality maternal and fetal data and connecting employees to our mission and to one another. We are all so much stronger when we feel connected.