Looking at the positive side of the negative pandemic events that have taken place over the last year and a half, they have brought change and accelerated the way we work together at Gosselin immensely.

The moving industry before COVID was not a frontrunner of having digital meetings; we would mostly update each other either via phone or wait for the next conference to come around and talk about the latest changes or ideas for a more fruitful partnership. The pandemic has shown us that we can look each other in the eyes more often and personally solve issues together right on the spot, instead of resorting back to the usual phone calls or emails or even waiting to address them in person.

This shift also applies within the company. I have found myself on numerous video calls that were funnily interrupted by whining dogs, sudden cat tails and children running around the house yelling for a soda. These experiences create a bond in a different way, making work a lot less static and more personal.

The other week, I had a 5:00 pm call that lasted more than two hours, while talking about many personal topics and a full video tour of my colleague’s dacha (a Russian summer house in the countryside). I’m cherishing these moments, as I wouldn’t have experienced such a great two-hour conversation without the transition to digital video meetings. Instead, I would have been in a physical office on just a normal phone call.

Clients also are lot more open for new digital solutions to assist with their moves, which gives more flexibility and saves traffic pollution and cost. It’s definitely a win-win scenario, but believe a lot of that topic was covered in the last Portal magazine.

Working from home and the flexibility that comes with it definitely has some big perks for everyone in the company. It gives more control of your own time schedule, especially with children or a partner using the same home connection as you are. On the other side, it also requires ownership and doesn’t work for everybody. Having my vaccine now for a week, I’ll just hope we will not have a black or white scenario but combine the best of both worlds, as I still can’t imagine only working from my home. Business-wise and industry-wise, let’s continue riding this wave of change for the better, both internally and for our clients!