Post Pandemic Work Habits

It’s fair to say that an overwhelming percentage of the population has already begun to look at their lives as two distinct eras: pre-pandemic and post-pandemic. While the pandemic forced the business world to immediately adopt new tools and policies in order to survive, it also gave people as individuals the chance to assess what’s really working for them, and what’s not.

Here are just a few of the ways our team has adapted in this post-pandemic era, and some of the valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Angela - Studio Manager 

My whole outlook on life as a person has changed in the last 2 years. I take time to listen to what other people are saying and take in the whole picture of what is happening in a room or open space. I enjoy the company of others more, in conversation or through activity, and consciously direct my attention to that present moment. 

Engaging in laughter daily, and purposely leading with kindness and compassion fully with the surroundings of my world. If I have learned anything, though, it is to flow - not float - in life, as finding happiness in the simplest of pleasures, and letting go of the everyday hustle mentality has truly given me peace within myself.

“Sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses” - Mac Davis

Steve - Copywriter & Strategist

As a copywriter who works from home on a regular basis, I found that several of the work habits that carried me through the pandemic were already well established: self-motivation, time management, and forging a healthy work/life balance. The real challenge, I’ve found, is making sure the new remote-working technologies we now use don’t take the place of an authentic, human-first connection. Here’s a sample of what I’ve learned since March of 2020.

Eye contact is still important, even through a screen. I try to keep my client’s face visible, even when screen sharing or scrolling through pages and pages of documentation. Don’t forget to smile! Greet those you’re meeting with just as you would in a face-to-face - minus the handshake.

WhichoptiondoyoulikeIwantedtoaddresstheissuewiththethirdlinedownIpreferthesecondonearewereadytomoveforwardwiththis? Has this ever happened to you during a Zoom call? Give everyone some space, and allow the person speaking a tiny moment of silence when they’re finished. Not only is it respectful, but it helps with video delay in preventing chaos and confusion in meetings with multiple attendees. And be patient. I can’t stress this enough! Always leave extra time for technical difficulties. Remember: not everyone is as familiar with these tools as you are.

Forming a human connection begins well ahead of the actual meeting, however. When forwarding a meeting link, especially an auto-generated one, I’ve started to include a brief personalized message to go along with it, even if it's just a short review of the date and time of the meeting itself with a point-for itinerary. Even better, get to know your customer’s communication preferences. A quick phone call can be more efficient than a video call or a mountain of emails if they spend a lot of time out of the office.

Most importantly, don’t ever lose sight of your own skills. Technology doesn’t tell your client’s story. You do. 

Charlee - Graphic & Web Designer + Digital Marketing

What has become apparent, during and in the continued aftermath of the pandemic, is that everyone can make an active choice to be kind; to give grace and patience to each other. And we will need to keep actively choosing because there is still an unknown amount of emotional fallout still to come from the pandemic. So practicing the ability to see past anger and get to the root cause of issues has become so important. 

If someone is particularly spicy, it could very well be two years of compounded stress, as they’ve been trying to hold it all together. The need for empathy and patience in the world is at an all-time high. Being generous doesn’t cost you anything, and you don’t lose anything by being kind, inclusive and patient. 

As a designer, I was grateful for the flexibility and adaptability that came with remote work. It was a big eye opener for agencies and freelancers alike that we could be just as effective from home. You didn’t need a 3000 sq foot office to run a successful business. It’s of course, a blessing and a curse but I for one, am hopeful and glad of how the Hybrid work model continues to evolve. I believe hybridity and flexibility will be one of the answers to widespread burnout. If we can balance and feel in control of our time, we can be more creative, productive, and present with our loved ones. 

Genesis - Senior Designer + Digital Marketing

As a “remote working” designer, the pandemic never felt like a massive shift of my daily habits, but it helped me see many things from a different perspective.

I’ve learned that taking care of my own mental health should always be my #1 priority. Making time for passion projects, or simply to do the things I like, is not selfish. Even little things like a “Gratitude Journal” have helped me lower my stress, anxiety, and to appreciate life even more.

Our bodies are always talking to us, we just have to listen carefully. In my case, when I feel less productive than I know I can be, I take the afternoon off. Some personal time away from work tasks is just what my mind needs to recharge.

I’ve started to plan things to look forward to during the month. Sometimes we spend too much time working and we forget that life goes by so fast, and those things we add to our bucket list stay in our notebooks gathering dust. The next item on my list is to learn how to roller skate.

People out there go through complicated situations that power the way they think, behave or act (or, for example, how they respond to emails), and it’s up to me to understand that it’s not personal. We have 2 ways to see a “difficult” situation: from a perspective of hate, or one of love. It’s up to us to decide.

Dani Groeneveld- Copywriter & Strategist

When I was asked to write about the work habits that have changed for me since the pandemic, I wasn’t sure I’d have much of a response. To be honest, the pandemic didn’t really change many working habits for me because I’m an introvert who lives in a rural area (i.e. I see and talk to no one most days) and I have worked remotely for many years. 

And, if I’m being honest, when the pandemic hit, I was relieved at the idea of not having to attend the very few in-person clients meetings I did have arranged. 

What did change for me, though, was something I didn’t expect at all actually. When everything locked down, it felt like for a moment, that we all finally had permission to just stop. 

As a self-proclaimed robot who was working on a computer an easy 10+ hours a day, I never really felt permission to stop anything I was doing. In fact, the days of busyness just blended together into years of forgetting how to live. 

And when the order to stay inside came, the very inside that I had stayed in for so many years, that was the day I remembered I could go outside. It’s funny how it took the pandemic, a time when we weren’t allowed to “live our lives” to teach me that I actually had a life to live too. 

Since then, I’ve been working on remembering how to be a person. So I practice working less,  saying no more, closing the computer (most days) before 4:30 pm and enjoying the slow evenings with my family. I’ve even made a vow that I am now allowed to open my computer until 9 am and am working on creating a routine to ensure that I move my body for 1 hour every day before I sign into the cloud (aka the world wide web). 

Oh and hugging. I’ve really taken to hugging every familiar face I see when I do make it into town because I never knew how much I appreciated that simple gesture until it became illegal to give them. So if you know me, and happen to see me out in the real world, prepare yourself for a big ol’ hug from yours truly.

Ashleigh - Freshly Pressed Owner & Founder  

What shifted the most for me through the pandemic was my ability to share my humanity. This impacted how I approach my work/life balance.

I used to attempt to show up as if I was some type of genetically modified human, absent of errors and imperfections, and the need to sleep! The pandemic has taught me that, behind our corporate facades, we are all HUMAN - and with that comes flaws and authenticity.

I created stronger boundaries for my working hours, so that I can be 100% present in the rest of my life, for my family and for my health & wellness. For the first time this year I took a two week vacation, unplugged and put my trust in my team. I can’t express how refreshing that was, and how energized I was afterwards, ready to get back at it!

I’ve also learned that life should be ENJOYED. We should have FUN on a regular basis. My work gives me purpose and drive; I truly love it, but there are a lot of other things in this great big world that I love as well. I make a point every day of bringing fun into my work, into the culture of our company and into my day-to-day life. 

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Are you starting to notice a trend? 

We believe that these answers speak to the agency Freshly Pressed strives to be: a human-focused company that Leads With Empathy. We apply these core values to everything we do, whether it’s engaging your clients, building a comprehensive marketing strategy or starting a new project with you.

These values didn’t come from a corporate mandate, however. It was something that grew organically out of the life experiences of our team as well as the amazing clients we’ve had the pleasure of working with. If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that we can ALL learn something from one another. Every day is an educational experience, and we look forward to discovering what tomorrow has to teach us.

~ Steve

Senior Copywriter

~ Angela

Studio Manager

~ Ashleigh

Founder

~ Genesis

Senior Designer

~ Charlee

Graphic & Web Designer

~ Dani

Copywriter