The coronavirus pandemic has upended the lives of people all across Seattle, and those who are fortunate enough to still be working are adjusting to a new normal. The home now serves as an office and, for some, their child’s daycare center or school. The way people work has also changed, with all in-person interactions replaced by video chats, messaging apps and email. HR teams are finding new ways to monitor and maintain employee morale, and business leaders are adjusting their targets or pivoting teams to adjust to this new reality.
It’s a stressful and lonely time for many, and things may get harder before they get better. Yet even as many of us struggle to navigate the uncertainty of it all, many more are finding ways to lift each other up.
One such example comes from Fremont-based Volt Athletics, which analyzes users’ data to create personalized workout plans for athletes and coaches. Co-founder and CEO Dan Giuliani said his team had encountered a few unexpected bright spots during an otherwise dark time.
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We know this has been a trying time for everyone. But as your team has adapted to new working conditions, have you found any positive takeaways from this experience?
I’d say that an unexpected silver lining of this pandemic for our team has been a newfound appreciation for each other and a heightened sense of empathy. We’re all working through difficult circumstances (literally and figuratively) and the team is handling each other with grace and compassion. No one is working in an ideal environment right now and each person is dealing with different challenges. So if a dog barks or a baby cries in the background of a conference call, the other participants just laugh it off and carry on. We’re all in this together, even though we’re apart. We’re controlling what we can control, focusing on helping our users, and treating each other with kindness along the way. That caring has then trickled down into our user base and we have been really thrilled with the positive response we’ve gotten from our customers about the effort we are putting in to check on them and take care of them.
What lesson do you think your team has learned from this and how will you carry it forward into the business once things return to normal?
Our team transitioned fairly quickly to a fully distributed workforce and has been able to maintain a high level of productivity, which is a testament to the resiliency of our employees and their passion for our mission. Although I personally miss the vibrancy and energy of Volt HQ, one big lesson our management team is learning is that we can make things work as a distributed team. The trust we’ve built within our team is high and we’re pouring our hearts into helping our users. It’s empowering to learn that a distributed work model could be a viable option for our team going forward.
