Now that it seems like the worst of the pandemic is (finally!) behind us, we’ve had an opportunity to consider what the future of working together looks like at Superbolt. We are super excited at the prospect of gathering on our rooftop for a themed happy hour, exploring new lunch options with our colleagues, and getting back to the delicious office snacks that were always there for our mid-day-pre-client-meeting cravings.

At the same time, we’ve had to think about how to adjust these experiences to a post-COVID world, where the new normal will be hybrid systems (office/WFH).

During the pandemic, we saw the advantages of remote work (amongst them increased productivity, the potential for better work/life balance, no commute). However, we’ve also seen the problems (challenges in training and onboarding for new hires, difficulties in collaboration, less separation between work and home, a disparity in working conditions, a hit to company socialization). Despite appreciating our time at home, we can’t help but miss “before”, when our Paris team met for weekly breakfasts at a local café, and across the globe we could listen and contribute to the office’s Spotify playlist and learn about each person’s musical taste (or lack thereof).

Our first consideration has always been to follow CDC recommendations and keep our employees safe. Given the pace of vaccination and the overarching company consensus, it seems that a return to the office will be possible (and safe!) by September.

From our learnings, we think the best method going forward is a hybrid solution, with plenty of room to work from home. We won’t expect five days in the office, but we believe that a fully remote environment doesn’t lend itself to our best work either.

To provide some guidance and a framework, we wanted to find a simple, universal rule that would be easy to follow and applicable across all situations, no matter the team member’s role, seniority, or location. Our team is incredibly international, so we also wanted to allow for extended visits home where someone may be working from another time zone.

We came up with guidelines that seem fair: a minimum of 36 in-office weeks (with 18 weeks flexible in-office/remote/vacation) per year, with a minimum of 1 day in the office.

These numbers provide a baseline, but we hope to see more of each other, with time in the office corresponding to specific situations. For example, during onboarding both the manager and the new hire might be expected to come in rather often.

We are very much looking forward to exploring the new normal in our office, which will include more flexible work spaces with lots of phone and meeting booths to adapt to remote and in-office collaborations.

We know that these guidelines will likely evolve over time, as we better understand how to ensure that team members have the best environment to grow as professionals and deliver results for clients and as we listen to team feedback.

We’re in the process of renting office space starting September, and we plan to start implementing these new guidelines in October, to give everyone plenty of time to adjust and make plans.

We’ve really missed some aspects of working together, like:

• exploring diverse foods during weekly team lunches
• getting some post-work vitamin D’s at Santa Monica Beach
• Learning about wine and cheese pairings from our French experts during happy hour

It’ll also be great to revisit some office traditions in real life this year, like our unofficial Halloween costume contest and meeting at a local restaurant for the yearly holiday party.

Crossing our fingers that we will get there soon, as we can’t wait to meet around the two terraces (with a full view of Freedom Tower and the NYC Skyline!) and use the new in-office beer taps!

In New York, our offices will be located in the Financial District. In Paris, we have reserved a space near République (with a top-floor café including 360 views of Paris!). In LA, we'll be located in Culver, with a large terrace to enjoy the weather.

For any questions about our policy or hiring opportunities, don’t hesitate to contact us at hr@superbolt.agency.