Canadian HR Reporter

www.hrreporter.com 19 T hat was a huge change," says Kevin Johnson, CEO of MediaCom Canada, in describing the firm's sudden shift to a remote working environment when COVID-19 lockdowns began. Until then, only a small percentage of employees were consistently working from home, he says. "All of that put together was a lot to deal with, so I think those first couple of weeks were extremely tough for us as an agency." Johnson admits there were concerns about sustaining productivity levels in relocating about 150 people from three different office spaces. "We were all holding our breath a little bit around the transition," he says. "We were all trying to really find our way within this new environment that we were dealing with. Not only were we trying to get through a system, not only were we trying to find new ways of connecting with our groups, our peers, our teams, but also you had the kids, for some of us, [who] were sitting right beside us." But the adver tising and marketing agency was able to get through it all, and much of that success was thanks to the technology used, says Johnson. "If you had asked me in February if I had my team of 150 people working from home [and] would it be as productive, I would say, 'Definitely not.' But here we are, several months later, and I am grateful and point to the tools, the systems and the technologies that have really not only helped the team get their day-to-day job done but also be able to connect and communicate within their teams as well as clients. So that's a huge win for us." MediaCom Canada was also diligent in delivering when it came to its ongoing relationship with clients, he says. "We've been able to continue in this path, not only being able to meet the expectations of our clients, recognizing the time that we're in, but also to demonstrate ourselves as providing good counsel and good advisors through this time." Connections important Leadership and communication were also critical, says Johnson. "Even in a pre-COVID world, we would regularly have town halls where we were very strategic about the information that we were sharing with them, what we're going after, our focus, celebrations… Now that we are in a time where we're not physically together, even more so that is important for us to continue that, and that town hall is now virtual," he says. "I think the team really felt the effects of the lack of unity or closeness or proximity, having everybody work remotely, and so those are some of the key challenges that I thought we had to work through." The stability and mental health side of staff is also important from a leadership perspective, says Johnson. "I've felt the need to call individually across the group and just do a really quick check-in, with no other intention other than to say, 'Hey, how are you? How are you doing? Is there anything that we can do to help make your life easier?' And also remind them about some of the employee assistance programs that we have that can help — anything from talking to somebody to yoga — just to keep the mental health top of mind and make sure that they are taking care of themselves as they work for our clients as well." Returning to work In looking at a return to the workplace, MediaCom is regularly surveying employees to gauge their comfort levels, he says. "We are overlaying that with the expectations and the guidance that we're getting from our organization, as well as from the provincial and federal guidelines that we're getting. And, so, with that, we are looking at some type of return-to-work strategy in January," says Johnson. "Having people physically together is very important. But... the health and safety of our people trumps all. So, we will continue to allow technology to help us mitigate some of that 'physical distance.' And, hopefully, we'll be in a position early next year that we'll be able to get back into the office." Kevin Johnson CEO of MediaCom Canada The marketing and advertising company has 150 employees across three offices HR News at Your Fingertips Sign up for the Canadian HR Newswire today for free and enjoy great content from the publishers of Canadian HR Reporter. www.hrreporter.com/subscribe/newsletter THE LATEST NEWS Stay on top of essential late-breaking HR news and developments. THE BEST COMMENTARY Access trusted analysis and opinion on the cases and changes that are shaping the HR landscape. REGULAR E-NEWSLETTER Your profession can change quickly, which is why you need the freshest, most recent information. FOR READING ON ANY DEVICE Get the news and opinions you need on any device. Whether you read at work, or on the go, the newsletter adapts to your screen. CHRR newswire sign up.indd 1 CHRR newswire sign up.indd 1 25/08/2020 12:43:20 pm 25/08/2020 12:43:20 pm

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