I wouldn’t say that JMP offices are hopping with activity, but many of them are busier than they have been.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the office, a family member tests positive for Covid. That’s my situation right now. So much for finding the perfect balance of work-from-home and time in the office.
Our colleagues all over the world are facing similar challenges ... trying to strike the right balance of being with co-workers when it’s practical or even possible versus working independently from a home office. But even as Covid continues to be a problem, parts of the world are opening.
SAS campus to open to visitors
Those of us who live in the Cary area and have an interest in returning to the office will be pleased to know that visitors are once again allowed beginning October 17.
Several JMP staffers are anticipating lunch visits from retired friends, including myself. I plan to have retired writer Anne Bullard back for the salad bar. User acquisition’s Amy Bullock is taking a retired mentor from SAS to lunch. And R&D’s Bob Hickey said, “I miss my lunches with Chung Wei. I hope I can talk her into coming in to visit.” Perhaps Lou Valente will visit as well; he attended the recent Discovery Summit Special Segment on SAS campus. (If you don't know Lou, he's pictured here.)
Executive Assistant Robin Betters said, “I will bring my family to eat lunch with me again!” Robin is not alone – many area staff members plan to invite children, spouses, and even parents.
“I plan to bring my dad and his retiree crew for lunch in the cafe,” said Krystal Barnes of sales. “I've been promising them for two years! They will be so excited. And they’ll brag about the visit for another two years.”
Sales Director Lori Casto said, “My daughter would love to come back on campus for lunch and after-work snacks. We miss the cafes so much. I would also love to invite previous colleagues to come for lunch. There are several who would be great additions to JMP staff.”
Over the course of the pandemic, user enablement’s Kirsten Boyd got married and had a baby. (One-year-old Faye is pictured here.) In addition to bringing her one-year-old daughter to daycare, Kirsten says she wants to bring her husband’s parents to campus. “My mother-in-law is a huge gardener, and my father-in-law is a mixed-media artist,” she said. “So, I want to show them the campus grounds and the amazing SAS art.”
Beth Evans, who supports R&D as well as HR, said, “I’m excited to have my husband come on campus not only to eat but to use the gym.” In fact, some of the sporty JMPers come to campus to work out and compete in various leagues. If you look closely at this photo, you'll see me in the gym taking a photo of my nephew (a SAS developer) at the Recreation and Fitness Center -- I wanted proof that he and I had been working out.
You’ll likely see HR’s Paul Mastropolo on the soccer pitch, corporate communications’ Larry LaRusso on a basketball court, and product management’s Sara Doudt jogging or walking for exercise. Dan Valente admits that his in-office days are driven by Ultimate games that take place once or twice a week. That’s frisbee, right?
Who is on the Cary campus?
Of course, plenty of JMP staff members come to campus for work too. Many in R&D, sales, business operations, tech support, user enablement, and global marketing prefer the benefits of the office to working from home. Some are in their offices daily, but most during the middle of the week.
Wednesdays seem to be the busiest days, said Shannon Conners. She, Nicole Jones, Wenjun Bao and other R&D leaders purposefully make Wednesdays on-campus days. Added Brian Corcoran, “I have made that day an optional collaboration day to try to get together for meetings and lunch. It has worked out well.”
Many JMP managers and individual contributors in Cary are beginning to set regular schedules to facilitate in-person meetings as well as open collaboration opportunities. If you’re Cary-based, check with your regional colleagues for their schedules. And all staff should watch inboxes and InsideJMP for an upcoming survey about your work-from-home versus work-from-office preferences.
Paul Mastropolo said that the survey will be global with the goal of learning where and how employees most want to work. “We want employees to feel empowered to work from a location that best meets their personal and professional needs,” he said.
Flexibility is key in JMP offices everywhere
The Cary office is just part of the JMP equation. How are our colleagues doing across Asia and Europe with Covid-related complications?
Country Manager for JMP Japan Noriki Inoue explained that although the number of people infected with Covid in Japan is decreasing, the team continues to be cautious. “Many of our clients are in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and hospital industries, so right now there are still many restrictions,” he said.
As recently as mid-September, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government asked businesses to promote teleworking and continue taking basic infection-prevention measures. Of course, JMP Japan is doing just that. The flexible work environment seems to be working.
“Many of us currently prefer to work from home only,” said Noriki. “Some want to use the office when they need to concentrate on their work, but not every day.”
Noriki added that they will be organizing lunch meetings soon, but always with safety in mind. Like the Cary headquarters, SAS Japan just started organizing fitness and other social events as opportunities to get together, said Japan Marketing Manager Atsuko Iono.
In Shanghai as well as Beijing, our colleagues are back into the office, reported APXJ Marketing Manager Gina Xie. JMP VP Bryan Yan added that Inside Sales and Marketing teams are 100% working from the Shanghai office.
Despite continued rules around gathering in Mainland China, “we are able to meet our customers in the office,” Gina said.
“In Southeast Asia, colleagues are able to work from the office regularly,” said Gina. “And the whole team tries to meet once a week in the office.”
In Korea, gathering limits have been lifted as have rules for wearing masks outdoors. “The Korean government decided to completely cancel the obligation to wear a mask outdoors from the 26th of September,” said Korean Country Manager ChulHee Min.
People are still concerned about the virus, he said, so business is conducted online with some in-person elements these days. “There have already been many collaboration opportunities for conducting JMP seminars and/or visiting customers,” said ChulHee.
In the Seoul office, JMP employees gather for monthly in-person meetings. In fact, last night the team also gathered for dinner to welcome the two newest staff members, MinYoung Bang and YuRa Hwang. Like other JMP offices, our colleagues in Korea enjoy flexible work options. ChulHee said, “Some want to work from home only. Most want to work from the office but not always.”
Marketer SangHyun Kim explained that those who choose to work in the office most of the time have dedicated workspaces. (The photo above shows an office in Seoul.)
Across European offices, employees are seeing fewer and fewer restrictions and are enjoying a lot of flexibility there too. The Marlow and London offices are open and customer events can take place. Copenhagen is open as well. And while the Paris office is open, the France office in Gregy is closed because it is under repair and will soon be sold – that’s not a Covid complication.
In Heidelberg, JMP recently hosted its first customer event since the pandemic started. And employees have started gathering weekly. Says European Marketing Manager Nina Chan, “We now have a popcorn machine, which is a nice incentive. We have been making good use out of that.” Nina also said that JMP’s weekly Wednesday meetings in Heidelberg have been featured on the German SAS Jammer Group as a good example of getting back to the office. (In the photo below, you'll see much of the team from Germany is gathered for games in Heidelberg.)
If your experience is different from these, or if you just want to share your thoughts about flexible work options, let us know what you’re thinking in the comments section below. And if you’re one of the many JMP employees who work from home every day, feel free to share what you like best about your home office. Curious minds want to know!
--Diana Levey
