Team Member Profile: Vanessa Balances Work and Family During COVID-19

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Oct 29, 2020
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Editor’s Note: This is the first in an ongoing series that looks into the lives of the VALiNTRY360 team and how they “walk the walk” when it comes to embodying Digital Transformation.

Is it possible to eat 3 meals a day with your family and keep up with the demands of your career, too?

Yes! That is exactly what Vanessa Baijnauth from VALiNTRY360 has done.

One of the most sought-after employee benefits today is a flexible work schedule and environment. That includes all the old and new buzzwords like a home office, flextime, telecommuting, digital nomad, and remote working. Apart from compensation, a flexible work setup is among the first things a job seeker looks for in the market today, and this comes as no surprise. And the COVID-19 era has proven this model is more attainable than previously thought.

Although she was working remotely before COVID-19, Vanessa found herself in a unique situation. Due to the pandemic, both of her young children stayed home full-time, whereas they would normally be in school. In addition, her husband began working from home, too. During the spring and summer of 2020, Vanessa seized an opportunity to make new routines and make a good situation out of one that many deemed a crisis.

For the first time, she, her husband, and two children were able to be together throughout the entire day. They hired a babysitter to help during working hours, but for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the family began eating together on a consistent basis for the first time ever. “We really enjoy eating lunch together as a family and have cherished those times together,” she says.

According to Vanessa, the greatest thing about working from home is the flexibility. “I love having the ability to be able to take care of an issue at home should it ever arise. Likewise, I am also happy to serve my clients in the case of an emergency after hours.”

Technological advances have long been paving the way for the remote worker to accomplish everything at a distance with cloud-based tools, real-time collaboration platforms, team messaging applications, and advanced video conferencing. Vanessa can do anything at home that she can do in the office. There are no limitations. If she needs to talk to a co-worker, she can shoot a quick instant message or phone call.

It is not only about the equipment needed to make remote working a success. Beyond that, there needs to be a level of trust among a team. “My team trusts me,” says Vanessa. “They trust me that whatever project I am working on is going to get done.” Because of that trust, Vanessa is productive. There isn’t anxiety and pressure of someone looking over the shoulder.

Remote working is not unlike going into the office in that, once your team is trained and equipped, they do what’s needed to get the job done. As in working in the office, if you can’t trust someone, the physical environment isn’t to blame. It is the character and integrity of the individual. That will likely carry over no matter where they work from. If you have a rockstar like Vanessa, you can rest easy.

There is little to no financial cost for a remote team member to eat every meal with his or her family, yet the benefits can have big returns! A small perk like this can fuel a team member to do their best and maintain this ideal situation.

Looking to implement Salesforce in your organization? Or do you just need help customizing your Salesforce instance to fit your unique needs? VALiNTRY360’s Digital Transformation experts are glad to help. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation assessment!