Home Comforts: (R)evolutionizing Adjustable Furniture in the age of COVID-19

Despite the COVID-19 outbreak that’s dominating the global headlines, here at LOGICDATA we’re doing everything we can to keep the show on the road for our customers and clients worldwide.

At the center of this effort are our excellent teams in Austria, Slovenia, China, and the United States, who have brought their offices home to continue (r)evolutionizing adjustable furniture for you.

Remote working certainly has its lighter side, as our fantastic team will show you in this post: adding their experiences, tips, and unique sense of humor to help lighten your day.

Andrew Jipping, Controller, LDNA

Try your best to prioritize.

Organizing yourself from home can be difficult, which is why the right mindset is vital. Before I start work in the morning, I always ask myself “what needs to be done today?”. If those tasks take all my energy and time, then I’ll take a break and try again tomorrow. If I still have some time and energy, I’ll look at the next project.

Trying to keep myself healthy, both physically and emotionally, is something that requires conscious effort. I know that if I burn myself out in the first week, I’ll be no good to anyone later. That’s why it’s good to have some distractions: the guitars in my office and hugs from my boys help keep me positive.

Thomas Kügerl, Senior Application Consultant, LDAT

Focus, Focus, Focus.

With over 200 employees now working remotely, smoothly-running IT systems are key to supporting LOGICDATA through the COVID-19 crisis.  Even though we’re not always in the office (and sometimes not even wearing trousers) our team is doing excellent work in providing the tools that our colleagues need to thrive. Our transition to Microsoft Teams has been a game-changer, but there are many other important tools we rely on too.

Throughout this entire period, you have to remember exactly what your role is. In my case: responding to the users as fast as possible. Information exchange, information flow, and transparency are the most important factors now in keeping the business running.

Luka Vlasic, Senior Project Manager, LDAT

Always look on the bright side.

I have to admit it, at the beginning I was a little bit scared. Not just about the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, but more acutely about how home working would affect my team. I have to attend a lot of meetings, but fortunately the collaboration tools that we implemented are more than up to the task of handling them. It’s important to keep going, not just to keep the business running, but to build new products that will help us in future too.

The job itself hasn’t fundamentally changed, and nor have I. I’m a positive person with a job to do: to motivate people so that they can perform as well as they can. Besides, home office has its positives: being able to see my two daughters every morning warms my heart.

Dominika Oblak, Project Manager, LDSI

The show must go on.

There are things you learn to live without, and there’s no point in complaining. It’s not possible to meet team members in person, it’s not possible to go to the warehouse and get prototypes for the test team, and it’s not possible to travel to our manufacturing companies. The key to success is how we deal with it.

At LOGICDATA, I think we are overcoming many of the challenges before us. This is all down to the motivation and hard work of the team, who have shown that it’s possible to keep things on track. There are still lots and lots of meetings, and lots and lots of meeting minutes to take down, but that’s part of being a project manager. I’m at home but I feel like I’m everywhere.

Tanja Pogatetz, HR, LDAT

Focus on what matters.

I’m one of the few people that still needs to come into the office every now and then, because there are some issues that require a personal presence. However, home office offers a range of exciting possibilities: the quick transition from bed to work being one of my favorites.

I think the whole crisis is a good time to re-evaluate your personal values and to spend time concentrating on the things that really matter, such as how much quality time you really spend with your family. If that does get a little bit too heavy, my personal tip would be to try indoor badminton. It’s not as bad as it sounds.

Bozidar Roglic, Electronic Engineer, LDSI

Remain indoors.

Here in Slovenia, we’re doing our best to abide by the government guidelines and keep a distance from others to “flatten the curve”. Working from home is one part of that, but social distancing affects your daily life as well: being stuck inside the flat all day can do strange things to your mind. That’s why it’s important to get as much fresh air as you can. For me, a walk outside (away from people of course) usually does the trick.

Remember, social distancing does not mean social isolation. Call your friends, have a chat, or have a webcam beer or a coffee with them. Remember, they will still be your friends once this crisis is over. Perhaps even more so.

Corinna Plentner, Process Engineer & Analyst, LDAT

See it as an opportunity.

I don’t even think about the challenges of remote working anymore. I prefer to see the whole situation as an opportunity: one that will change the way we collaborate and interact with each other at work long after the COVID-19 crisis has come to an end. I firmly believe we are witnessing the beginning of the workplace of the future at LOGICDATA, not just in terms of our remote working tools, but through major developments in task management software as well.

That said – and despite how much fun it is to wear yoga pants to work – I’m looking forward to seeing my colleagues in person soon.

Wei Xu (Andy), Mechanical Engineer, LDCN

Over the worst of it.

Here in China, we experienced the worst of the epidemic in February this year. This meant that working from home was a necessity. However, the strict quarantine rules in China proved to be effective, and now that the situation has stabilized, we’re back in the office.

We still need to take precautions to ensure we stay healthy and don’t infect others: we measure our temperatures before going to work, keep our protective masks on at all times, and maintain social distancing measures. While we’re pleased to have regained some normality, I think everyone is looking forward to the crisis ending soon.