Earlier this month, Enervee moved into our amazing new space at 1746 Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, California! Not only do we have an iconic address; the office features a koi pond, fire pit and an architect-designed indoor/outdoor experience that invites collaboration.
After 15 months as a virtual company, it’s great to have a home again!
But not all employees are returning to the office full time. Enervee has adopted a policy that allows any employee to work as much or as little in the office as they like – and to live wherever they choose. This flexibility is highly valued by the Enervee team.
Remote work used to be the exception at Enervee – and then COVID hit. We got out of our WeWork lease, began forced work-from-home and entered into an unplanned experiment as a 100% virtual company – with a fair amount of trepidation. Our senior management team was concerned first and foremost about the impact on employee well-being, but there were concerns regarding quality and productivity, as well.
“The COVID stay-at-home orders were tough on everyone,” said Matthias, Enervee’s CEO, who had to juggle running a company with the needs of his family, including home schooling for his two daughters. “What we learned, however, was that productivity didn’t suffer, and ditching the requirement to relocate to Los Angeles gave us access to a much larger talent pool.”
Ironically, Enervee has thrived during the pandemic, not the least because helping people save energy and money with efficient appliances and electronics became highly relevant, with so many spending most of their time living and working from home. As a result, we’ve grown rapidly, with roughly half of all employees having been hired with no company headquarters to visit.
So what choices are employees making – and why?
Jordan Hulse, Enervee’s CRM manager, has opted to work remotely for the most part, while also being able to go into the office on occasion. He says, “I chose that option because working from home offers a lot of flexibility that full time [in the office] didn’t offer. While the office environment offers tangibles that remote can’t give you." For Jordan, these tangibles include having productive brainstorming sessions in person and building stronger relationships with his co-workers. Jordan loves the new office for both its location and the atmosphere inside. Since the new office is near many great restaurants, and it’s right by the beach, “you’re getting the full LA beach vibe and culture,” he says. Being able to walk to the beach for a quick break is also something he’s looking forward to enjoying. When Jordan isn't taking a stroll to the beach, he's enjoying the diversity of each room and the open concept layout of the new office.
Chrystal Caban, Enervee’s Director of Customer Success, will be in the office often. Chrystal lives just a 7-minute bike ride away, so she’s excited to experience the new office at least three days a week. She says that, by choosing a consistent office schedule and occasional remote work, balancing appointments or pets will be easier. When working from the office, she's excited to have that 1:1 connection back with her co-workers after over a year of zoom meetings. Chrystal is also enthusiastic about the new office layout and outdoor space. She says, “It just feels like you’re always outdoors [in the new office], so it’s nice to de-stress and feel like you’re always in nature instead of your room.”
“Our collective COVID experience made us think differently, and supporting this flexible work approach completely changed the criteria for the new office space search,” said Matthias. “It will be interesting to see how office use patterns settle in over the coming months and how well 1746 Abbot Kinney accommodates employees’ choices.”
