Once again during the "New Work Weeks", we have the pleasure of giving you an insight into the working model of a team member at hrdiamonds. This time it's about our wonderful consultant Cristina Branca.

Cristina also took the time to tell us about her hybrid working model in an interview. Although she lives in Rome, she works for hrdiamonds in Vienna - an exciting combination! Find out what this means for her day-to-day work and how it can be successful in the interview. Enjoy reading!

hrdiamonds: Dear Cristina, can you start by telling us something about your path at hrdiamonds and what your current work model looks like?

Cristina: This is my third career path, so I already have a lot of work experience. I originally come from an economic background and have various experiences there. I then followed my passion into coaching and worked independently as a life and business coach. I came to hrdiamonds via Ulrike Jung, where I now work part-time as a consultant, trainer and coach. I was attracted to working in a team, as my previous work as a self-employed person was a relatively solitary job.

hrdiamonds: You live in Rome. Why did you decide to work hybrid or partly remotely for hrdiamonds in Vienna and how does it work?

Cristina: It was more of a coincidence. After a meeting with Ulrike, one thing led to another and that's how this job came about. It was or is to be seen as a test on the part of the company, but also on my part. We decided to look “Is it compatible, is it feasible?”. And because almost 90–95 % of the coaching sessions now take place online, it's not a problem at all. Virtual workshops and virtual training sessions are also possible in some cases. In addition, many training courses are project-related. This means that they can be bundled and can therefore also be organized by me from Rome. That was definitely a big adjustment at the beginning living and working in two cities, even though they are close to each other. But you find your rhythm over time.

hrdiamonds: How do you maintain contact and collaboration with the hrdiamonds team while working from Rome?

Cristina: Well, what I try to do is keep checking MS Teams to see what news there is and who has posted what. This often goes beyond purely professional matters. It's important to keep in touch with people, if it's possible virtually, and to be actively involved when pictures are posted from Easter, Christmas, vacations, etc. Then we also have team meetings with our manager. It's important to always be there - even if only virtually. And to also talk about yourself, where you are standing at the moment, what projects you are working on, etc. So, actively seeking contact and not just participating superficially.

hrdiamonds: How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance, especially when you work from home?

Cristina: Yes, that's not such an easy question, because at home you're always a bit distracted by the “daily duties” that have nothing to do with work (laundry, tidying up, organizing, etc.). But here it's important to maintain focus and say “Ok, I'm sitting here at my desk now and everything else will take place a little later”. I'm someone who works very purposefully, focused and quickly because I have the urge to go out and be in nature. This means that when I'm sitting at my laptop, I'm working on the project and do nothing else. What also helps me is knowing what's coming up this week, what the priorities are and making a plan or to-do list and working through it.

hrdiamonds: Have you discovered any advantages or challenges with hybrid or remote work that you didn't expect?

Cristina: Yes, honestly something positive, because I'm surprised at how well it works. Even when I do come into the company, I have the feeling that there is a mutual joy. And I'm very surprised that this is really possible.

hrdiamonds: What do you think the future holds for remote work, both at hrdiamonds and in general?

Cristina: Well, I remember when I started coach training and my first trainer said that coaching on the phone works great and we all looked at her with huge eyes and said “That's impossible!”. But the statement that online coaching doesn't work because you can't feel your clients is nonsense. On the contrary, this allows you to focus your concentration and you can really perceive the voice and language of the other person during 1:1 coaching sessions. Is the person speaking faster? Louder? Are there pauses in the conversation? Does the voice become more insecure? Etc. During my training, my Corona coaching sessions took place almost exclusively online. And that's when I realized “Yes, it actually works really well!”. It's not the case that work has completely shifted to the screen now, but face-to-face meetings aren't always absolutely necessary. Admittedly, it's a bit different with trainings because you want to keep all participants present at the same time and it´s simply different in the seminar room than online.

And for the future? We won't go back to pre-corona times. I believe that this remote and hybrid approach will definitely remain. Nevertheless, I think it's important to go into the office in person sometimes and see the team face to face. This has a lot to do with appreciation. You don't see or feel people with whom you don't work so closely otherwise. But on the other hand, I don't think it's possible to only work in the office after corona, because many have already gotten used to working from home. For me, working from home is a luxury that I find brilliant because I save myself the time of driving to the office, driving back, looking for a parking space, etc. and I can also work more focused at home.

hrdiamonds: Do you have any tips for hybrid working that you would like to pass on?

Cristina: Well, as I already mentioned, I think it's really important to make sure that you engage with your team members and not just on a purely professional level. At least that's my understanding of teamwork.

Yes, and the second factor is time management. Having a plan “What does my week look like?”. I look at what's on the calendar for the next day the night before so that I don't miss anything. And I also try to think further into the future: “What will my next month look like?”, “What will my next three months look like?”, “What are my goals?”.

In addition, don't be afraid to fall back on the team and ask for help when working remotely if you need it. And vice versa, if you hear that someone needs support, offer it.

hrdiamonds: This brings us to the last question. You've already mentioned it, but in conclusion, why do you still like coming to the hrdiamonds office from time to time?

Cristina: Yes, as I said, the reason I work for hrdiamonds in the first place is the team. That's why personal encounters and honest “How are you?”´s are very important to me and that you really take this time for the team. I also think it's fun to see all the office dogs when I come in. And, as I mentioned before, to see people I don't normally see online or talk to on the phone in my day-to-day work.