“You can’t be what you can’t see”
March 2021
The priority for 2021? People
In June 2020, we spoke to Site Lead at Neueda’s Malaga office, Gema Giles, to find out more about the effects of remote working and what it could mean for global tech hubs. Now, we revisit our conversation to gain further insights into the events of the last 12 months and how it has continued to shape the way they work.
Despite being several months into Covid restrictions, it’s evident how uncertain the global workforce was last summer. Many businesses embraced the shift to remote working, with some making the move permanent even as lockdown started to lift at different rates worldwide.
During the summer months, restrictions eased in Spain, and although the tourism industry was still suffering, optimism increased, and everyone hoped recovery would be swift. The Neueda team was even able to briefly meet for a socially-distanced get-together before we made our tentative return to the office in September.
However, further restrictions soon hit and we, once again, reverted to remote working. However, this time we were more prepared. While such changes didn’t affect customer project delivery due to the robust infrastructure in place at Neueda, we were conscious of it impacting our team spirit and the relationships we’ve built with one another.
Of course, Microsoft Teams remained an excellent tool for work, but WhatsApp has been invaluable in keeping us connected and learning more about each other’s lives outside of work. Whether it’s sharing photos and videos of sports, family occasions or even just what someone’s had for dinner, these interactions have gone a long way in strengthening our bonds as a team.
Additionally, this time enabled us to think more about the future, both from a service delivery perspective and what we want to achieve personally. As a result, some of the Malaga team have undertaken Azure Cloud training to gain the additional skills they need to expand their working capacity and further develop their career with Neueda.
The pandemic has worked to transcend traditional borders. We’ve seen the world open up to Malaga in a way it never has before. Clients realise that, regardless of location, service delivery remains the same. Whether it’s our team in Malaga or our colleagues in Belfast, they see there’s no difference in service or communication – it’s still Neueda. Of course, for this to work, it’s imperative that we continue to build upon our culture of trust, both internally and with clients, to ensure the global Neueda family continues to grow.
Speaking of growth, Neueda’s recent restructure and investment means 2021 is shaping up to become a huge year for the business. We have already increased the headcount in Malaga and are looking for more talented professionals to join our team in the coming months. And thanks to our dedication to growing careers and ensuring Neueda remains a great place to work (even during a pandemic), we are regarded as a top employer in Spain, meaning we always receive top quality candidates for our roles.
As we move through 2021, it’s likely our ways of working will continue to evolve in a manner that remains safe, while still complementing our collaborative culture. I envisage physical offices will become less desk-based and used more as hubs for meetings, training sessions, and even socialising once it’s safe to do so. The latter, in particular, is something the Malaga team will welcome with open arms.
Originally posted here
