Lee Godfrey, managing director, western Europe at Intertrust, a corporate and fund administration services firm, shared his home workspace with Delano on Tuesday.
AG: Prior to the covid-19 restrictions, did you already telecommute and, if so, how often?
LG: I did work from home occasionally in the past and used videoconference, screen share or online meeting solutions for weekly updates with the teams and for [executive committee] meetings. Intertrust is a tech-enabled corporate and fund solutions provider with offices in over 30 countries, so working from anywhere is the norm for most of our executive team.
I must admit that the current situation has shifted our company’s usual way of working; the need to have almost everyone in the business work remotely presented us with a completely different challenge. I knew we had the tech capabilities but to have the majority of employees globally working remotely in such short space of time, has really amazed me.
When did you start telecommuting as a covid-19 precaution?
As soon as Luxembourg was in lockdown, we started to ensure everyone was well equipped to telecommute. Our IT team was key to this and actively managed remote access throughout the entire organisation. It really started for us when our colleagues in Asia faced the same situation a few months ago. The mobile technology programme, which was in place, had to scale up in a matter of days to provide required support to our employees, partners and clients. We learnt a lot from the experience in Asia.
What do you like about your telecommuting workspace?
There’s nothing specific about my current telecommuting workspace, other than I’m spending much more time with my family. However, to balance private and professional life under the same roof can be challenging and I realise the importance of having a dedicated working space. I’m very fortunate to have such space to avoid distraction from private life. I’m surrounded by nice pieces of arts, which makes my home office aesthetically pleasing and obviously personal. From a professional perspective, one of the benefits of the current situation will be the realisation and acceptance that people can indeed, work from anywhere, at any time and get their job done.
The view from Lee Godfrey’s home office. Photo provided by Lee Godfrey
Is there a “personal touch” to your home workspace?
It’s at ‘home’… so maybe the question should be, is there a ‘professional touch’ to my home workspace? And my answer is, my company laptop and mobile devices!
What are your most widely used telecommuting tools or applications?
We use various digital channels, including Microsoft Teams, for collaboration and teamwork, Webex for internal group presentations, as well as webinars and for non-Microsoft contacts or external. Not forgetting laptops and mobile phones.
Communication with employees and our clients is of absolute necessity in such times. On the second week of the outbreak, the senior management team in Luxembourg convened all Intertrust employees for our first virtual town hall. We connected 450 Intertrust colleagues virtually while socially distant... I hope we’ll be back together again soon.
I’m also very proud to report that despite the circumstances Intertrust is welcoming new joiners with a full virtual induction program. As long as you get the technology right, nothing is impossible.
How do you make telecommuting work for you?
I try to keep to the routine I had previously. I get up, dress for work as normal and have breakfast. I have videoconference calls to kick off every day with my management team as if I were in the office. One advantage is that I’m already home for my son when he is ready for downtime.
Have you developed any new habits or routines?
I go to the home gym more often than before. I guess this is because it’s so convenient to have both gym and office at home. However, there’s always a reason to stay an extra hour at the office… I’m not sure this is a good habit though.
Lee Godfrey is seen during a morning workout in his home gym. Photo provided by Lee Godfrey
After the covid-19 restrictions are lifted, do you plan to keep telecommuting sometimes?
Absolutely and I’ll encourage everyone to do the same on a more regular basis. The global impact of covid-19 is still unfolding as the virus spreads. There could be a silver lining to the outbreak as we realise that the sustainable transition many of us hoped for is happening right now. I’m curious to see how we’ll further instil this new way of working and living, once the lockdown is lifted. As senior managers, we have a role to play in nurturing a digital workplace wherever possible.