Written and illustrated by Nino Meriano At Sapient Social and Environmental Enterprise, we look to make the future a better place. With this world crisis in the form of a pandemic, now more than ever we need to focus on this goal. There was never a question of stopping our work at Sapient; there was only the question of how we adapt and continue our work. Being part of the design team at Sapient, we have found it easier to work remotely from our own homes, as design work can be largely done digitally. However, it is still not without its challenges and obstacles to overcome. A large part of what we do at Sapient is collaboration; whether that is with other companies or with our internal team, we can only reach our goal of a more sustainable and socially just future together as a nation, a society and human race as a whole. When the news of Covid-19 started to develop, there were concerns about how we could continue to work as a team, while there were lots of people traveling from different parts of Holland. But in Sapient the people come first, so safety of the employees was at the top of the priority list. Gradually the news got worse and the virus was reported to be in the Netherlands. The government instructed a large majority of workers to stay and work from home when possible. The number of cases here started increasing, forcing more and more businesses to shut their premises, stopping a lot of people from working. The office had to close, but everyone in the Sapient team looked to move forward with their work. We all wanted to find a way to continue, however challenging the task. Transitioning to working remotely, it is difficult to synchronise everyone’s schedules and routines, and even harder to keep focus and drive. Creating a system that keeps that sense of community, which everyone at the company loves so much, is also challenging when you cannot speak with your colleagues face to face. Nevertheless, there is always a way to work around these obstacles and adapt to the situation you are confronted with. Eleven o’clock every Monday morning, we have a Sapient assembly with everyone from every department of the company. The assembly starts with a “check in” where we go around each individual employee, saying their name in full an event or task they did in the last week and anything that is on their mind that may take them away from being present in that moment. We then go over the main projects and ventures of each department and any important events, so the whole company understand what direction we are moving and how we are all progressing. We have moved this process to an online Skype call at the same time every week, and then throughout the week we have meetings with our individual departments and any departments that are working on the same projects. Although this is not quite the same, it encapsulates the feeling of community and helps us stay motivated and focused on our work. Starting with this meeting on a Monday helps us begin the working week and get into a routine, while also giving us energy to keep going in such strange and challenging times. As certain aspects of the company involve collaborating in person, it has put a hold on certain projects, but it has also allowed us to find time for things that we didn’t otherwise have the time for. The main focus of Sapient are sustainable and environmental projects. The design team not only create the visual identity and brand of the company, but work with external clients and projects that help fund the amazing work that the team here at Sapient do. As the coronavirus came about, the design team were finishing a big project working on a website for an external client. Learning a lot from this project we have had extra time as a team to reflect on what went well and what didn’t. It’s given us a lot of time to self-reflect on the project, allowing us to create a more efficient and effective way of working in the future to achieve the client’s needs and goals. Looking how the team has adapted, it is incredible to be involved in such a great community of people. A perfect example is how our event and relations team have adapted to creating online and digital events, while also helping other departments such as social media and marketing/talent coordinating. Looking at both ends of the spectrum with the administration of the company and the employees, it has been a great learning process for me to see how we have all adjusted to the new working circumstances. It is also important to say that Sapient is a democratic social business, which means from the newest intern all the way to the founder, we all have an equal say and contribution in the direction of the company. As an intern myself it has been a great opportunity to take on responsibility and show how valuable my insights can be to the company. This is largely down to the fact that Sapient allows for this to take place, trusting and encouraging everyone to step up and listening to every team member’s opinions. Moreover, I believe this is one of the main reasons that we as a company have been able to adapt to the global pandemic. Alongside working at Sapient Social and Environmental Enterprise, I have been building a business called Corporate Comics. This business is focused on ‘VISUAL SEQUENTIAL COMMUNICATION’. This is a form of communicating and storytelling through imagery. Working on a range of projects alongside my internship, I have had to manage my time efficiently and effectively. Because of the pandemic, now more than ever it is most important to stay focused, motivated and determined so I can meet my goals. To balance and achieve success in all these areas, I have found it beneficial for me to stay active, eat correctly and have a routine. To continue setting high standards for myself while continuing to go after it every day, no matter the obstacle.
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March 2022
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