Coronavirus Q&A Series: Interview with Amit Nisenbaum, CEO, Tactile Mobility
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Posted on 05-12-2020, Read Time: 6 Min
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The COVID-19 crisis has impacted various aspects of our lives - especially work. With remote working becoming the norm, employees and employers alike, especially the first-timers, are experiencing the ups and downs related to the situation.
On one hand, employees are worried about job security and the challenges of working as a team, on the other, employers are facing issues such as engagement and productivity drop, among others. It now falls upon the leadership to keep the team up and running.
How are the leaders handling the situation? HR.com interviewed senior-level executives from various organizations and asked them to share their lessons and insights.
Q: How has the COVID-19 crisis affected your business?
Amit: Tactile Mobility provides software and data solutions to automotive companies, their supply-chain, fleet managers and owners, road authorities and municipalities, insurance companies and more. As we are B2B and B2G, the COVID-19 crisis has affected us both directly and indirectly, via our impacted customers, which has had a spillover effect on us.
The most noticeable direct impact is that we moved to working 100% from home. Surprisingly, this did not affect our productivity. We found that with the right mindset, discipline, tools and processes the company is running well and morale remains high.
As related to our customers, there’s no doubt that the situation has put a dent in their plans and ability to act. One colorful example is a large car manufacturer that, before this pandemic, had a policy in place where legal documents had to be physically signed and delivered. Working from home has certainly complicated matters on this front, especially since this same manufacturer now has a new policy where they are not allowed to receive physical documents. Something that for a start-up seems to be a non-issue, to them became a huge logistical problem, which in turn made our work more complicated and lead times longer.
But all in all, knock on wood, we haven’t seen dramatically adverse effects given these uncertain times. Customers are keeping projects and orders, and we keep on delivering.
The most noticeable direct impact is that we moved to working 100% from home. Surprisingly, this did not affect our productivity. We found that with the right mindset, discipline, tools and processes the company is running well and morale remains high.
As related to our customers, there’s no doubt that the situation has put a dent in their plans and ability to act. One colorful example is a large car manufacturer that, before this pandemic, had a policy in place where legal documents had to be physically signed and delivered. Working from home has certainly complicated matters on this front, especially since this same manufacturer now has a new policy where they are not allowed to receive physical documents. Something that for a start-up seems to be a non-issue, to them became a huge logistical problem, which in turn made our work more complicated and lead times longer.
But all in all, knock on wood, we haven’t seen dramatically adverse effects given these uncertain times. Customers are keeping projects and orders, and we keep on delivering.
Q: Are your employees working remotely? If so, what are some of the challenges you are facing while managing your remote workforce?
Amit: Yes, almost 100% of our employees are working from home. It is easier for a software company than for other companies, such as hardware-related businesses for example, who may have to deal with commerce or services.
At first, we had to adjust to working with Zoom and to the strange aspects of not being able to “step into one’s office,” but I have to say that the challenges are really minor and at this point non-existent. I think that this experience will change the way we view work interactions even way after the COVID-19 crisis is well behind us.
At first, we had to adjust to working with Zoom and to the strange aspects of not being able to “step into one’s office,” but I have to say that the challenges are really minor and at this point non-existent. I think that this experience will change the way we view work interactions even way after the COVID-19 crisis is well behind us.
Q: What policies do you have in place to deal with such a crisis?
Amit: First and foremost, we have a “remote first” work policy. That means that by default, people are working from home but they can work from the office if (1) they have an extenuating circumstance (e.g. have a meeting which really should be in-person) (2) they have circumstances that make working from the office much more effective—but this requires CEO approval.
On top of that, naturally, we postponed all trips and travel plans.
Finally, we have a set of processes and best practices to augment the above. Some examples are:
On top of that, naturally, we postponed all trips and travel plans.
Finally, we have a set of processes and best practices to augment the above. Some examples are:
- All employees are expected to have all meetings using video.
- Employees are expected to be presentable on video calls. This means taking meetings from a quiet place, dressing appropriately, shaving (when relevant ☺) and the like.
- We increased the frequency of virtual team and company meetings.
- We conduct many “ice breakers” such as virtual coffee breaks and end-of-week drinks.
- We increased usage of asynchronous communication channels such as Whatsapp as well as introduced new ones such as Intercom which help with informal communication.
Q: What employee engagement challenges do you come across, especially in the current scenario, where everyone is working from home? What are you doing about it?
Amit: Frankly, we do not see big challenges. On the contrary, the challenges are starting to emerge now as the government allows a gradual return to the office but only under stringent restrictions; these restrictions pose a very difficult working environment. For instance, wearing masks while sitting in the office is a huge challenge for concentration. But the only other option is to keep six feet between people not wearing masks, which makes sitting together in the office or taking meetings together very hard.
As such, since working remotely has been working well for us, we’ll be very careful about when and how we return to the office.
As such, since working remotely has been working well for us, we’ll be very careful about when and how we return to the office.
Q: Are you providing or planning to provide any emotional and mental health programs for employees?
Amit: We are trying to be very attuned to employee needs, physical and emotional. This includes more frequent and intimate manager check-ins as well as identifying employees “at risk,” and having a tailored approach towards helping them. We have not had the need to provide mental health support yet.
Q: What leadership lessons have this health crisis taught you?
Amit: “Own your own destiny upfront.” “Times of crisis are the times for stellar leaders and companies to shine.” With that said, this requires a proactive attitude; for example, it’s important to analyze the situation immediately and act swiftly and decisively once enough information is available and there is a clear notion of what needs to be done.
- Don’t expect perfection, embrace uncertainty – this is to balance the point mentioned above.
- Don’t be afraid of making hard decisions – they need to be made if you want to survive as a company. Make sure the logic behind these decisions is clear to you and you can explain it, then embrace the hard decisions and…
- Communicate, communicate, communicate – frequently and in a clear way.
Doing all of the above will not only make your decisions and actions more impactful, but will also increase the chances that your team will follow suit. People are looking for leaders with good judgment and integrity who they can trust. Implementing these practices will put you in a good position as a leader.
Q: What positive change has transpired that you would want to maintain?
Amit: We have come to realize that working remotely is not so bad. In fact, it has been effective thus far. I believe that this realization will serve us well in the future, and that this experience, and the way that Tactile Mobility is going about it, will make the company stronger and increase our probability of success. Such tough times separate the boys from the men. The ones that will emerge, will emerge victorious, and I have full confidence that Tactile Mobility will emerge on top.
Author Bio
| Amit Nisenbaum is CEO of Tactile Mobility. Amit is a seasoned business leader with more than two decades of experience in multiple industries. |
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