Page 15 - HC B2B Fall20

Donny Reichert -Anderson ZurMuehlen Technology
While Anderson ZurMuehlen already had a small remote workforce, they still had to adjust to expanding and navigating how to have certain positions remote. Donny Reichert, Senior Account Manager, says that one of the most difficult parts is “navigating working relationships.” A lot of what they do is on-site visits, but that has been hard considering some offices are working from home or only allowing employees in their building. The struggle
has been trying to be efficient while practicing safety for all parties. While there are obstacles to working at home, Anderson ZurMuehlen Tech has been heavily focused on “helping customers work remotely and providing new solutions.”
A con of having remote workers is communication. “We don’t want our employees to feel isolated,” says Donny. While this could become an issue, Anderson ZurMuehlen Tech has done their best to make the most of the situation for their employees by having half in-office and half at-home but staying in the best contact they can while being in separate work areas.
Donny has a highly optimistic outlook on the situation, highlighting multiple pros to the situation at hand. One of the pros of having remote workers is that “there is a variation in schedules. People aren’t
working just a typical 8-5.” There is more opportunity for employees to be productive throughout the day on their own time, while still maintaining a balanced work-life ratio. Another pro is that by being able to use platforms such as Teams and Zoom, customers and employees have been able to see each other in their personal environments. Donny mentioned that “it humanizes us (the employees) to customers which helps to build a stronger bond and foster a more intimate environment.”
Looking to the future, being forced to have remote workers has opened some opportunity for Anderson ZurMuehlen. Donny gave a few examples of
workers and positions they thought would’ve been nearly impossible a year ago to be done remotely, but now have realized that there can be more flexibility with remote work, even post-pandemic.
Collette Hanson- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana
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Collette Hanson, President of Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Montana, is happy to be back in the office, but her crew on site is
much smaller than she is used to.
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“Generally, there are around 500 people
in the building but as of now there are
from home, employees can make their
own hours in a sense, and in return there
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k from home, however, we did the
only 15-20,” says Collette. Her executive has been a noticeable improvement in team has been back for a few months productivity.
AVOID TOUCHING YOUR FACE
now, but not on a typical work schedule.
For those in office, they work for a week
and then are remote for two weeks before
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana has
clearly done a great job adjusting to this
COVER COUGHS & SNEEZES
returning as an extra safety precaution. They are hoping to phase more people back in after the first of the year.
While there is less than 4% of employees occupying office space, the other 96% are still working from home. After asking Collette about the transition to remote working she replied with, “it was a heavy lift to move our employees
some aspects missing that you only get from working side by side with others. “The toughest part is the lack of camaraderie with colleagues.” The “non-intentional” training that comes
from working together is such a valuable aspect and missing out on that is hard. When everyone is in the office, it is much easier for people to talk, ask questions and collaborate. Even though not everyone is in the office, Collette has been sending out weekly newsletters to her employees to keep them engaged and feel like they are still a part of the team.
In addition to supporting her employees, Collette says that “it’s important to us that our members, the healthcare providers and other stakeholders know we continue to work hard to ensure we are meeting their needs and supporting the needs of our communities.”
to
move quickly and without disruption to our members. I couldn’t be more proud of our employees and how well they’ve managed the transition.” Much like
other businesses, Collette is noticing
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SAFETY FIRST, ADVENTURE SECOND
FALL 2020 B2B - A Publication of the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce 15
SAFETY FIRST,
ADVENTURE SECOND.