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2020 has presented unique workplace challenges to say the least. But, for all the negative effects, what it has done is solidify the notion that for companies to succeed, people’s wellbeing must come first.
For further insight, we caught up with Laura Petruccelli, Director of People APAC at Contino, who joined Contino just two weeks before Australia went into lock-down. In this first part of our interview, she shared with us her thoughts and practices around mindset and culture, and how teams can thrive in the face of adversity.
Let’s get started.
“Having fun at work is just in our DNA, so when we transitioned to a fully remote workforce, focusing on ensuring we maintained that cultural element was critical.”
- Laura Petruccelli, Director of People APAC, Contino
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Contino?
“I had a few false starts in my early years trying to work out what I wanted to do with my life. I spent the first part of my career in Accounting & Taxation before accidentally landing in the world of HR. 16 years later and after a great deal of hard work and determination, and a number of fortunate situations, I find myself at Contino as the Director of People Operations APAC.
“My entire HR career has been in technology, I’m passionate about working in these cutting edge environments which change so frequently and grow so quickly. The opportunities are endless and the challenges keep me motivated and push me to continually learn and evolve.”
You joined Contino just before COVID-19 hit Australia - a bit of a baptism of fire scenario. Can you tell us about your mindset and the role it played in helping you deal with this sudden change?
“I was only two weeks into my new role at Contino when COVID-19 hit Australia. I quickly realised that my 90-day plan was going to be thrown out the window. I was going to have to act quickly, swiftly and in a way that meant I was engaging with and enabling others to quickly adapt to working, living and succeeding in very different circumstances to what they were used to.
“I’m a big advocate for consciously spending time thinking about mindset. So when this curve ball was thrown, I paused and took the time to ensure that I had clear goals in mind. I needed to ensure that I had my sh*t together so that I was in a frame of mind and a position to help others - or as they say on aeroplanes, fixing my own oxygen mask first.
“Over the years I've learned that maintaining an exercise and mindfulness routine is key to keeping me level headed and high performing. That became a non negotiable - a contract with myself if you like, where I committed that through this crazy time my usual exercise and meditation routine would continue.
“I literally drew up a schedule for myself, making sure I scheduled in time for exercise, time for meditation and down time.”
“I also made a point to stick to my usual routine. I got up at the same time every morning, did my morning workout from home, and then I got dressed for work. I put normal work clothes on and makeup because I felt that it helped me be in the zone. I won’t lie, it wasn’t always easy but the structure and routine helped keep my mindset in the game.”
When the pandemic hit, many of us were just in survival mode. How did you help shift the mindset of employees to thrive mode?
“We undertook a number of initiatives to ensure the team was transitioning as seamlessly as possible and maintaining the momentum they previously had in a face-to-face environment. There are too many to list but the first key thing we did is we (my team and I) took to calling each and every individual in our workforce once a week to see how they and their families were going. The conversations weren’t about work, rather it was about how they were feeling, how they were transitioning and offering any support we could to ensure they, and the important people in their lives, were doing well.
“We also kicked off the Contini-Olympics where we formed teams of four and had a series of challenges and work outs that we had to complete. The competitive spirit meant that we had almost half our workforce participating and at a minimum getting 10000 steps and a 10 min meditation every day.
“The feedback from this initiative was incredible - being held to account to stay active worked wonders for our team’s health, productivity and mindset.”
“We welcomed people’s home lives into work. Having their children or spouses pop into zoom meetings wasn’t seen as an inconvenience or unprofessional, rather it was seen as an opportunity to get to know a different side of each other and bond in a way that wouldn't have happened at work. Ultimately we gave people full autonomy and trust to deliver their work in the hours they needed in order to manage home schooling and other responsibilities.
“Some feedback we got early from our teams was that they were sitting at their computers longer than ever, so we responded quickly and introduced meeting free times a couple of days a week where we have mandated that no meeting can be scheduled during that time and team members can do what they wish with that time. By saying to our team, “we know this is difficult, we know this is different and we trust and know that you will do your absolute best during this time and we’re here to support you in any way you need,” has gone a huge way in having the thriving team that we have today.”
Contino is known for its fun, open and vibrant culture. How has this been sustained/ adapted during this time of remote working, and how is it evolving moving forward?
“Having fun at work is just in our DNA, so when we transitioned to a fully remote workforce focusing on ensuring we maintained that cultural element was critical. Every month we have held a social event where leaders of our business have hosted quizzes, bingo, debates, DJ sessions and other fun and random activities. We’ve also held a comedy show with Ross Noble, Ed Kavalee & Tony Martin - that one was a hoot!
“The engagement in these events has been incredible and the ribbing and jibbing that goes along with it has really kept people laughing and joking and upholding our playful culture.
“We’ve also felt it really important to ensure that we’ve had open forums for people to ask questions of our MD, Craig Howe. Craig’s also been reaching out to the team individually to see how they’re travelling, because that’s just the kind of leader that he is. He cares.
“We’ve had ‘What Are You Wearing Wednesdays’ with a different theme every week and ‘Throwback Thursdays’ where we’ve reminisced about the past and learned random facts about each other, like that one of our Execs used to be a body builder etc. We’ve also maintained our strong learning environment and have held weekly Lunch & Learns and fortnightly back to bases hosted by different volunteers within the business. As for Slack Channels - we’ve got one for every interest you can think of and people contribute to those regularly.”
“This is our future forward, we will continue to think up different ways to get the team together (virtually) to celebrate, educate and feel a part of a greater community with a strong focus on ensuring our people maintain a healthy and active mind and body.”
That wraps up part 1 of our interview with Laura Petruccelli, Director of People APAC at Contino.
Check out part 2, as Laura shares insights on preventing burnout working remotely, building social relationships in a virtual office, and the exciting work landscape moving forward.
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