Work from Home Series: Interview with Brynn Michelich, JellyVision

Work from home environments will be with us for at least the next several months, and the impact may be much longer. With more companies realizing the broader benefits of a work from home strategy, ScoutLogic is interviewing human resource leaders to share their insights on how to make this transition while continuing to build their employee engagement and corporate culture.

Joining us in this interview is Brynn Michelich, the Chief of Staff at Jellyvision. Jellyvision's purpose is to "Be Helpful". At the core of that is helping people make smart decisions about their health, benefits, and finances. Jellyvision supports these decisions by breaking down complex topics with clarity, humanity, and humor. Jellyvision is regularly recognized as one of the best places to work and has an incredibly vibrant culture. Brynn has been the point person on Jellyvision's work from home transition, and we are so excited to gain her insights today. Brynn also went to the best college in the universe (Go Blue!).

Below please find the video recording with Brynn and a summary of her insights.

What's Worked Well?

• Jellyvision's IT team ensured everyone had the tools they needed to be productive at home right out of the gate.
• Employee engagement increased due to the intimacy of talking with people one on one through the Zoom format versus being in a large conference room. 

What's Challenging

• Replicating human interaction virtually. Jellyvision has several initiatives (e.g., virtual events), but it is hard to replicate the "hallway" interactions.

Practical Advice

• Map your current recruiting & onboarding processes and seek to replicate them in a virtual environment. "Honor the process" and find a way to make critical steps work remotely.
• Be honest and forthright on your Covid response and a potential return to office environment plans. The key is to ensure all employees are safe and feel safe so they can engage and find joy in their work.

We are so grateful to Brynn for her insights and for the opportunity to be Jellyvision's background check provider!