We are an international oriented company, 35 employees and more than 10 different nationalities. One of our core values is “same same but different”. Most of us are based in the Netherlands, and surprisingly the majority coming from Groningen.
Some of our team are even further away from Amsterdam. Brock is always somewhere else but we believe he calls Paris his base camp at the moment. Fiona is exploring NY and she combines this with building sales machines. They did a nice interview together to explain to us why.
Hi Brock, how come you live in Paris but are working for Saleslift Studio?
After spending two years in Lisbon wrapping up my Masters degree and other projects I was keen for a change. My girlfriend is Parisien and (being Canadian) I had always aspired to live in a large European metropolis, so Paris was the natural choice. At the same time Davy, our Co-founder (and an old boss of mine) sent me a message early during my time in Lisbon mentioning he had something interesting going on. Few conversations later it was agreed upon that I could get the best of both worlds.
Do you feel like you are just as/more/less productive while working from home/ remotely as in the office? Do you prefer working remotely?
I’m lucky on a few points (1) I (almost) have an office experience because I go to WeWork regularly where I get the atmosphere I crave and peers to bounce ideas off (2) I really enjoy what I’m doing and get to interact with the people at Saleslift intensively so I feel well integrated into the team and this goes a long way. All in all, I value the life I’m able to live because of remote working incredibly and I don’t take this freedom for granted. The medley of the above gives me a great working rhythm.
Is there something you miss about working at the office?
Yes, of course the face-to-face interaction is awesome and knowledge spill within your own team is great. That being said I do make it to Amsterdam every month or so and we make sure to make the most of that time so ‘in-person’ is not dead and gone.
What about you Fiona; how come you live/work in New York but are working for Saleslift Studio?
After graduating from my Master’s in a remote manner, I decided that I wanted to use the freedom that comes with the chance to work remotely and decided to spend a couple of weeks in New York City – still working for Saleslift but exploring a new city.
Do you feel like you are just as/more/less productive while working from home/ remotely as in the office? Do you prefer working remotely?
Personally I can be more productive when working remotely as there are less distractions and things happening around you – not that I don’t miss the ping pong table noise from the office sometimes haha. I would not say that I prefer working remotely as I do miss having colleagues around me and being able to bounce ideas off each other or have a coffee together. Nevertheless, getting the chance to work from anywhere around the world (may it be in the early hours) is such a great opportunity and helped me escape my comfort zone in Amsterdam.
Is there something you miss about working at the office?
I do miss the gezellig-ness of being with colleagues in a social manner or simply not having to do every meeting in front of my laptop but rather in a face to face setting. I also miss getting to hit the gong in person and not just on slack.
What challenges do you face when working remotely?
The challenges that come along with working remotely are two-faced, on the one hand the social interactions are a big aspect for me personally. On the other side, there are studies that show that online meetings can actually inhibit the production of creative ideas. There is a larger barrier between people and I personally feel like ideas do not bounce as fluidly around the room when I am joining online. That being said, productivity has increased so I guess it depends on the day whether I need a more creative mindset or to be productive.
