When the clock strikes midnight on January 1, there might be more than just a few of us celebrating the year that felt like five is now coming to a close. In the new year, we’ll bring with us the many lessons learned over the last twelve months. For better, and for worse, we’re in a different place than we were, or thought we may be.

1. In the new year, we’ll bring with us the wisdom that we gained. Not in the least, that will be the ability to virtually connect with others. Staying connected is vital to getting things done; your employees are your business’ backbone. Giving them the ability to easily communicate and stay connected is a recipe for success. We’ve seen over the last year that connectivity with coworkers is central to productivity, but also for keeping people engaged. The need for connecting with others will always be part of us, and maintaining a sense of normalcy when it comes to culture and engagement is a huge part of this. We found that when those feelings of isolation and loneliness crept in, reaching out to a coworker helped us to stay sane. Whether it’s Teams, Slack, weekly Webex happy hours, it’s all important. And worth the investment of time and money.
2. We make a big stink about cybersecurity. It’s kiiiind of our thing around here. A decentralized workforce opens up the possibility for security breaches. Cybercriminals are getting sneakier, and their tactics are changing right alongside the changing landscape of our work environments. Building up your virtual fortress walls is one of the most important lessons to have learned over the past year. Just, trust us on this one, we don’t want to pull out all of the scary statistics.
3. One of the first activities we had all of our employees participate in after lockdown began, was a contest to show your WFH rig. Everyone posted a photo on slack to show what their at home workstation looked like. This was a little sneaky, as the purpose of this contest was twofold: one was to generate some friendly competition and the other was to make sure that everyone was equipped with proper tools to do their job. For those whose home offices needed some help, we helped. The goal was to ensure that everyone was properly set up to do their job to the best of their ability. What good is a catcher without their mitt? Everyone needs the tools to do their job.

2020 is so close to being over, and we’re better people, better friends, better parents, better colleagues and better employees for making it through – if, and only if, we reflect back on what this year has taught us. Turns out, there were a lot of valuable lessons to be found in the last 365 days.