Earlier in the summer I sat down to interview the newly appointed chief executive of Ireland’s largest estate agents. Aside from worrying about selling offices, one of his concerns was getting his staff back into his own office. It doesn’t look good for a property adviser to work from home, he joked.
Another point he made was how to deal with the graduate interns who were about to start. As he had joined the company as a graduate trainee in 1999, he knew how invaluable the experience was.
One of his lucky roles early on was as executive assistant to the then chief executive. The daily access to the knowledge and experience of the head of the company proved invaluable for a new hire.
Value of face-time
Thinking back on his comments now, it’s hard to disagree. There are some learning experiences that cannot be captured by setting a laptop on a kitchen table or creating a makeshift bedroom office.
Networks and connections forged now can last a lifetime. Working from home suits employees established in their career, but we may be forgetting about those who are just starting out.
It has already been quite the year for the graduating class of 2020. There were no on-campus goodbyes and exams were monitored via Zoom. For some, the labour market for the foreseeable future will be very much different from what it was at the beginning of this year.
Office environment
For those who have started or will start their internship or graduate role, the experience will also be much different. There is something about an office environment for interns that a Slack channel or Zoom call can’t replicate.
The lifelong networks we make early on in our careers are hard to replicate by the scheduled video calls
What will be missing are the connections we make with colleagues. Many of us in our careers have benefited from a mentor who went out of their way to help us.
One thing any new employee struggles to figure out is ‘how things are done around here’. It is often the simple things that can’t be navigated by using a training manual.
Chance encounters
The spontaneity of ideas, the collaboration sparked by a chance conversation and the lifelong networks we make early on in our careers are hard to replicate by the scheduled video calls, and video quizzes and drinks designed to replicate social occasions.
There may be one more reason why we should aim to give interns the same experience as in previous years. Some talent takes time to emerge and shine. There are few companies that have not seen the best and brightest emerge from the most quiet and shy individuals on day one.
The lockdown may have speeded up the delivery of training and education online, yet virtual environments cannot replace the soft skills we need in any organisation that can only be taught and learned by interacting directly with colleagues and mentors.
Letting the class of 2020, who have already missed out on so much this year as a result of the pandemic, miss out on this experience now may cost them a lot more in the years ahead.
