What have we learned from the lockdown?

We did not miss the interruptions - for researchers it was nice to be able to gather the thoughts for a long time at a time, and productivity has certainly increased over the period. The laboratory workers felt the same way - they experienced greater efficiency when students and researchers did not "get in the way". With the assurances that this should not be misunderstood! The team spirit in the labs keeping up measurements during the shutdown, was reinforced - a really positive element that seems to continue.

We did not miss the transportation time for meetings. In particular, we did not miss ineffective meetings, but rather liked the brief well-structured online meetings where people arrive on time and are to-the-point. One of us also enjoyed smoking at the meetings. It was a widespread experience that the phone has had a renaissance - a short conversation rather than a very long mail string.

Outdoor meetings and breaks have been extensively used, and especially talks such as walk-and-talk (in all kinds of weather) have been so successful, we will continue this even after reopening. Maybe because it's a more informal framework. 

So, what did we miss? We missed a coffee corner that buzzes with life, and we missed colleagues, one can quickly ask instead of surfing the web. We missed the environment - both professional and social - the part that only works when you are physically united. Especially it was difficult for new people. And it was hard to get things started. 

There are many useful experiences, besides good hygiene. It does not require a corona crisis to know the value of online meetings and good meeting culture. The same is true for when to interrupt or be disturbed. But let's take this opportunity to reinvent, if it hasn't already.

Working from home has largely proved its worth, and there is no indication that it has exceeded our productivity - on the contrary. But conversely, the shutdown has also shown the importance of the professional and social environment, and it cannot be maintained online. In my view, one has to be very structured in relation to working from home, and it needs to be within limited periods or fixed days, so that the workplace environment does not erode.