It is a core mission at Hula to create not only a workplace, but a community, that fosters a healthy work/play balance. The phrase “work/play” is literally a mantra in our office. We are building a unique and uplifting campus to support the balanced and fulfilling lives we all strive for. We want our community to lead happy lives and love coming to work. And our team doesn’t just talk-the-talk, each one of us embodies work/play.
Except for now we are not riding our bikes to work, we’re not distracting each other with surf videos, and we’re not sitting down for our daily team lunches. Along with many, we are now WFH. Working from home is now so mainstream that you knew what the abbreviation ‘WFH’ meant. Unlike other things you’ve heard enough about so I won’t even mention, WFH is no novelty. (Well, the concept anyway. The abbreviation might be new.)
Every thinks-they’re-hip startup has incentivized millennials with WFH since whenever wireless internet became reliable. It has masqueraded as working from a beach in Costa Rica under the alias ‘Remote Work Policy’. It’s fresh, it’s innovative, and it’s imaginative… While I recognize that having the option to WFH is a great privilege right now, it by no means a vacation. It looks more like sitting on my couch, slouching over my laptop. And it feels… isolating.
Not only is WFH isolating, but for the Hula team, it is rather ironic. We are confined to our homes while continuing to cultivate a space and culture that makes people excited to go to work. Our team is channeling isolation into motivation. In fact, the isolation that so many of us are currently experiencing reaffirms our mission. The value in human interaction, in collaboration, in everyday banter is more apparent now than ever before.
We look forward to the day when this madness is behind us. To the day when we can open the doors of Hula and our members can collaborate. We look forward to the innovative conversations our collision spaces were designed to generate. From biking & paddleboarding to work, to coffee breaks with coworkers and after work beers with friends, we look forward to living the work/play dream.
For now, the Hula team wishes everyone health and vitality. While it can be difficult to feel a sense of community from the confines of your home, it’s out there. We are out here! Ask for help, support each other, and let time apart inspire you to find balance.
