Roma Finance

'Companies need to ensure they are adding value to colleagues' experience when they are in the office'




The priority order drummed into us at Roma is quite simple: first, your health, then your family and afterwards, your work.

It’s the philosophy cascaded all through the business by our MD, Scott Marshall. I joined the business in the pandemic, but have it on good authority that this has always been the policy.

However, this is simply the foundation. When Covid-19 began, we were thrown into the new and unknown world of homework. Our work was completely in our home, there were no barriers separating different aspects of our lives and, for many, it was hard to switch off. This of course has a negative impact on mental health. How could it not?

Mental health issues and feeling low is contagious, and it became a pandemic in its own right. While we had to wait for a solution to the pandemic, we could play an active role in mental health. Companies had to change their mindsets and accept that for the good of their team, they had to be priority number three. Your own health — physical and mental — and family must be placed higher. 

Maintaining a culture where people can speak up and voice when they have a problem or are struggling has made for a very positive place to work, and many of our newer people are recommendations from Roma’s happy team. It has been a refreshing environment for me to walk into and develop.

Once people understand that it’s ok to put themselves first, what about work?

Digital communications, such as Teams and Zoom, kept our faces connected, but it’s not the same. This was especially true as so many people joined Roma during the various lockdowns. Integrating them into the tightknit team was just as important as ensuring the existing people didn’t feel like the business environment was running away with them. We concluded that finding ways to have a positive impact on someone’s mental health was just as important as the recovery position. 

Encouraging people to switch off from work properly and create a positive work/life balance was essential. This is an old phrase, but one that is often taken for granted and sometimes a bit of a throw away. It is said, but not meant — talked about, but not acted on. 

If a talented individual cannot regularly complete their tasks and work within their contracted hours, then companies need to act. It’s a business’s responsibility now to monitor this and work with their individual team members to create positive outcomes. How can we adapt? What is not a priority? How do we improve? These are questions that have to be asked regularly.

There is another common phrase, ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’. This is another passing comment. Things can always be improved.

Roma made certain to run wellness checks on every team member regularly, as well as create virtual team nights, exercise competitions, and encourage podcast recommendations. Our Weekly Wellness Wednesday communications were a hit! I’m sure many are resonating with some of these activities.

The homework situation at Roma has been defined by collaborating with colleagues to find the perfect balance to our hybrid model. We have all proved productivity has not been affected by WFH, so it’s been more about overcoming the other areas that affect us, such as increased travel costs and commute time. Companies need to ensure they are adding value to colleagues’ experience when they are in the office. 

The ever-evolving economy and situation creates uncertainty and anxiety. We’re all responsible for managing this and creating a supportive culture. It’s the intelligence of human nature.

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