Remotely empowered
Geneviève Iezzoni
Social Media Marketing & Storytelling Lead
Microsoft Canada
I am living my dream – telling stories. I firmly believe that stories are what makes us human. I get to wake up every morning being able to tell them by combining my two biggest passions as the Social Media and Customer Storytelling Lead at Microsoft Canada. What I love most about my portfolio is that I get to be on the frontline of the digital experience for our customers. Not bad for a Liberal Arts student, right? Hi mom!
I joined Microsoft as a remote employee in March 2019. It was challenging starting a new role remotely because at the time, most collaborative spaces were built around in-person work. When the pandemic began, we transitioned to a fully remote hybrid model. Before this, I was the only profile picture on Teams and never knew when to jump in during meetings. The pandemic changed everything for me. It created an opportunity for me to feel comfortable being remote, for others to understand how I worked and for me to be a resource for those that wanted to know how to navigate remote work. People started turning to me for best practices and advice and with many of my colleagues, while we were connecting only via email or Teams calls, we felt more connected than ever before. As someone who has grappled with anxiety, you’re constantly asking yourself am I doing enough, am I enough? The pandemic democratized my experience as a remote worker and strengthened my ability to feel part of the team, much of which stemmed from the tools and technology available to me and the inclusive culture I was a part of.
Fostering inclusive spaces begins with understanding, open dialogue and enabling the employee to feel connected and empowered. The conversations we continue to have at Microsoft about inclusion make me truly believe in the possibilities of hybrid work. This holds true especially around the kind of impact we see in the little things such as keeping my camera on so my peers can see my facial expressions or popping an update on a Teams chat to say what I’m up to. I work on ensuring there is a safe space for vulnerability and openness. With workers being in disparate locations and going through individual experiences, we need to create spaces where they feel included and heard.
“I think a lot about what kind of world I want to live in, one full of kindness and compassion, so I try to view my success based on how I can foster that environment. Taking a moment to be kind can make all the difference.”
These moments also created magic. The way we tell stories at Microsoft Canada, either on our social channels or via our Customer Stories has changed so much. We’re more collaborative, continuing to elevate diverse voices and sharing our learnings while celebrating our wins in an entirely new way. It’s incredible to witness and be on the front line of storytelling. I learned a lot this year, about myself, how to tell stories and teamwork. The thing I am the proudest of is how my team rallied behind inclusivity and made sure everyone was cared for.
We are in uncharted waters and it’s important to recognize that sometimes you may miss the mark – and that’s okay. We can’t grow and improve without learning lessons along the way, so let’s be kind and do better next time! I found my people throughout the pandemic, but most importantly, I found confidence in myself. Hybrid work is a two-way street of understanding and accountability. I began to feel remotely empowered by understanding my experience would differ from my peers, and having my peers understand the same. This led to greater connections, finding a sense of self, and trusting that even dialing in through a screen I mattered, was valued and heard.
#Culture #Wellbeing #Innovation