You know us as the inventors and makers of PURELL® Hand Sanitizer. We are a company with a 75-year history of solving critical human problems and bringing game-changing products to the marketplace that improve public health. Our products have had an essential role during the pandemic. But while we were running our operations 24/7, sourcing raw materials, and doing everything we could to meet immeasurable demand, we were also innovating. And not just innovating new products but also innovating for what the future of work could be for our GOJO team members and our company.
Recognizing the Pendulum Swing
For GOJO, like many businesses, before the pandemic, everything we did was in-person. Then during the pandemic, the pendulum swung entirely in the other direction. No one met in person, and we collaborated 100 percent virtually except for those team members that needed to be on-site in our labs or plants.
We Didn’t Ask “How Can We Get Everyone Back in the Office”
As a Family Enterprise, we took the last 18 months and developed a thoughtful approach – not asking how we go back to the way things were, but instead, we asked ourselves, “how might we” create a model that works for our team members and the business. The paradox is that GOJO puts our hand soap and hand sanitizer dispensers on walls in public places, including office buildings. But we realize the world changed in 2020, and we believe businesses must think differently about how they work and do business.
What Our Work Ecosystem Team Has Been Doing the Last 18 Months
With so many different roles, we knew there was no blanket system that would work for all. After all – we have team members inventing solutions in the lab, partnering with our customers out in the world, manufacturing and distributing those solutions, plus a range of vital resources supporting all this work – here in Northeast Ohio and across the country and globe. We had to be thoughtful in creating a system that works for our team members – AND the different kinds of work we do. For 12 months, we surveyed employees. We researched and tested different approaches with hundreds of pilot participants. We worked with industry thought leaders. We created work neighborhoods in our offices – collaborative spaces for teams to drop in as needed. And this led us to a model that divided our work into four different categories: 
- Individual Focus Time: For uninterrupted time to get work done, grow and develop, or learn and explore new ideas
- Site-Specific Work: To gather on-site when needed to access special equipment and materials.
- Daily Teamwork: To combine asynchronous work and Microsoft Teams for standing team meetings, 1x1s, and working sessions for two hours or less, so team members can connect seamlessly from anywhere.
- Milestone Moments: To come together in person in the office for multi-hour project chartering, after-action reviews, strategy, ideation or problem-solving sessions, half to full-day training sessions, relationship building, celebrations, and cultural events.
This breakdown allowed us to develop a hybrid in-person and virtual environment that creates more flexibility while preserving our collaborative culture. One that empowers teams and individuals to work in the ways and places that make the most sense for their role. In other words, a work environment that resembles an actual ecosystem – where every unique role thrives.
We still believe the office has an important role in this ecosystem – especially for Milestone Moments as the kind of collaboration that happens best in person. It’ll just mean using that space differently – with greater reliance on drop-in desks and shared spaces for gathering. The office will be a bustling place again soon if we get it right.
GOJO Work Ecosystem of the Future
We call our new work model the GOJO Work Ecosystem of the Future. The ecosystem’s four role types are:
- Mostly Virtual
- Blended Monthly
- Blended Weekly
- Mostly On-Site
Today, GOJO team members are placed in one of these roles – based on the work that they do. Here is a graphic for each role type.
Future Ahead
As the makers of PURELL® products, we aspire for our team members to experience the well-being we bring to others and to design both healthy workplaces and healthy ways of working for all of us within our Work Ecosystem. We know we have taken a unique and somewhat surprising approach to work, and we will continue to learn and evolve as we have done for 75 years.
To learn more about our Work Ecosystem of the Future, watch this video that highlights each role type in detail, and after watching, if you are interested in learning more, reach out to workecosystem@gojo.com. In 2022, we will continue to explore the evolving office ecosystem – subscribe to the GOJO blog, so you don’t miss a post.