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A Path Less Traveled: Returning to the Office in 2022

A Path Less Traveled: Returning to the Office in 2022
7 Mar 2022

As the world continues to navigate the remaining challenges around the COVID-19 global pandemic many companies are choosing to continue remote work options or creating hybrid schedules for their workforce. At Trailer Bridge – we are taking the path less traveled; focusing on in-office work environments where team members can safely grow and thrive in their careers.

On any given day Trailer Bridge’s offices across the country are filled with a buzz – it’s an energy created by team members as they work together to create solutions for shippers – an energy that can’t be felt or created through a virtual portal.

“We understand that an in-person work environment is not for everyone in today’s climate but its right for us,” said Trailer Bridge CEO Mitch Luciano. “At TB we work to sustain our award-winning workplace culture which focuses on developing our team members for their career growth.”

Why does the company feel so strongly about working in the office? TB’s Chief People Officer Indie B. Bollman says the answer is simple, “It’s about building relationships, training and development and a creating a great place to work each day for our team members.”

Relationships

“People for the most part crave relationships – this isn’t unique to our personal lives outside the office, it’s also about those connections with our coworkers, the people we spend our days with,” explained Bollman. So it’s no surprise in a public opinion poll of U.S. adults recently conducted by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) nearly two-thirds of remote workers feel isolated or lonely sometimes and 17% all the time. What that’s telling us is that some people may want to work from home, but many of them aren’t enjoying it as much two years later.

Working alone in your home does not support that casual conversation or a quick chat and collaboration around finding a solution to a challenge. “There’s an energy that comes from working together to find a solution and you can’t find it over the phone or in a virtual meeting,” said Eric Masotti, President of Logistics for Trailer Bridge. “We want to see our team members collaborating which leads to innovation, and that’s what will propel the business forward into the future.”

At TB, team members are encouraged to foster connection across the organization – whether you work in the brokerage division or ocean shipping. The company has an organization-wide coaching and mentoring program which regularly hosts small group chats made up of three to four team members from cross-divisions. Bollman describes the program as essential to creating community across the company’s more than 15 locations.

Training & Development

One of the many benefits of working at TB is a focus on training and development. Team members expand their specific job knowledge and leadership skills through external training classes as well as in-house training programs.

In 2020, Trailer Bridge launched a specific upskilling program designed to make learning a priority for each of its employees. Managers collaborate with the employee to identify the classes that will best support their current role as well as their growth goals. The classes range from Microsoft Office training to industry-specific classes and everything in-between – if it will help the employee grow professionally, TB supports it.

“Team members also have access to a robust in-house leadership development program led by the CEO Mitch Luciano and myself,” said Bollman. “The program develops current leaders and those poised to take on a leadership role within the company.”

In addition, there is a focus on feedback through the company’s ‘Love It. Learn It. Fix It.’ review program. Trailer Bridge skips the formality of the ‘annual review’ and opens its feedback program up for managers to use throughout the year. It’s a time to praise employees, teach them and coach them in a way that supports their individual growth as well as the company’s growth.

Healthy Work-Life Balance

According to The Born Digital Effect, the latest research from Citrix Systems, Inc., young workers focus on fundamental work factors such as career stability and work-life balance rather than the latest tech trends. Born Digital employees are Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and Generation Z, born after 1997 – the two groups account for the majority of today’s workforce.

One way to achieve balance is by maintaining that separation between the workspace and home. At Trailer Bridge, we encourage employees to be fully engaged during their workday and to shut it off when they go home to their families – leaving the stress of work at work.

“We have big growth plans for the future,” added Luciano, “plans that include the continued rapid growth of our workforce as we continue to innovate to provide solutions for shippers around the globe.”

While the trend in today’s workplace climate may be remote work – TB is looking beyond today’s trends and taking the road less traveled. Candidates interested in going on a journey with a growing transportation and logistics provider can learn more at TrailerBridge.com/Careers/.

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