Spending a day with Michelle from Unicorn Workspaces

June 13, 2024

Welcome to the second season of “Spending a day with…” – featuring new questions, new users and new Unicorns.

We’re kicking off season two with Michelle Lang, People & Culture Manager for Unicorn Workspaces, who’s been a part of the Unicorn team since 2018. Now let’s accompany Michelle throughout her day!

It’s 8 a.m. Are you already wide awake, or still in a deep sleep?

Well, there are two versions of me: I’m mostly an early bird – who, by 8 o’clock – has already finished doing sports and having breakfast, and am now usually going through my first emails and having a cup of coffee. That’s the version I also prefer, because I enjoy having a quiet morning and I feel like I’m starting off my day with more energy and structure. However, there are some days when I find myself hitting the snooze button for the fifth time so I can essentially toss off my morning routine. That’s where good music on my way to work (and the first coffee when I get there) have to serve as my pick-me-ups.

It’s 10 a.m., time for a team meeting. There’s a lot that has to be discussed. You’re making a lot of progress, even if everyone is not always in agreement. What makes a good team?

I always start my meetings with a brief check-in. To see how everybody is doing and if there’s anything a team member would like to share. It’s not only a great ice breaker, it also brings mutual understanding, trust and a sense of community spirit into the picture. What makes a good team thrive is having a variety of perspectives and problem solving methods. I’m absolutely convinced that discussions are enormously valuable, that new ideas and approaches arise from them. The communication should always be respectful and supportive. It’s helpful to have a good moderator, a clear agenda along with a timetable, and to take minutes at the meeting so that there’ll be a written record of what was verbally discussed.

It’s 1 p.m., time for a lunch break. Do you have a quick bite to eat and get back to work or take a more lengthy break?

Whether it’s to have lunch or get some fresh air, taking a break is important to me for organizing my thoughts and clearing my mind so that I can concentrate on my work again. The Unicorns at the headquarters often meet up to have a bite to eat or cook with each other, and I always enjoy these get-togethers, especially when we’re just chatting about non-work related stuff. On days where I work from home, I go out for a walk. That usually helps me get over the post-lunch slump and replenishes my energy.

It’s 4 p.m. and you have a meeting with the press. It gets a bit personal as they ask, “Have you been particularly influenced by someone?” and “What are you especially proud of?”.

If I should be invited to an interview by the press for the purpose of self-promotion, I’d say the following: I deal pretty well with being thrown into the deep end. At first I may panic and be confused and frustrated, yet somehow I always manage to reach my goal. I’ve gone through this time and time again in my professional life. As a result, I’ve learned to familiarize myself with things which were completely unknown to me, to work out my own solutions, to sharpen my sense of curiosity. Going the usual route (graduating high school, then studying to work in a specific profession) was too boring for me. I’ve always let myself go along by my interests, my strengths and the chances that’ve been presented to me. That’s gifted me with a lot of great experiences and valuable knowledge in a broad range of areas, and it keeps encouraging me to continually develop myself, both privately and professionally. It’s also how I somewhat unexpectedly came into people operations. All of the people I know and have known, both professionally and personally, who’ve given me confidence and encouragement, who have valued me – they’ve all been, of course, a positive influence on me.

It’s 6 p.m. You’ve finished work for the day. You see a huge billboard in front of the train station with the heading “NEW WORK”. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind?

Get away from deadlocked structures. It’s extremely important to be attuned to the needs of your employees, to actively inquire about them in order to strengthen employee satisfaction and commitment. It has an immediate impact on a company’s productivity and efficiency. Flexible working times, hybrid work, flat hierarchies, regular opportunities for feedback, cool office solutions, variation and change – so as to also make way for new ideas – these are what I consider the essentials of New Work.

It’s 10 p.m. Time for your last thoughts before going to bed. What do you wish you had known 10 years ago that would be helpful for you today?

There doesn’t always have to be a plan. Here’s where that calendar quote “roads are made for journeys, not destinations” is really appropriate. Have confidence in the process, believe in your strengths and allow yourself to be inspired.