Monika Rudijono talks about blazing trails and inspiring women to take risks in a supportive environment.
Chapter: New ways of working
About: Monika Rudijono is the managing director of Vidio, an Indonesia-based over-the-top video streaming service with content that consists of sports, movies, series, television, and other entertainment. Vidio is one of the largest streaming platforms in Southeast Asia.
Tell us about how work has transformed over the past few years and the direct impact on employees?
The pandemic certainly created more challenges for people to get to know their colleagues and learn about the organization’s culture in an organic way. In the pre-pandemic days, I used to do my rounds and interact with team members from time to time throughout the day. I found that being in the same physical space created possibilities for spontaneous interactions that often led to valuable conversations.
“Since we shifted to working remotely, almost all discussions and interactions are scheduled with an agenda. There needs to be more proactive efforts from all of us to engage one-on-one or in person in a substantial and spontaneous way.”
In terms of getting our work done, fortunately there have been no issues so far. Based on my experience with our teams, everyone has demonstrated a high performance level in spite of the operational distance. But, as more time passes, the disparity is becoming more obvious in the level of familiarity/comfort between the new team members whose interactions with me have been limited to zoom calls from the first day of their employment.
I can imagine the struggle for those who are striving to perform and gain solid footing in their new environment without receiving immediate feedback from their peers or supervisors while everyone is working remotely. We are definitely missing the connection that could have otherwise been conveniently established if we were all operating and communicating closely or in person, beyond the scheduled meetings.
Under the new method of working, how are you supporting gender/talent diversity?
Generally speaking, I believe the most common hurdle or challenge that remote workers are facing today is to balance the personal and family time with work life. For many of us, it’s a pre-existing challenge that was already present before the pandemic, but it’s emphasized and underscored even more in the last two years. In my view, the challenges on the home front will always be there to a certain extent.
“I make an effort to get to know the people on my team, because I believe everyone works to accomplish their own personal goals, and therefore I try to understand what motivates them professionally. Additionally, I want to help create meaning from day one and have continuous conversations for the purpose of being a part of an employee’s ongoing development of their strengths and interests.”
I like to help others to feel they are doing meaningful work and understand where they are on their professional path. As long as we feel like we’re doing meaningful work, the time away from home should be worthwhile.
How do you provide employees flexibility at work?
One of the overall benefits of working remotely is that people get to spend more time with their families. For women in particular, where their family commitment has historically been sacrificed in pursuit of their career goals, I feel it is now easier to balance family with work aspirations. At one point in my career, when my kids were much younger, there was a time where I felt too deeply divided between family and career. I wanted to allocate more time on raising my family. Luckily, when I approached my boss to express my situation and my intention to resign, he proposed that I work part-time so I could stay in the company.
That flexibility allowed me to continue my professional growth and spend more time with my children. Having that experience and support is a great example of how we can accommodate others in reaching their professional goals without requiring them to choose between work and family. Based on that experience, I realized that in order for me to accomplish my goals I also needed to cultivate relationships with the people in my team through establishing regular dialogues.
“Conducting one-on-ones helps me grasp the condition, strengths, or weaknesses of our team leaders and their team members. I encourage all leaders to engage in one-on-one discussions with the people in their units as well. This is the forum to identify issues or challenges that need to be addressed or elevated early on. Ideally, issues are communicated properly during those sessions and adjustments are implemented together.”
It’s important for me to do a lot of one-on-ones with my team members. I am intentional and focused on the person and give room to discuss areas that they seek to develop. These discussions also help me develop my skills as a supportive leader.
What are some mindset changes that are needed to improve the workplace for female talent?
Having gender diversity in the workplace is very important. But to me, a key factor for a sustainable work environment is that all employees feel comfortable working in a safe environment without a sense of discrimination regardless of their background.
“My priority is to generate an appreciative and safe culture for multiple aspects of their achievements, which in my view is something that is already established at Vidio.”
In addition, I have also benefited from spending a greater time of my professional days in the presence of diversity. From that I believe diversity and inclusion creates a competitive edge and increases productivity. We all reap the rewards when we create a fair and safe environment where everyone has access to opportunities and challenges.
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