Mona Jönsson: Leading a Product Team remotely

At Learnifier all employees work 100 % remotely since March 2021.
"What, how does that even work?" you may think. Hang on and you will find out.

Every week we talk to one of our Learnifiers to get a glimpse into their everyday work life, and get their take on remote work and best learnings for productivity and good health. This time we talked to Mona Jönsson, our tech-savvy Product Manager with both a fab southern Sweden and southern US accent.

Hi Mona, what do you do at Learnifier?

- I am the Product Manager here at Learnifier.

Exciting! What does that mean on a daily basis?

- I usually explain my role as being at the intersection of user experience, technology and business where I prioritize and ensure that we add the most value to the product with new features and enhancement to existing ones. 

How do your days look like now and where do you work

- I work from my home office based in Limhamn, Malmö (in southern Sweden).

How did you end up doing what you do and working here at Learnifier?

- With a background in teaching and main focus on pedagogy, I’ve always believed in the value of continuous learning and education. Working as a university teacher in the United States, I realized very early on the benefits of using technology in the classroom which led me to start working with an EdTech company. After having several roles such as sales representative and implementation/learning specialist I moved into product management since I wanted to take part in building a product that customers are excited to use. To see a feature that I had a part of building, coming to life and being used by customers is very satisfying and fun. I came across Learnifier on LinkedIn and started to follow the company which down the road led to me joining the team.

What is your main superpower working remotely?

- My ability to be flexible while still keeping the end result in mind. Change is inevitable and unexpected, things happen which makes it important to be flexible in how you work towards fulfilling a commitment or a deadline.

"It can be a bit isolating and boring to sit at home by yourself which makes having scheduled social time with your colleagues so much more important than if you were all sitting together."

Which are some of the big work challenges you have faced working 100 % remotely?

• - My role comes with a lot of meetings both with the development team and across the company, which is usually more fun and engaging to have in person. Brainstorming and doing workshops are also some things that are better to do in person, although you can still accomplish a lot with digital sessions. 
  
  You can also end up sitting at your desk quite a bit since there are sometimes a lot of back to back meetings so it is important to have a good office set up at home and get outside for walks etc. (Luckily I have a dog to help me do that).
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• Boredom is another aspect. It can be a bit isolating and boring to sit at home by yourself which makes having scheduled social time with your colleagues so much more important than if you were all sitting together. For example I have daily huddle meetings with my team and do check in with my individual team members to see how they are feeling. 
  
  What good aspects have you found working remotely
  
  - Having the flexibility and freedom to work from other places than my home office, if I so prefer. It is very nice to have the ability to work from co-working spaces, cafés or even other countries.
  
  With no time needed to commute to and from work, it not only saves me from the frustration of being stuck in traffic - it also frees up additional time for me to focus on work or catching up with team members. With a new dog in the household, I have definitely also appreciated the extra time with her when I am at home.
  
  

What have you learned? Advice for others?

- Prioritize getting up and moving around a little constantly through the day. Try to get some fresh air and not get stuck at your desk.

I would also say, always try to have your camera on during meetings and sessions. It is always more fun and engaging for everyone to see each other's faces and reactions than it is to look at an avatar or just a square with a name in it. Especially important if you don't get to see your colleagues in person very often as it makes you feel closer to each other.

How will your dream work situation be in a few months?

- I have been fortunate to work from Malmö and get to travel up to Stockholm and meet a lot of our team members at the co-working spaces we have available there. This setup enabled me to take this job in the first place. Travelling to Stockholm and meeting up with colleagues is fun and is something that I would like to continue to have the opportunity to do.

I would say this is my dream situation - the way I have it now - but the plan is for Learnifier to get a new office by the end of this year so when that happens I will most likely be there when I come to Stockholm instead of in the co-working spaces and my work situation will get even dreamier. 

Interview by: Rebecca Cannerfelt

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About Learnifier

Learnifier is the leading Learning Platform in the Nordics. 
Since 2012 companies and organizations of all sizes use our platform to quickly and easily share knowledge, create and administer courses.


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