Working from home with: Tera Peterson, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer at NuFACE

This week we chatted with Tera Peterson, Co-Founder & Chief Creative officer of the innovative skincare brand, NuFACE.  We love how quickly Tera and her team adapted and she has some great insight into creating a routine.

What is your company’s work-from-home (WFH) policy for COVID?

As part of NuFACE’s continuing commitment to keep our employees safe, NuFACE has extended its work-from-home and no travel policies through March 31, 2021. Our human resource team is doing an amazing job at monitoring guidance from the CDC and local/federal government officials to keep our employees safe! We have guidelines for non-essential employees to stay at home and provide tools to maintain a healthy work life balance. For our essential employees, we are grateful to have such a committed staff who get routine temperature checks, COVID tested and wear masks and gloves while social distancing throughout the day.

Did you have any WFH policies before COVID? 

Prior to COVID, the majority of our employees worked in our corporate office. The flexibility to WFH was on a case-by-case basis. We also saw an opportunity to hire candidates outside our area who would WFH the majority of the time and come into the office once or twice a week to meet with their team in-person or participate in company events. Ultimately, we have always wanted our employees to feel supported when they needed to WFH for personal or family reasons.

Any successes/insights that you’ve gained from the WFH switch?

Company-wide, our employees were challenged to collaborate virtually rather quickly. We utilized tools such as Asana, Zoom, Teams and provided any office supplies including blue ray glasses of their choice! Over time we discovered that efficiency and productivity increased from the WFH transition. As demand increased for NuFACE so did the work that came with it but we collectively have been able to get more done than we ever have before by spending less time commuting and more time with our families at home once signing off. It is very common for kids, pets and partners to make appearances at meetings, and we have opportunities to get to know each other in a whole new way!

What are the major challenges you’ve had since switching to WFH and how did you overcome them?

We do miss seeing our NuFAMILY daily! It is hard to replace human interaction in a collaborative setting. If our teams are working on projects that require sharing samples, sending mailers, or testing product, we will ship to one another to make it happen! Some team members have had to store product to support our PR initiatives and lean on one another to accomplish our goals by dividing and conquering. Through all the obstacles, one thing couldn’t be truer, our employees are dedicated, and we really have come together to rise above!

What does your typical WFH day look like now?

I love the flexibility I have when working from home! I accomplish more now than I ever have before by traveling less while still meeting people from all over the world. My day begins with a quick morning virtual workout before my husband and twin girls wake up. An active start gives me positive endorphins and healthy motivation. Next, we’ll take a walk on the beach as a family and pick up my favorite tea on the way home. Supporting small business is so important during these difficult times, and I love a good hot tea! After a quick shower, I’ll jump on an IG Live with some of my favorite celebrity aesthetician friends, brands or influencers to educate our clients. It brings me joy to provide additional value to them through our social activations. The rest of my day is filled with virtual meetings with our team, editors, and partners to work on projects and discuss what is next for NuFACE in the future! When there’s gaps in my schedule, I will play with my girls in the backyard, make a healthy lunch or connect on Instagram to hear success stories or answer questions from influencers and clients. I answer emails as I go sign-off to give myself some time to reflect and decompress from the day- lots of fresh air or phone calls to friends to check in on one another. Creating a routine is important but truly just giving myself and my family the flexibility to adjust whenever needed is also important to remember!

You can find Tera on LinkedIn and on Instagram @TeraValdez