The past few weeks, as well as those that lie ahead, can certainly be described as demanding (to put it mildly). Not only in terms of coping with the crisis as a society or as individuals, but also – through the change in the functioning of entire companies and employees. How to stay in rhythm with daily, essential duties and keep sailing despite unfavorable winds during this time? ⛵ We'll tell you from our own experience!
Remote work, home office are probably the most frequently repeated phrases, right after the well-known name of the virus that has practically paralyzed most of the globe. We've already written about how to start working remotely, now we'll approach the topic from the other side and focus on the practical aspects of a company's functioning. We know a thing or two about it, because we've already successfully onboarded several new crew members remotely. 🤝
...so that a sign of equality is placed between remote and capable.
We are far from rigid corporate rules, and the fact that we have a cohesive team definitely simplifies communication between individual teams, and most importantly – a rather efficient transition from the idea stage to putting specific actions into practice. So, skillfully returning to the question posed in the title – here are the key elements worth remembering, so that a sign of equality is placed between remote and capable.
Constant contact is key!
Email, video conferences, messengers. All methods are good to maintain communication flow. Regardless of whether we're talking about a team that is already integrated to such an extent that most conversations are based on exchanging emojis and memes, or a new employee joining the crew. On our end, we make sure that the connection is not broken at any stage of recruitment or onboarding, and that we can always be found by email, or quite simply – by phone number. 💻 📱 📧
In the current form of remote work, everyone clearly declares the number of tasks and responsibilities awaiting them on a given day. This is similar to giving a brief, point-by-point report on things that were resolved/unresolved the previous day.
What's the point of many communication channels if the communication itself isn't clear?
Indeed, try not to overdo it with the amount of content and the channels on which it appears, and don't immediately throw someone new into the deep end – i.e., into conversation channels whose nature, without proper onboarding, might be incomprehensible at the very beginning. It will be most convenient to prepare an appropriate path for familiarizing oneself with new materials, so that information overload does not occur. 🤯
Basics of basics!
Just as postponing basics like occupational health examinations is obvious, so is health and safety training, which is one of those processes that cannot be forgotten and can be conducted just as effectively remotely. Familiarizing oneself with elementary concepts, as well as work hygiene, is even more important during this demanding period.
Setting a common direction or a motivational kick-start to getting to know each other!
Where are we sailing, where are we headed?
In addition to clearly outlining responsibilities for a given position, it's worth introducing new hires from the very beginning to how the company functions: its mission, the way of communication between individual crew members and outside the organization (e.g., on social media), as well as clearly presenting the team structure itself. So that the avatars on Slack are not just an anonymous gallery of variety. 👽
O captain, my captain!
Since we're on the subject of structure, it's worth mentioning that every new hire should not only get to know the characteristics of the entire organization's operation, but also have a word with the leaders. ⛰️ We are talking here about both the captain duo of the entire ship (hello @Frank Bekkers and @Magda Piksa!), and the people with whom they will cooperate within a given team. Setting a common direction or a motivational kick-start (i.e., well-balanced words) for a good start to acquaintance!
Specializations!
Now that we've had our say, and the email signature has been proudly hung in the mail client, we can skillfully jump into training within specific teams. And just as the communication style and how much leeway can be afforded (with us, it's rather close to wholesale quantities) will be important for the entire crew, so individual departments require specialized knowledge. For the Department of Awesomeness (dealing with our image), it will obviously be the specifics of communication on individual channels 🐱👤 and goals, for the Help Desk (our reliable support) – all technical issues, distinguishing between individual offers, and best practices in direct contact with the client. 📞
First and… last: organization!
We can talk about proper onboarding, appropriate training, and getting to know the internal nomenclature. All of this, however, will be irrelevant if it happens in the wrong order or coincides in time. 💥 Therefore, it's worth having the entire training/onboarding process function as a connected system, involving all (interested) departments.
The results? We ourselves quickly switched to remote work mode, implemented the above steps, which can certainly be called effective. Especially since, in this mode, some departments (Department of Awesomeness, Help Desk) have been enriched with employees who have successfully undergone REMOTE integration. 🍻
