As companies transitioned to working remotely, many leadership teams were tasked with figuring out how to retain the culture and camaraderie in a now-virtual office. Finding the right balance between scheduled meetings and heads-down time is a trial-and-error process. One surefire way to keep employees engaged? Transparency from leadership.
“I feel that this new level of communication has really helped keep the team focused on the north star of the company, and the recognition the leadership team has been providing has helped keep the teams engaged and feeling positive during a somewhat uneasy time,” Brad Hicks, a manager at Koddi, said.
In part two of a three-part series, company leaders across NYC addressed the impact COVID-19 has had on their business structures and the tools and support they are providing to engage their remote workforces.
How Koddi is bolstering engagement and productivity: “The leadership team is transparent and uses Slack to provide company status updates every Monday morning and team recognition and praise every Friday,” Hicks said. “I feel that this new level of communication has really helped keep the team focused on the north star of the company, and the recognition the leadership team has been providing has helped keep the teams engaged and feeling positive during a somewhat uneasy time.”
Tools for remote engagement: “Trello has been a way for us to keep our new team tracks in line organizationally, without upending all the work that we have done previously. The hope is that when we return back to our normal tracks of business, we can pick right back up in the spot we left off. The G Suite has also been something we’ve used in the past but have really leaned into while working remotely.”
How Koddi is supporting employees: President Nicholas Ward encourages employees to take physical screen breaks to stay healthy mentally.
“Realizing that some have families and children at home and expressing that stepping away is a necessity at this time really helped others breathe a sigh of relief,” Hicks said.
How EquiLend is bolstering engagement and productivity: Even with remote offices already in place, HR and senior leadership at EquiLend are increasing internal communication to keep employees connected.
“These communications include a healthy combination of necessary business- and operations-related updates, resources for helping to manage new challenges presented by working remotely and words of encouragement and thanks. We have also introduced virtual management office hours, which offer employees the opportunity to ask our leadership team any questions on their minds or to simply stop by to say hello,” Giffuni said.
Tools for remote engagement: “Fortunately, our IT infrastructure and the internal tools and channels we have had in place, even before the current shift to remote working, has allowed us to communicate quickly, frequently and effectively with one another. In addition to using video conferencing and chat software for our day-to-day work, we are using Zoom to host virtual happy hours, remote yoga classes and internal new product demos for all staff; Microsoft Teams to host open office hours with management; and our employee recognition software and YouEarnedIt, now known as Kazoo, to continue to celebrate employee milestones and accomplishments.”
How EquiLend is supporting employees: Leadership is encouraging employees to strike a healthy work-life balance by taking vacation time, even if they can’t travel.
“Another important area of focus for us has been to show compassion and empathy for the circumstances of our colleagues. Many of our employees have had to become expert multitaskers. Some have become teachers, while others are now primary caregivers for young children or elderly parents, so we are making an extra effort to be as understanding of these obligations as possible.”
How Shutterstock is bolstering engagement and productivity: Employees are encouraged to keep their video on during meetings at Shutterstock.
“When you’re on a team like ours that partners with internal stakeholders across the organization to close out-of-the-box revenue opportunities, that lack of personal connection can get in the way of effectively communicating value proposition, pushing projects forward, driving urgency and delivering results. We know adapting to this new environment is different for everyone, and we welcome learning a bit more about each other’s home lives,” Harjani said.
Tools for remote engagement: Slack for communication and Jira for project management. Employees utilize Trello for day-to-day task management and G Suite for tracking updates, ongoing projects, making new requests and timelines.
“When it comes to maintaining transparency across the organization, Salesforce is our source of truth.”
How Shutterstock is supporting employees: “Overcommunication has been key. “What used to be weekly one-on-ones are now becoming almost daily one-on-ones. Newer members of the team are still establishing their footing and need guidance on how to resolve issues, navigate the organization, identify decision-makers and stakeholders, etc. If they don’t get the direction and guidance they need early in their tenure, this could risk their credibility and autonomy as a productive member of the team in the long run. So being accessible and keeping all lines of communication open has helped quickly address any concerns or confusion and ensured that the newer team members have what they need to set them up for success.”
Fun, virtual events to fight employee isolation:
- Weekly, randomized coffee chats between employees
- Lunch and learns
- Remote scavenger hunt
- Birthday and holiday celebrations
- Meditation sessions
- Trivia
- Fun Slack channels
- Happy hours
How Kaplan Test Prep is bolstering engagement and productivity: “An important change was to introduce a “focus of the day” concept in the morning stand-up meetings,” Cruz said. “This provided a sharper focus to our teams on the goals for the day. Another critical change has been to double down on our people-first approach, where managers frequently check in on employees to make sure they feel fully supported in these challenging times.”
Tools for remote engagement: Managers schedule virtual one-on-ones with their direct reports at Kaplan Test Prep.
“This focus on personal development and offering strong support is helping with employee engagement. Additionally, we continue to provide clarity to teams on their quarterly goals and offer executive help in unblocking them, which has helped in maintaining high levels of productivity. With commute times gone, our teams in the U.S. and India have more hours of overlap, which also helps with productivity.”
How Kaplan Test Prep is supporting employees: “We are encouraging employees to be very empathetic to each other’s situations with family members needing unplanned attention or kids showing up in video conferences. We also encourage employees to work with their managers on any additional flexibility that they may need.”
How Maisonette is bolstering engagement and productivity: “Scheduled daily contact,” Sponiar said. “Almost all our teams have implemented daily video stand-ups just to check in and hear what's happening in each other's worlds. Without the regular interaction that comes from an office environment, marking time on the calendar to ensure we stay in regular contact has been helpful. All other regular meetings, such as our weekly all-team, continue in video format.”
How Maisonette is supporting employees: “We've implemented Slido at Maisonette, which allows our employees to ask anonymous questions that management addresses during our all-team meeting. We've had some punchy ones, but giving employees a chance to ask what's really on their mind is invaluable.”
