On this COVID-19 'pandeversary', we reflect back one year since the pandemic was declared and the first lockdowns took place. The rollercoaster of a year spawned new conspiracies, protesters, ‘Karens’, and a great desire to someday travel somewhere…anywhere. It also changed the way we socialize, work, educate, sanitize, and accessorize.
StormFree has been a remote work environment since the company started in 2018, so our work culture didn’t change much which was comforting in those early days when there was so much uncertainty. Our team is made up of people who chose the remote-work life (or it chose them), and we consider ourselves pretty fortunate because it's worked out well. During our interview process, we always try to provide a realistic picture of what the remote-work lifestyle might look like - both good and not so good - which has helped ensure that those joining our team know what to expect. Since remote work became a requirement rather than a choice in 2020, many articles have been published about the impact that working remotely has had on mental health. It seems that only half of those who have found themselves working from home this year feel positively about it. People who expected working from home to be a great experience are finding that they miss the social aspect that working in a traditional office provides. They have also found it difficult to separate between work and life outweighing the positives about working remotely (no commute, more flexibility, stretchier pants).
When we published our Remotely Yours blog post in May 2020, the pandemic was still fresh with many people assuming that COVID lockdowns would be temporary, and that most would return to working in their offices within a few months. While some companies are located in areas that permit working from the office, many have been continually working from home through 2020, into 2021, and possibly for the unforeseeable future.
When building our work culture, StormFree’s goal was to ensure that our team's wellbeing always remained a priority. Our team is a dedicated bunch who consistently show up and willingly put in the extra time when it's required while balancing outside responsibilities and obligations. The stress that team members have in their lives has increased significantly since COVID, and StormFree recognizes that when team members are stressed, it impacts their capacity to work and be productive. They need the ability to take time off to spend with at-home children and handle new challenges that this situation brings, so we have tried to accommodate the needs of our team as much as possible.
When it comes to work/life balance, we admit that it is more difficult to switch off when working remotely. We are sometimes guilty of logging on after hours, sending messages, and jumping on to a video chat to deal with issues that could have waited. Sometimes, when you have an "aha" moment at 3:00AM it’s hard to fight the urge to sign on, type out an idea, and send it to the lead in the chat stream. It’s so easy when there’s no need to get dressed, hop in the car, and drive to the office, but it's a slippery slope from being the exception to being the norm. For 2021, as a company and starting from the top, we are actively focused on encouraging and supporting the team to disconnect from work after hours, take breaks, and enjoy statutory holidays, long weekends, and regular weekends to relax and recharge. We even added a few extra days to the Christmas holiday to give everyone a good break away from work.
When at work, we schedule optional socials to allow for some light-hearted conversation, an exchange of ideas/debates over Marvel movies, and usually a few laughs. We encourage the use of our chat tool and have many streams designated for socializing. We have a dedicated chat stream for day-to-day conversation, which now includes BabyPlace to celebrate baby news among our team members, PetPlace to share photos and stories of our pets’ antics (sometimes including goats), and other streams to share funny anecdotes, music and movie banter, and we even have a Good Morning stream where, you guessed it, we greet each other in the morning. Anyone in the company can create a topic and share information in this area. We also encourage our team to hop onto a video chat to discuss things rather than spend time messaging back and forth on a subject; a quick conversation often saves time and provides better understanding. And it’s nice to see a smiling face (or a cat passing in the background). Creating small opportunities to socialize not only breaks up a long day, but it also helps to connect our team.
We value our team's feedback, so we listen to their ideas and consider all suggestions seriously. It helps us improve our processes, be as efficient as possible, develop outstanding products, and help the team - and company - be successful. And now, one year later, with restrictions beginning to lift and vaccines being administered, there is hope and excitement. As a new company, we are a work in progress, but what makes us a great company is that our team moves forward together and everyone has a voice. And hopefully some cats and goats.
