During these turbulent times, it can be easy to forget the importance of staying connected. As we continue to live our lives in self-isolation, there has arisen a need to find new and innovative ways to reach out to each other, especially within the workplace.
From creative Slack channels to Google surveys, companies are using whatever tools they can to bring their teams together. For instance, Austin-based Adthena is incorporating transparency and positivity into its remote workforce, fostering dialogue among its team members while boosting morale.
We checked in with a few Austin’s HR leaders to learn how they’re bringing their team together and what tools they’re using to stay connected.
What is your HR team doing differently in light of the COVID-19 crisis, and why?
Adthenians are spread across the globe on three continents. We’re used to communicating virtually. That said, we have built an “in-office culture,” which we’re continuing to foster in different ways.
Beyond productivity, we’re focused on promoting transparency and positivity. These times can cause feelings of doubt and fear, but we believe in overcoming this with the truth. We let our employees see the good, the bad and the ugly. We work to establish trust through communication and encourage open dialogue at all levels.
What HR tools or culture surveys are you using right now to keep a pulse on how your team is doing? Why did you decide on these tools specifically?
We’re a team of 100 employees, and we value personal relationships. We’ve relied heavily on Slack and in-house Google surveys to keep us informed and connected. We understand that every individual will respond differently to long periods of remote work and potential isolation, and that comes with its unique challenges.
Before we moved to WFH, we completed a test run and sent out an in-house survey to understand what needed to be done to empower our employees to serve our customers from a healthy distance. We’ve modified those surveys to do follow-up assessments. While our in-house surveys have worked well for us, we understand the need for tools like Culture Amp for larger organizations to collect and report valuable data.
In addition to surveys, we implemented morale plans. The goal of a morale plan is to keep managers in tune with how their teams are coping and collectively understand if there are any trends so we can appropriately plan and support our employees. Our management team has done a remarkable job incorporating risk assessments into their one-to-ones while supporting our employees at an individual level.
How are you leveraging the information you collect from these tools to inform decision-making or drive new HR initiatives?
We learned that while there was an overall trend of adjusting well considering the circumstances, many employees were missing the social interaction, and some were struggling to adjust to the lack of routine.
We adopted an initiative to create connection and promote healthy WFH habits, which we dubbed “Well-Being Heroes.” Five key roles were identified: Wellbeing Wizard, Routine Rocky, Adthena Chef, Netflix Academy Awards and, lastly, the Adthena Cribs Host. Each week someone is nominated to offer tips and advice via a dedicated Slack channel. It was a hit! We’ve re-established some of the “in-office culture” and educated each other along the way.
Another initiative born from this is a wellness task force. During this period, the task force will act as an extension of the people team, inspiring and empowering individuals to adopt healthy habits professionally and personally. When we return to the office we expect the Task Force to evolve and continue on their mission to promote well-being.
What is your HR team doing differently in light of the COVID-19 crisis, and why?
The current situation means that global Overhaul teams are now working remotely. The main goals during this time have been to ensure constant communication and consistency to help everyone build a routine.
With employees across multiple countries and time zones, virtual water-cooler chats every Monday/Wednesday/Friday allow everyone to connect. Although business is briefly discussed, these “Brady Bunch” calls allow the team to check in on how everyone is doing, address any team member needs and also have some light chats.
Global happy hours allow the team to relax and facilitate the organic interactions that they would have had while in the office. Individual departments are also conducting daily check-in meetings to keep communication lines open.
New team members now have a completely web-based onboarding process with video conferencing, and open roles at Overhaul will be filled with a virtual interview process.
What HR tools or culture surveys are you using right now to keep a pulse on how your team is doing? Why did you decide on these tools specifically?
Questions relating to employee engagement have always been at the core of Overhaul surveys. Creating unique questions, the people operations team uses SurveyMonkey to get more information about career and self-development, growth opportunities and management, as well as general feedback.
Video conferencing (Zoom) is being used extensively as a communication tool for existing employees, as well as for allowing new team members to be interviewed and onboarded.
How are you leveraging the information you collect from these tools to inform decision-making or drive new HR initiatives?
Based on survey answers, Overhaul’s people operations team has implemented a bi-weekly internal PDF newsletter to share information on everything from business development and new opportunities to birthdays, work anniversaries and new product information.
The people operations team has shared a resource library with employees specific to this unique time. It includes directions on how to access physical and mental health resources, learning materials about working and leading remotely, physical health, mental health, and mindfulness resources, as well as a list of learning and fun resources for kids.
Specific Slack channels have also been created to help the team. These unique channels include pertinent news information, mental and physical wellness information and work from home tips.
