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Everyone can agree—these difficult times have affected a lot of businesses and individuals. Sadly, some companies have had to make some very tough decisions—whether that be furloughing their staff or even asking employees to go on unpaid leave. When this happens, it can be very difficult for people to keep a grasp on the importance of company culture.
We’re very lucky (and grateful) that we’re continuing to grow our teams and develop the product that our customers use and love. A big part of our company culture is to enjoy the work that we do. With the lockdown still in place throughout our office locations, maintaining this company culture when everyone is working remotely requires some out-of-the-box thinking.
Here are a few initiatives we’ve implemented to keep our company culture game strong…
Shared Spotify playlists
One of the first initiatives that came from our team was to create a shared Spotify playlist. Employees have been encouraged to upload their favourite tracks so that the entire workforce can listen whilst working.
The best part about it? It’s accessible to the outside world. Yes, that’s right. The TransferGo Spotify playlist is available for your listening pleasure.
Virtual Friday drinks
One of our main office traditions is to host our ‘Beer Friday’. Once a month, we gather everyone into the office kitchen to have a drink and a catch-up. And thanks to our incredible office assistants, this ritual continues even during lockdown.
At the end of last month, we gathered everyone together on a Zoom call. We raised a glass, had a chat and shared lockdown stories, as well as taking part in a virtual team quiz. At the end of that working week, we all had huge smile on our faces.
Owner and pet gatherings
Our office has always been pet-friendly. Therefore, many of us are now missing regularly having dogs as company. To solve this issue, we now host bi-weekly ‘AllPaws on’ video calls with all the dog owners and general pup lovers. We introduce our pets and share stories. It definitely gives off a great vibe, motivating everyone to go on with their daily tasks.
Virtual workouts
Sport is fun. And even more so when it’s done in front of the camera. Last week, we hosted a special virtual PT session, powered by personal trainer Joe Carter. As well as burning calories and exercising, we had a lot of fun!
We also have a few fitness-related contests going on. Last week, we kicked off a 10-day plank challenge and a few of us are competing to run the most miles during quarantine. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on how that’s going.
Quarantine birthday celebrations
A birthday during quarantine is still a birthday. Usually, we host monthly birthday celebrations in the office for all the people born during that month. And now we’re in lockdown, we still mark the occasion. Once a month we meet up remotely, share birthday wishes, eat cake and generally just enjoy each other’s company (albeit, virtually).
Photo competitions
In the past month, we’ve hosted two photo contests and the response has been brilliant. The first: a ‘Work From Home Set-Up’ contest, encouraging everyone to share pictures of their home offices. From working on the floor like a boss to being surrounded by pets—the results were wonderfully varied. It was a lot of fun sharing and voting for our favourites.
The second photo competition was one for the food lovers and hidden chefs amongst us. The variety of cuisines shared was like travelling the world. From sweet treats and pizzas to ramen and souvlaki, so many delicious dishes popped up on our screens. Yum.
… And it’s all been surprisingly easy
Quarantine is tough for many reasons, but working remotely has been fun and successful for us on the whole so far. This is all thanks to a strong company culture and many well-organised virtual get-togethers.
We’ve found that the most important contributors to this success is listening to your team and giving them the opportunity to share their ideas. It’s definitely working magic so far.
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