Challenges in shifting to a 100% remote work environment

Now that many are talking about getting back to the office, ThorTech Solutions has decided to pivot to a 100% remote working environment.  While part of the incentive to this move is about not being certain how safe it really is to go back to ‘the way things were’ just yet, the primary driver is the productivity gains we are seeing (and the reduction in future overhead). As an AWS Software and IT consulting services firm, a great deal of the work we do for our clients is already being done remotely, so this transition made sense for us.

Some of the challenges we have had in shifting our company from partial remote to fully remote have been predominantly around communication. Clear communication is difficult to navigate in any circumstance, but even more so during an unprecedented global pandemic.

How do you keep the intrinsic connection that happens when sharing office space; jumping into a conference room full of white boards, communal lunch areas, and impromptu conversations at the coffee machine when you’re 100% remote? 

• We instituted a live video conference bridge for team members to hang out in at any time during the day. They can start conversations and chat with other colleagues on the fly. While we still use Slack for chat, having this bridge creates a closer proximity experience….like being able to knock on someone’s door and ask a question. 

Staying connected with my team

• In the past we held monthly All Hands meetings together in our office using a Meeting Owl (360 camera) to help remote people feel as if they were in the room with us. Since the lockdown, we have shifted to bi-weekly ‘video on’ meetings. We see each other’s faces, which feels more personal and provides frequent connection.

How do you address the fact that people’s lives have been turned upside down, hopefully temporarily, while continuing to focus on business goals and providing value to clients?

• When I was thinking about the agenda for our first All Hands meeting, after being in lockdown with everyone shifting to 100% remote, I knew we had to review how our organization was contributing to the solution and not just discuss ‘business as usual’. We elicited feedback from the entire team on ways we could give back to help those in need during this time and began donating to several organizations and local food banks that were important to different team members in New York, Connecticut, and Ohio.

We continue to elicit feedback and tweak the process to improve things as we go.  While these are challenging times, it can also be an exciting time to rethink how we do businesses and how we approach our work life.