How do we pass the test from the home office?
A lot of people is now in #stayhome mode. But around mid-March, the complete transition to remote work seemed a great challenge. Is it right? Certainly, it was and is still one of the most difficult and harder periods in the company's history. By the decision of the Board, 95% of ALTEN Polska employees work from home, and all this is done for the sake of our relatives, colleagues, candidates, business partners and ourselves.
Was this situation a big surprise for us?
For sure, in Poland we all had a little more time to prepare than for example China, South Korea, Singapore or Italy. Observing the evolution of the global epidemic situation, we decided to prepare both technically and mentally. All offices, on Friday the 13th (ouch ...!), worked remotely to test tools, infrastructure and everyday processes. Already at the weekend the decision was made to switch to 100% remote work, because the tests went promising. This was important not only for technology, but also for mental reasons. Not all of us have the same experience in remote work, and there are even those who just don't like it. What turned out to be very important is valid and reliable information provided in key moments. This helps you adapt to changing reality more easily. Making the office available to employees who are unable to implement projects at home has also proved to be a good move.
Remote everyday life at ALTEN
When writing this text, we are 2 remote working weeks after the test. I can say that awareness of responsibilities and precise role definition are crucial for remote teamwork. It is worth addressing when suddenly we find ourselves in an unusual situation with online communication only. Everyone should be aware of the tasks, the scope of duties, and what expectations have been set up. So, its good practice not to leave such topics for later. ALTEN’s daily reporting culture is very helpful now. It allows us to observe workload changes in teams on an ongoing basis and react to emerging difficulties. Regular and ongoing support in operational activities is inscribed in company’s DNA. We take it now as an advantage more than ever.
The way we work today
Regular meetings had to shift over to the virtual world. New recruitment processes and document circulation are also fully virtual. Thanks to this, work from home does not stop our business continuity.
In the case of recruitment in existing processes, candidates receive information about:
· selected communication channel;
· notifying about the date of the meeting with information how long it will last;
· people who will be participating in the meeting;
· further stages of the recruitment process.
Scientists estimate that a peak of Covid-19 cases in Poland will come at Easter time there and there about. So remote work is not a sprint perspective, but a marathon. We are constantly improving process details to make it work smooth when as we all know, an economic meltdown draw itself on the horizon.
Do things always go according to plan?
No. Such far-reaching changes always bring new organizational and technological challenges, like:
· the Internet access at home sometimes fails,
· working from home is quite new for some team members,
· reconciling remote work with the lives of other household members is also a challenge, especially when we have small children, pets or household members who don’t quite get the idea of working remotely ;)
In the teams, we try to chat, write, make short daily meetings, planning, which can be funny when a carefree photobomber appears.
We regularly exchange views about this whole new situation and quality of work in such conditions. Sharing our experiences, knowledge, good practices (e.g. planning and distribution of tasks, setting priorities, organizing a workday) is you simply can’t miss. Well, keep trying to stay calm and do your best in a new reality. That’s my point of view.
For this reason, we wish you and ourselves to be patient, stay in good health and rapid return to normality we got used to. The important thing is to work as a team, also online.