Ukraine: Strengthening Culture in Remote Teams

February 2022, I remember lying down in my bed in apartment in Lviv (where I had moved recently, in January) feeling numb, sleepless and shocked. It's hard to explain that feeling when I felt that I am in danger of war in my country. After russia invaded Ukraine February 24th, time changed for for me, time felt like a viscous nightmare from which I desperately wanted to wake up.?Countless lives were ruined forever, causing many people to seek refuge in Europe and other parts of the world.

Moving to Lisbon (God bless Portugal and its people), adjusting to a new life, placing my consciousness into new reality, and accepting it – that's what I remember about those six months.

I started working with distributed teams in 2018, and I became completely remote after COVID-19 hit. In 2022, everything changed, and as people adjusted to the new reality, we adapted some #hr strategies to meet their new needs. I would like to share how we do it at Everstake .

Everything starts with understanding your people's needs. We began by listening to what people want and suggested. For example, "HR Time" was suggested via a survey.

What is HR time? It was a prescheduled online event twice a week (Wednesday and Thursday) where each team had 30 minutes to informally present themselves (with faces), describe who does what in their team/department, and how the team contributes to the value chain. This initiative lasted for 4 months until all teams presented themselves and received absolutely amazing feedback from team members and newcomers, who could also watch the recordings.

We all needed warmth and laughter, which brings us to the second function of "HR Time." It all started with the first "Coffee with CEO," where everyone could ask our CEO any question directly or leave a question anonymously. People asked about Everstake strategy and personal advice, hobbies, children, and family life — just chatting and laughing. For 4 months, we continued using this time slot for short games and one security-education event (it comes in handy – having all company booked at the same time for 30 min).

Based on shared memories and laughter, the sense of belonging becomes stronger. Recently, we had a Week of challenges that combined seven days, each with a separate challenge. We started with music that danced you away in your teens at a club and continued with an open mic for poems and stories, ending with a 10,000-step challenge that transformed into a whole weekend of walking, running, and swimming for the entire company.

As a reward for participation, there were not only laughter and good mood but also Everstake coins. To claim the reward, you just needed to put a link, photo, or screenshot according to the challenge topic into tred.

Last but not least, we updated our Everstake shop with new merch.?There are new T-shirts, breloks, the legendary Yellow Hoodie (you've seen them at conferences), and a limited edition of the Everstake Vyshyvanka.?

This topic is limitless) And, as we continue to strengthen our #culture , we look for more ways to connect and unite our people. I would love to hear about your experience, initiatives and stories. It is through such connections that we feel support and #belongingatwork