Connecting remotely - The Hatch way of WFH

Communication

Now for the hard part - how to communicate. The lack of face-to-face interaction can take a toll on work relationships. Due to the nature of digital communication tools, it is often hard to convey the right emotions and tone.

Here are 3 things we're doing to communicate as effectively as possible:

1. Set rules
   We agreed on a few ground rules on the platforms we use to communicate, set expectations around responsiveness and adapted them per team. The goal? Finding a balance between actively collaborating and unblocking teammates while reducing the "noise" of chatter. One of our rules, for example, is checking Slack at the beginning, middle and end of the day. For any urgent communication, we will simply call each other.
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2. Be transparent
   Away for a while? Need to do some deep thinking without interruption? Off early? Let your team know - we usually update our slack status or mark it in the calendar. Because there is no "water cooler talk" when you are at home, it's even more crucial to share what is on your mind or plate.
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3. Set clear goals and expectations
   Our team got into the habit of sharing our plan for #WFH Wednesday. We set goals of what we want to achieve that day and can easily reach out to other teams if there are blockers. This also ensures visibility to everyone, and even lets you track your progress better.
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4. Over-communicate
   We repeat: over-communicate. Get into the habit of chatting online. Make it as simple as possible for others to ask questions - whether that's via emails, chat or text. Try and keep those informal conversations happening. Add an emoji, send a GIF. Do what you can from afar to connect on a personal level.

That brings us to our next point in this Hatch WFH guide. How do we "connect" remotely - on a personal level?

How to maintain team culture

At Hatch, we are ALL about the team. We cook lunch together on Mondays, we synchronously clap out each meeting, we zoom out on Fridays, we go on trips, we huddle, we retro. All amazing perks our tight-knit team enjoys – offline. Here's how we try and keep that spirit while working from home:

#random

We have a couple of dedicated channels that mimic office banter. It is THE place for a good reaction GIF or a little meme contest.

#video calls

Or what we are calling it now: COVIDEO-19. We dial in with a video chat every morning to set goals for the day.

#lunchclub

It's BYO Lunch, dial-in and eat with others, from the comfort of your kitchen table. This way, we can have conversations and check-in on each other.

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We hope these tips help you to start working from home successfully. If you have questions or need support during these uncertain times, the Hatch team is here for you.

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