joining-a-team-fully-remote-survival-guide
People
Jun 21, 2021

Joining a Team Fully Remote Survival Guide

Marjana Karzek
Senior Andriod Engineer

Whether you're welcoming a new team member or you're the new joiner, Marjana Karzek offers some helpful hints about interviewing and onboarding entirely from home. The Android engineer on the Customer Engagement team reveals how she connected early on with her team to ensure a successful remote journey.

Before the pandemic, I was used to working with colleagues in the office and didn't think it would be as enjoyable working from home. I liked coming into the building, checking in with the team on their life and chatting about the Netflix movie everyone watched in the past week. When we all went into lockdown in my old company, I found myself alone in front of my computer, with limited interactions with my team. At the time, I was also looking for a new position in another company.

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Remote interview process: Work in small talk

Like everyone else who was looking for a job during the stay-at-home order, I was interviewing via video or phone call. It was not my first time, though. During university, I completed an internship abroad after doing interviews over Skype. It's also quite common to get a coding task to do at home. The challenge lay in the interviews that followed.

I found meetings with multiple people less suitable for personal chats as having to unmute yourself and trying not to interrupt others creates an additional barrier.

Usually, when you go to an interview in person, you start with a round of small talk where your interviewer greets you. In some interviews I had before COVID, this step was overlooked entirely. The interviewer and I ended up having a professional — but almost cold conversation — straight to the topic of skills and career paths.

I realized that small talk before an interview is more than just a chat. It helps break the ice, and you can get to know the personality of your interview partner. I always make sure to spend some time having a little chit-chat before the actual meeting begins. The conversation was about small things like the weather or about the background image the interview partner selected. It enabled us to have a way more relaxed and personal interview afterward

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A warm welcome: Get in touch before you officially start

At other companies, I spent my first day in long meetings learning about the culture and organization. With GetYourGuide, the onboarding started even before I joined. Everyone I interviewed with reached out to me to congratulate me for getting the position and offering their support for the transition period. It was a lovely way to keep in touch until the actual starting date, and even though I have never met the people in person, I already felt a strong sense of belonging to the company.

Company onboarding: Make the brand present at home

When my start date came, it was mentally tough to realize that I work for a different company now, without a change in the environment. Fortunately, we had the chance to go to the office, pick up our equipment and briefly introduce ourselves. The following onboarding presentations were held remotely. To feel more of a change, I surrounded myself with the stickers and items from the welcome package to reinforce the change in environment. I also switched up some things around my workplace, and after some time, I felt like settling in with the new company.

Bonding with the team: Know what's important to you

The team gave me a warm welcome. We started by having an introduction round. Since it's already a challenge coming up with something to talk about with new people, the introduction consisted of information about the person and a "fun fact" that opened up room for follow-up talks.

Everyone I interviewed with reached out to me to congratulate me for getting the position and offering their support for the transition period. It was a lovely way to keep in touch until the actual starting date, and even though I have never met the people in person, I already felt a strong sense of belonging to the company.

Additionally, I was introduced to my onboarding buddy, who supported me through the onboarding process. With the buddy program, someone is there for your regular check-ins, and they are your first touchpoint for any questions. My buddy onboarded me for relevant projects and topics that were specific to the Customer Engagement team.

Soon I realized the importance of taking regular breaks. I had to manage the progress of onboarding and actively become a part of the team at the same time.

To do this, I identified what was important to me:

  • Having a personal connection to my colleagues.
  • A support system at work.
  • Sharing knowledge.

Based on those three items, I set up ways to interact with my colleagues more. Instead of sacrificing what makes work valuable for me, I found substitutes and alternatives to ceremonies I would have at the office.

To get to know my teammates individually, I set up coffee chats with them. I found meetings with multiple people less suitable for personal chats as having to unmute yourself and trying not to interrupt others creates an additional barrier. It was essential to talk about our shared experiences and get over how weird it is to only get to know a person remotely. Talking openly about the challenge of the remote onboarding experience took the tension out of the conversations.

You might also be interested in: How our Talent Development team keeps everyone engaged

Team events and ceremonies: Get into character

Instead of having one big online event now and then, we set up regular small events. Every two weeks, the team spends an hour together. To enable everyone to interact, we played remote games, including "Among Us" or "skribbl.io". This ensures that there is no awkward silence and we also discover hidden talents of our colleagues. This format was additionally used in case the team or parts of it had a common feeling of disconnect. In that case, we schedule a short on-demand session.

Screenshot from Among Us.
Screenshot from Among Us

I took on the challenge of planning a remote team event. The idea was to have a remote Murder Mystery Dinner Party. There are several options on the internet to have a remote team event, and it is worth exploring them. As part of the mystery was to talk in smaller groups about their roles and secrets, I picked a tool for the virtual room where the attendees had the illusion of walking between several rooms that can be named to their convenience.

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Remote team event

Therefore, the party was set in a 1920s Chicago Gangster-style mansion, and guests could chat in bigger and smaller groups in the kitchen, living room, or dining room. GetYourGuide supported our event with a team budget and a pool to order dinner easily.

Collaboration and sharing knowledge: Reach out to avoid getting stuck on tasks alone

While working from home, I noticed that I was more likely to get stuck on tasks longer and share learnings and knowledge less. To avoid this, I use the time box technique more regularly and ask for help or a second pair of eyes earlier on. I made it a habit to share learnings or exciting articles on the team's channel.

GetYourGuide gives the opportunities for Hackdays and Focus Days, which we utilize to tackle pain points in the product collectively and work closely together. These days are usually followed by knowledge-sharing sessions and presentations of the results.

Conclusion

Half a year later, I feel a strong connection with GetYourGuide and my team, even though I have not met anyone in person yet. Working exclusively from home can become exhausting very fast, and this can intensify when you are also looking for a new position and finally switching to a new company.

Take conscious breaks and use the time to create a bond with your team more aware. Replace established ceremonies with new ones like chats at the coffee machine with scheduled coffee meetings for 20 minutes. Identifying your needs regarding interaction with colleagues will enable you to find creative ways to fulfill them and ensure that you won't feel disconnected from the team. There is no need to feel guilty as it can be considered an investment into the company's team spirit.

We share this experience, and talking about it openly makes it easier for everyone in the process.

For updates on our open positions check out our Career page.

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