Get best of the week

How the Moscow office of FunCorp switched to udalenka in 1 day

On March 16, the Moscow office of FunCorp switched to a remote mode of operation. How did you decide to take this step, what risks did you close and what difficulties did you face in the first week? We share our experience in this article.



How it all began


Already at the end of February, the imminent situation with coronavirus in Russia was actively discussed in all chat rooms and social networks. In early March, disinfectants appeared at the office for prevention, the temperature was measured at the entrance, and those who returned from their vacations in Europe were left in quarantine for two weeks.

After a week, it became clear that these measures would not be enough, and we began to prepare for the transition to remote work.

What risks and new challenges awaited us


First of all, it was necessary to mentally prepare teams: many were used to the office mode, when it is clear that everyone gathered in one place for a reason, and to work. Everything is simple here: you have your own place, which you have adjusted for yourself, communicate with colleagues in a voice and all current issues are resolved much faster. And, of course, goodies: coffee, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, for which I seem to have switched, but I did not lose my working mood, because everyone disperses and returns to work.

Alexey Petrov, Head of QA:
Not everyone has a home corner for work or suitable conditions (family, children). Many do not know how to work remotely (increased control helps keep the rhythm). There are no usual daily rituals (the road, snacks in the company, dinners, smoke breaks). No small talks. Everyone needs to get used to getting jobs, tidying up schedules.

Secondly, there were risks sagging in efficiency and quality: it takes more time to set up communication, equipment and access, to connect to meetings, not everyone has a stable connection (it would seem!).

I had to cancel or reschedule the long-planned activities for March-April: meetings, participation in conferences and celebration of the company's birthday. And, in the end, review the hiring process and the recruitment of new recruits.

How to move


All this did not block the risks of possible infection. We decided not to put the matter aside and on March 16 we completely switched to the remote mode of operation.

Here, perhaps, administrators got the most: immediately many applications for issuing access flew in. And office managers tried to organize the guys’s way out to home offices as painlessly as possible: not only equipment (some need scanners and printers for work) moved, but also furniture: work desks, table chairs, table lamps. For export and delivery ordered freight taxis.

The office put things in order: they removed all perishable products, almost completely canceled delivery (except for food for those on duty).

What changed


The team of Moscow fanciers is quite young and is trying to find positive in everything. In one day, we adapted to the new regime; all changes in work processes were appropriately perceived and with humor.

In order not to lose efficiency and not blur the scope of the working day, we introduced a clear regulation:

  • working hours from 10 to 19;
  • lunch break from 13 to 14;
  • mandatory "daily" with the team;
  • in the morning we set tasks for the day;
  • prepare reports in the evening.

We hold the traditional Friday Wickley for the entire company online through a video conference in Zoom.

Sergey Aksyonov, Head of backend:
, , . , . , , .

, Head of QA:
: . : . : . , .

, Deputy CTO:
CI , , . .
: , : , , .

, Head of legal:
« » ( ), «», , . . , , , .


, Deputy CTO:
, : , - , , . - - , .



, Head of backend:
, . , , . .

, Head of legal:
In a normal life, accountants and lawyers constantly communicate with employees, sign papers in the original, organize the sending of documents, the entire system of accounting and tax accounting is aimed at the availability of original documents, with a live signature and seal. Now we are doing everything electronically, but when we get back to the office, we will have to duplicate this work and arrange everything in the original.

And we temporarily lost the usual office buns. Bye-bye, joint breakfasts, lunches, snacks, quarter teambuildings - we already miss you.

pros


We dearly love our office, we like working in it. But let's try to think that there is good to work from home.

Alexey Petrov, Head of QA:
A definite plus - saving time on the road, more communication with home (if you know how to properly normalize it). And if nobody is at home, it has become much easier to focus on tasks. There was a lot of positive interaction with the guys when phoning.
 
In general, we will get used to it in a couple of weeks, and then everything will return to normal and, possibly, efficiency will even increase.

How does the situation affect the product?


Mikhail Tabunov, CPO:
The more people sit at home, the more they consume online content: movies, games, music, and, of course, memes. Many offline activities will flow online soon. Therefore, it is unlikely that anything will change in the development of the product - we will continue to work on tasks to improve the quality of content in order to entertain users on a daily basis.

How does the udalenka affect hiring


We are facing ambitious challenges for this year: FunCorp expands the geography of applications and launches new ones, which means we need fresh blood. We put online interviews in all possible cases. For the full exit of a new person, we developed a special procedure with minimal risks of additional contacts.

Yes, it is still impossible to avoid a personal presence in all cases and the office is not completely closed. There were office managers on duty (by the way, the company pays for them individual transport). But to get into it, you need to have a good enough reason and coordinate it with the leader. All incoming people measure the temperature (if it is above 37, then send it back), they ask to disinfect their hands and give out masks.

Team Buildings and Training


FunCorp welcomes and strongly encourages any social activity of employees outside the walls of the office as part of team building. Usually guys gather in teams or interest groups and go to karting, concerts, quests, etc. But now it has become impossible, so instead of active team building, the children will have access to e-books, films and games. You can meet after a day on online spaces on Steam. For more athletic workers, there is an alternative in the form of virtual chess competitions.

Each employee also has a training budget, which in quarantine can be used to pay for distance courses only.

And briefly about the changes:


  • marked the scope of the beginning and end of the working day, lunch time;
  • introduced daily reporting for everyone;
  • Introduced daily conference calls within teams
  • interviews are conducted online (Skype, Zoom);
  • team building has moved into the field of online activity;
  • You can get compensation for online education.

Transferring the office to a remote location was not so scary. The results of the first week showed that the efficiency and quality of work remain at the same level. But we look forward to the time when forced isolation will end and it will be possible to return to the usual affairs and routine.



Do not be sick, take care of yourself and loved ones! And tell us in the comments how you work from home.

More articles:


All Articles