For many, working remotely may extend beyond Spring this year. How are leaders adjusting? Certainly, it takes more than configuring a Zoom channel. Sonatype’s Mike Hansen joined other DevSecOps leaders to discuss the complexities and nuances of this topic in a keynote presentation at All DayDevOps Spring Break.
Mike has written previously about Sonatype’s “remote first” culture, how businesses benefit from remote workforces, and how individuals adjust to working from home. He joined Paula Thrasher, a consultant who leads DevSecOps transition, and Ross Clanton, from American Airlines. Their perspectives differ but their approaches coalesce around “people first” management during times of crisis, and in the growing acceptance of this “new” approach to work during normal times.
Here is some of the wisdom they share.
Building Company Culture Starts With Habits
Paula describes herself as “chat native,” meaning that she’s used some chat tool in a professional setting from the beginning. When shifting to a remote workforce she required everyone to use the same tools. Using the same tools means there is less confusion about how to communicate, and people to help train latecomers.
In Paula’s experience, COVID-19 forced everyone onto the same tools.
Not everyone is comfortable with using chat tools (Slack or similar) in a professional setting. Her tip: encourage people to use chat tools casually, as they would in an in-office situation. She instructed her team to say hello at the start of the day and goodbye at the end of the day in their channel because it builds the habit.
Tools alone are not a substitute for culture. But, tools can be used to recreate in-person pleasantries that build the foundation of culture through familiarity and trust.
Onboarding New Team Members Takes a Team
“Basically, they got thrown into the deep end,” jokes Mike (Read more...)