IGNITE
connection
Client: Method
Project: Internal Initiative
Role: Research, Service Design
Ignite a community for the disregarded
01/04
Being a remote employee can be very lonely.
After 13 years, I moved back to California from New York. I never knew how much I would miss my commute, afternoon coffee strolls, and the playful banter of my fellow office mates.
I left my communities behind.
Change requires a period of adjustment, but the feeling of loss only grew.
My mentor, David McInnes, also felt the woes of remote isolation and encouraged me to find a solution. I knew our efforts were greater than our own self interests, since Method employed over 100 remote workers.
On top of my full-time client work, I started and facilitated the Method remote employee internal initiative. Within a years time, I surveyed the entire remote community, held multiple all-hands meetings to discuss our progress, created our official Slack channel, hosted and facilitated monthly calls across 4 timezones, and advocated within Method and GlobalLogic leadership for all Remotees.
02/04
Geographical location shouldn’t limit anyones involvement in Methods culture.
Survey results concluded many remote employees felt uninformed and some, unsupported and forgotten.
Unlike the inherently social studio environment, remote employees must seek out social interactions (outside of daily project work) and are often the last to hear company news.
My initiative sought to mend the gap between the studio and remote experiences, creating avenues of connection through monthly calls, co-working sessions, and in-person meetups.
03/04
"Lonliness is as deadly as smoking."
- Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy
To combat the feeling of isolation (especially post Covid), we started the Remote Connection Calls, timezone specific monthly virtual meetups to unite employees close in proximity and encourage in-person events.
By replicating the traditional, in-person water cooler chats and office perks with various forms of connection, Method (and their parent companies, GlobalLogic and Hitachi), would benefit from measurable improvements in performance from their social investment in community.
The social investment will improve collaboration, increase efficiency, and build the Method portfolio, all while creating a better Remotee experience.
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02/04
Geographical location shouldn’t limit anyones involvement in Methods culture.
Survey results concluded many remote employees felt uninformed and some, unsupported and forgotten.
Unlike the inherently social studio environment, remote employees must seek out social interactions (outside of daily project work) and are often the last to hear company news.
My initiative sought to mend the gap between the studio and remote experiences, creating avenues of connection through monthly calls, co-working sessions, and in-person meetups.
03/04
"Lonliness is as deadly as smoking."
- Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy
To combat the feeling of isolation (especially post Covid), we started the Remote Connection Calls, timezone specific monthly virtual meetups to unite employees close in proximity and encourage in-person events.
By replicating the traditional, in-person water cooler chats and office perks with various forms of connection, Method (and their parent companies, GlobalLogic and Hitachi), would benefit from measurable improvements in performance from their social investment in community.
The social investment will improve collaboration, increase efficiency, and build the Method portfolio, all while creating a better Remotee experience.
04/04
"I feel like the onus falls on me to develop relationships and I will continue to do that."
- Survey respondent
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There’s an even larger remote community within the greater Hitachi ecosystem. Another mentor of mine, Margarida Madeira, works out of the Portugal Hitachi office. As the design community manager, she inspired and supported my efforts.
Her sage advice, specifically about facilitating community, carried me through some of the more challenging moments along the journey;
It's about the quality of connections not the quantity of participants. I'm reminded of that sentiment each time a new Method employee reaches out about our community and expresses their excitement for the dedicated space.
Despite a very limited budget, a solid foundation was created for all remote employees at Method. It continues to grow and evolve, by and for the community it represents.