eloomi

The coronavirus pandemic that hit the world in 2020 dramatically changed HR’s priorities and plans. With 9 to 5 as the norm for many, the seemingly overnight transition to remote work caused disruption to employees across the globe. Organisations and managers had to quickly find new ways of working, ensuring that suitable infrastructure, tools, and support were in place for employees. Some were better prepared than others.

Copenhagen-based eloomi, whose cloud-based performance & learning management system helps to engage, motivate, and develop employees, were one such company whose pre-pandemic values and product meant they were familiar with remote working and well-prepared to adopt the ‘new normal’. Since 2015, having secured various rounds of funding, eloomi have cultivated a team of around 100 ‘eloominizers’ across their four hubs in Denmark, Germany the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Working to ensure the team have everything they need to carry out job responsibilities is Copenhagen-based People and Customer Experience Manager, Andrew Mina. We caught up with Andrew to discuss how the switch to remote working impacted eloomi, his best tips on managing, engaging, and scaling a team of remote workers & the trends he has spotted from clients using the eloomi platform throughout the pandemic.

Born out of an idea to combine everything to do with an employee’s development and experience, eloomi was a pre-pandemic tool that needed a worldwide shakeup to change the mindset of many organisations. The software is an all-in-one tool which includes online training, pre-and-onboarding checks, compliance, engagement, development and more. eloomi is truly revolutionising HR teams around the world.

In all areas, from education to healthcare, online takeaways to training, the pandemic forced people to embrace technology, and move from traditional face-to-face methods to faster, and more user-friendly alternatives.  Subsequently, during the pandemic when many businesses struggled, eloomi recorded significant growth, scaled into new markets, and were fundamental to ensuring the growth and survival of many of their clients.

Like many businesses, eloomi’s employees are at the core of everything they do, and “it’s all about giving people the tools to be able to grow and develop” says Andrew. The company, which operates on a hybrid working approach, believes employees are increasingly more conscious of how they are working and what they are working towards. There is a strong focus on the ability to grow, learn and make a difference as an employee, and this can be seen first-hand within eloomi’s way of working; they are very aware of people’s desire to develop their skills and, as a result, reach for internal promotions.

Supporting hybrid teams has been a recent development for many HR professionals, and many employees are now seeing flexibility as an essential part of working, rather than a perk, as it was deemed prior to the pandemic. As the world shifts towards hybrid working, there are a number of procedures eloomi would recommend you explore in supporting your employees:

Onboarding Talent Remotely

Onboarding in the era of remote work has become increasingly difficult. Having an effective process in place allows for multiple benefits for both the employer and the employee; eloomi stands by the phrase ‘the easier the process, the better’.

In order to support and guide new and existing employees from a distance, eloomi use their own digital space to answer common questions and requests as a kind of ‘FAQ’ to provide a feeling of security and guidance.

eloomi also use the ‘buddy system’, as do we here at Goodwille. The ‘buddy system’ involves being paired with another person from the company, ideally people who might not work together daily. This creates an opportunity to meet people outside your immediate team and form associations with colleagues you might not come across during your usual working day. The ‘buddy system’ also gives people who work from home a chance to see the bigger picture of the company as well as providing someone to go to for support or advice regarding any work tasks or queries.

Another important point is to encourage engagement from home. This can be tricky when hiring remotely as there is an obvious disconnection from the company culture and the typical office environment. Factoring in virtual activities, for example, can go a long way to ensure that remote hires feel included and a part of a team.

The first couple of days of onboarding set the tone for what’s to come in terms of a typical working day. Having a lead or head of people allows for a designated point of contact for any queries as well as someone to support the team. This is especially important during the expansion process, so it might be worth having an established member in the company assisting with the expansion process whilst adopting that support system role. Andrew stressed that this was an essential move in their own expansion to the UK.

1. Daily Check-ins

Daily morning check-ins with the team are another essential part of the remote working culture. The lack of interaction with colleagues means that extra effort needs to be made to stay in touch. Having designated time to video call one another to discuss work projects or just to chat allows for the team to bond: something a little harder to do in the digital age.

2. Regular breaks from screens

Being at home means a lack of those small but important conversations with colleagues in between tasks. Having small breaks from the computer screen can increase productivity.

3. Remember to have lunch

Andrew makes a conscious effort to remind his team to take a proper lunch before 1 pm. Working in a different environment can sometimes mean forgetting to give yourself a well-deserved lunch break.

4. Management Training

It’s important now, more than ever, for managers to pay attention to any changes in the behaviour of an employee. Doing this remotely can be difficult but knowing what to look for is crucial for a hybrid team in order to provide support for all employees and help them adjust.

5. Tools & Technology

Providing employees with tools for training & education is something eloomi specialises in with their software, allowing for rapid adjustment when new demands for training arise. With 1 in 5 adults saying they experienced some form of depression in early 2021, more than double than before the pandemic, an increase in demand for mental health and wellbeing training was apparent for eloomi. Tackling these topics within a business context is extremely important for all industries, allowing both a chance to educate employees and offer support, even when working remotely.