How did it happen that Tidio operates in the digital-first model of work?
After all, at the beginning of 2020 we still were thinking about opening new offices in other Polish cities, rather than transforming into a fully remote company... The big change was introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced us to try a new approach (especially as it also brought a massive growth for our business). It wasn’t until long, when we realized that the remote-first model may be a win-win for both the organization and its team members!
At Tidio, we have always focused greatly on delivering the best results and achieving our goals, and ultimately it turned out that where you deliver your goals from (your home, the office or any other place you feel comfortable in) actually doesn’t matter. If you value doing your best work (and have access to the Internet ;), you are fully capable of delivering them literally from anywhere! So we made the decision to further grow in a digital-first model. With time it has only strengthened the trust we always had in our employees – the results have been better than ever, we kept on growing as individuals and as an organisation.
It’s worth mentioning that there has also been another amazing advantage of that choice. Since we've switched to the remote-first policy we’ve simply hired a lot of great professionals! And wouldn't have been able to hire them if we only focused on recruiting in the cities we have offices in. We’ve always believed that access to a career should always depend on your individual skills, not on any external criteria (such us in this case your geographical location) and now we could have finally fully embrace that concept.
Obviously, every situation has its downsides. According to a McKinsey & Company report, some of the biggest fears regarding remote work are the loss of connection to colleagues and reduced collaboration for individuals and teams. Knowing this, we focused our efforts on activities and initiatives that aimed to fill this gap caused by the transformation into a digital-first model of work.
So, how does the situation look like now?
As a rule, we are prepared to work 100% remotely but we give our employees the option to work from the offices in Szczecin and Warsaw as well. Our employees choose the model in which they want to work, according to their own needs and capabilities (which also happens to evolve over time as you will find out below ;)
We aim to respond to the individual and group needs at every step of the way. It all starts at the end of the recruitment process, when we offer successful candidates and they indicate which model of work is the most comfortable, as the first step we adjust the onboarding process to their preferences. The new hire may be onboarded fully remotely or come for a week or two to the chosen office. If the team consists of team mates who would benefit from working together (as everyone would from time to time), the company organises a business trip to one of our offices.
We also enable Tidioers from other cities to meet up and use available coworking spaces so that they have a chance to meet and collaborate in person. To prevent the loss of connection to colleagues, we run initiatives that not only enable development but also stimulate cross-team collaboration (feedback workshops, Insights Discovery training or Leaders Labs). Last but not least - we still remember the good, old, pre-pandemic times, and organise integration events whenever possible – for example last September we met at Tidio Camp, a 3-day-long event whose mission was to deliver fun and allow us to enjoy each other’s company!
Currently our employees work from different parts of Poland, as well as from abroad. Our aim is to give our employees the opportunity to decide in which model they work most effectively and, if their life situation changes, to continue to pursue their tasks and goals at Tidio without any obstacles. Our employees value the flexibility to organise their work and the ability to adapt their working model to changes in their private lives.
Let's hear some feedback:
„I spent more than a year in the Warsaw office (I love our coworking space in Warsaw) but when I adopted a puppy I decided to stay at home and take care of him. Fortunately, Tidio offers a remote-first policy, so I am the one to decide where I work from. It's all about ownership & trust and Tidio does it best!”
Przemek, Product Manager
„The fact that Tidio allows remote working is one of the biggest benefits. It allowed me to live in some nice places and travel freely, being able to work from anywhere with internet access. I was probably one of the first employees who decided to take advantage of the change in work model, and right after it was announced I spent a month in Budapest and then a month in Berlin, after which I decided to come back to Budapest for longer. It has been a year now since I moved to Hungary. I was able to adjust my professional life to my private life and not the other way round. Work always runs smoothly because of online meetings. The only thing I sometimes miss is the great atmosphere in the office, but I am only one flight away from that :)”
Sara, Customer Experience Content Specialist
“Working remotely gives me freedom, flexibility, and the opportunity to develop my passion. I was looking for remote work to move abroad and travel. I couldn’t find a better place than Tidio. My biggest fear was how to build relationships with future colleagues, seeing them only on the screen of my laptop. Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about. Tidio takes care of that, so I feel like I am a part of the team. Besides, I can always visit our office in Warsaw, and whenever I am in Poland, I do it with pleasure :) ”
Karolina, Talent Acquisition Specialist
Sum up...
It’s worth saying that although we’ve done a lot so far, we are still in the process of learning how to effectively create a digital-first model company and build a great company culture. When we look at OfficeVibe (our tool for measuring employee engagement and gathering feedback) we discover that we are evolving in the right direction – the flexibility in choosing the model of work benefits not just our employees but also the whole organization.
