One of the most challenging aspects of being an entirely remote company is making connections and building relationships with our team members. After six years in business, we are still fine-tuning best practices, but we thought we would dedicate this newsletter on sharing some of the things we have done over the last few years to build team camaraderie virtually. Next month we will discuss ways to connect in person, when possible.
Virtual Connections
One of the best ways we have found to build connections is to host periodic virtual get togethers. We have weekly team calls, on which our leaders share various updates ranging from client and project work to overall business and HR updates. But the focus of these calls is not solely on ‘business’ – we spend a significant portion of each meeting for things like fun getting to know you questions, peer-to-peer interviews, or even just telling stories and laughing together. We also started a Show & Tell topic, where team members are invited to share hobbies, volunteer activities or something they do in their personal time with the team. And let’s not forget about our furry companions…we are a pet loving company and enjoy sharing pictures and having our pets get on camera for a quick cameo.
Additionally, our Culture Committee schedules periodic virtual game hours where team members can hop on a call and show off their trivia talents. We have created custom Jeopardy games, played movie trivia, run around our homes playing a virtual scavenger hunt, and recently started playing Jack Box games. These have become a favorite because everyone can have a chance to share obscure knowledge and have some laughs.
We are a Zoom Chat crazy bunch, and fun chat groups such as Celebrity Gossip, True Crime Lovers, Sports!, and Dragon Discussion (dedicated to the TV show House of the Dragon) allow team members to interact and share news and gossip on topics they have a shared passion for. Finally, we have our F&D Book Club, where team members select a book to read and then have a virtual discussion about it on a monthly basis.
Get to Know F&D
This month we sat down with Heather Peterson, one of our accountants, to get to know her a little better:
How Long Have You Been With F&D: 5 months.
Favorite Movie: The Wizard of Oz
Favorite Book: All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
Favorite Artist: Harry Styles
If you could have any job in the world, what would you do? E! News host or red-carpet correspondent.
Where is the most breathtaking place you’ve ever traveled? Positano, Italy
Fun Fact About You: I have never broken a bone.
Pictured is Heather, and her boyfriend Elliott at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. She is proud of her team and shared a “GO TEXANS” during our interview. Thank you, Heather, for sharing this month! Check back in this space next month for our next F&D team member!
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