January 2020 seemed like a promising year. We had just gone through an intense planning period, msg Romania was awarded the title Great Place to Work for 2020, and all our teams were excited and ready to roll. Little did we know because the future held several unanticipated challenges.
How did we prepare?
It was February already when the Covid-19 virus began to spread in Europe. Shortly afterward, we invited a doctor to hold an information session to help us prepare for and prevent possible risk situations. In mid-March, we sent out the first mail, announcing that all our colleagues would start working from home indefinitely. Several measures were to be communicated internally, from adapting day-to-day activities such as meetings and events to valuable tips and resources.
Communication
Communication was one of the factors that significantly influenced how we got through this period. Everybody, from management, team leaders, and colleagues, went the extra mile to ensure we were on the same page, safe, and able to continue running all our projects smoothly. We have increased the frequency of departmental meetings to communicate the project statuses and reassure our teams that they can still implement their plans.
Together we have found solutions to adapt to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the first spaces for dialogue, we created the Microsoft Teams channel, WEsolation, where all colleagues could access information about the measures taken in the context of the pandemic, internally and externally. On top of this, colleagues had the opportunity to share home office tips and best practices. Various networking activities included: a virtual café, sharing pictures with different home-office moments, multiplayer gaming and trivia sessions, film evenings, and even virtual celebrations.
Adaptability & continuous development
The educational component has always been one of our priorities, so we strived to adapt all initiatives to the online environment.
Community of Practice is one of those initiatives from our colleagues who had bi-weekly feedback sessions and knowledge-sharing meetings. Another beneficial initiative during this period was the Journal Club, where a group of colleagues would select a book or article to hold discussion sessions based on them. Among the most popular activities were a series of webinars with external guests on topics such as Atypical Parenting Strategies, Neuroscience of Resilience and Stress, and yoga sessions.
We believe difficult times should not take us the chance for a better future. Therefore, we kept the same openness towards the external community by offering support, especially to those beginning their career path. Project leaders have redesigned our student programs: msg CareerStart, and Java Training. We have even taken the responsibility of launching the first Cloud Application Architecture course in partnership with Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca. Finally, we held information sessions for students who wanted to get to know the msg Romania experts and their advice for a successful career in the field.
Part of our efforts went towards those in need, so msg Romania allocated 13.000 € to provide protective equipment and disinfectants to family doctors and frontline health professionals.
Feedback
Shortly before the relaxation of the COVID-19 measures, in partnership with the Great Place to Work® Institute, we conducted a Pulse Check survey to gauge team members' opinions on how we handled the crisis.
87% of colleagues rated their experience positively, with more than 80% seeing it as a source of new opportunities for growth and team integration.
The new 'normal'
Currently, only 5% of our colleagues have returned to the office, with the possibility to work from a single msg Romania office. In this office space, we have provided all the social distancing, hygiene, and prevention measures. We also developed an internal application called msg Check-in to manage office space traffic. In addition to the possibility of booking, the app allows "tracking" colleagues in the office, thus making spontaneous interactions possible.
We still see this period as a development opportunity for each of us. One of msg Romania's fundamental values is team spirit, so we constantly look for new and creative ways to keep it alive.