Celebrating Our Culture Heroes – December

by | Jan 18, 2021

7 min read

The surge in remote work material, advice and tips has been absolutely sky-rocketing during the last year, while a big part of the workforce got to experience ‘the new way of work’. As a fully-remote company with more than 7 years of experience, we can confidently say that we are still going through learning and adaptations in order to make sure that our team members are not only accustomed to but also thriving within the company and its remote setup. 

More than a year ago we started sharing regular short and candid accounts from the team – what it meant to go remote, how they managed to be productive and what advice they would give for someone looking to or actually working remotely. What we’ve learned so far is that there is no ‘one size fits all’, as everyone tends to develop their own style, once they figure out what works best for them. And sharing that with you, might help you better start or continue your remote journey.

We know that the celebration month has passed, but we figured that we’ll kickstart the year with some December good news. Yes, we know, new year – same us. 

In December we celebrated Maria for her ability to get stuff done and, as usual, we asked her to offer us a glimpse into her tasks, as well as some tips and tricks that helped her in the remote working space along the way. 

Celebrating Our Culture Heroes – December

Part of the Leadership team, Maria is our People Ops Manager and has been with us for a little over 2 years. 

Maria and her coffee

What is your best advice for ‘Getting Sh*t done’ in the workplace (to the point of being recognised for this superpower)?

TL;DR : Lists. Deadlines. Honesty. Coffee. 

Task and time management are of the essence, especially in a fast-paced, remote environment. I like to start the day with setting up and assessing my priorities – this way, I will not get easily distracted and will be able to focus on what’s important. It’s easy to get lost in tasks during the day but having a clear goal will not only help you see the finish line but also impact the quality of your work.

I work well with deadlines and will set a clear deadline for each project that I’ll be working on. 

I also communicate frequently and try to provide as much visibility as possible. Being honest, especially when working remotely is a must – in this sense, I always go with the good, bad and ugly, if there’s the case. I also take full responsibility not only for what works well but also for any mistakes or mishaps. Communication and honesty will take you far. 

How do you manage to juggle so many responsibilities and deadlines?

  • Prioritise – working on the urgent, important and impactful first. Usually I keep any admin tasks during mid-day since my concentration peak is during early mornings and evenings.
  • Know how you work best  – Unfortunately, I could never work with music, and I generally need a noise-free environment in order to properly focus. Also, 
  • Communication is key. I’d probably put this phrase as a response to almost every question!

Maria

Could you briefly describe your main tasks and responsibilities?

I’m the People Ops Manager at IMWT and I manage and oversee all HR initiatives across the company. 

Briefly, my main responsibilities include Talent Management Acquisition, Onboarding, Performance Management, Reporting. 

My main goal is to ensure a unified and satisfied team that succeeds in the workplace. I am incredibly lucky to be able to work with such a diverse team and incredible people that not only make my role easier but they also make it purposeful. Beyond the main and daily attributions, caring about the people, listening to them and trying to ensure their well-being and job satisfaction is what ultimately my role is all about. 

Maria playing chess

Any tips for keeping yourself focussed and delivering great results while working from home?

Task-lists, prioritising and keeping myself accountable. Once this is set, I like to tackle one task at a time and avoid any distractions (including jumping between tasks), as I find it much easier and efficient to get stuff done and deliver good results.

I’ll also get myself small challenges – especially when dealing with more tedious tasks. I like to ‘rate race’ through them and challenge myself to finish them as quickly as possible. I use a timer to help me. Most cases, I find out that not only did I finish the task earlier than expected, but it also helps me to refine and update them, once the first timed draft is being completed. 

Kirsten Tanner
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