2020 has brought sweeping change to the way we work. A global work-from-home shift has suddenly proven to have a lot of positive impact on our lives, such as better flexibility and work-life balance.
Multiple surveys show that people have enjoyed working remotely and want to have the possibility to do so even after the lockdowns. According to our own internal survey at N-iX, almost 16% of our employees would like to continue working entirely from home and 65% would like to combine remote and office work.
The future of work at N-iX
Like many other companies across the globe, we have been very cautious about introducing any radical changes. However, it has become clear that the old world of work is gone, and we need to create a better one. Also, we understand that our employees need a sense of clarity and direction. Therefore, we have decided to transform our office, processes, and policies and go hybrid. So what exactly do we mean by this?
- N-iX starts opening positions for remote candidates across multiple Ukrainian cities, starting with Dnipro, Vinnytsia, and Zaporizhia;
- We intend to build N-iX hubs across Ukraine, uniting our communities in the cities where we are represented. Our vision for the future is to have one floor of office space in five cities, rather than five floors in one city.
- N-iX will offer the option to choose between office-based, flexible, and fully remote work models for the vast majority of roles, and our employees can switch to a different set-up when they need to;
- N-iX offices are being transformed into shared team spaces where teams can meet in person and collaborate;
N-iX Shared Team Spaces: transforming the office to keep the balance between remote and on-site collaboration
In June, we opened our offices at a 30% load to ensure the social distancing and safety of our people. However, only around 15% of our employees returned to the office, so it became clear that people are not in a rush to come back to the old way of work.
On the other hand, our Employee Satisfaction Survey showed that many of our people missed face-to-face communication and informal chit-chat in the kitchen. Global surveys reveal the same insight - people miss the office, human interaction, and socializing with colleagues but do not want to return to the office full-time.
We have been working on the office model that would be convenient for everyone - allowing the company to avoid wasted infrastructure costs, but providing our people with a safe space to meet in person, connect, and collaborate. We have tested hot desk areas and dismissed the option of transforming our offices into co-workings.
Instead, we have decided to create Shared Team Spaces, which will give our teams the flexibility and safe work environment they need and help us preserve our unique company culture. So every team at N-iX still has its own warm and inspiring team space which they share and manage depending on how much time different team members spend in the office.
We fully acknowledge the challenges of a hybrid workplace, such as the growing gap between people in the office and those working remotely. Therefore, now we pay even more attention to communication, relationships, and company culture to cut out any signs of favouritism or reduced career opportunities in the company.
Reimagining the workplace: office-based vs flexible vs fully remote
So like now, every team at N-iX will have their own workspace to connect and collaborate. And every N-iX employee can choose one type of work, which is convenient for them personally:
Every N-iX employee can always request switching to a different model and choose the work format that suits them. Moving to the office-based set up apparently takes more time than switching to remote, as we need to organize a personal desk and other infrastructure in this case.
We have been testing this new work format with several teams since mid-August and plan to gradually expand it across our entire organization by the end of the year.
Remote recruitment: new N-iX hubs and communities in Ukraine
Our job candidates also expect more flexibility, so we are rethinking our recruitment strategies to attract the best people on the market, which is getting hotter every year. In fact, there has never been a better time to start building a presence in other Ukrainian cities, such as Dnipro, Vinnytsia, and Zaporizhia. So we have launched remote recruitment campaigns in these locations. This will allow us to expand our recruitment capabilities, grow faster, and strengthen our team with top tech talent, wherever they are.
- N-iX hubs across Ukraine
Step by step, we intend to grow our communities in these locations and create social hubs for our employees there. Such hubs might entail establishing various kinds of physical presence, such as co-working spaces, hot desk areas, or own offices with shared team spaces like we have in Lviv and Kyiv. This way, we are transforming our offices into idea factories where teams come together to innovate, collaborate, and socialize.
- Benefits of our remote employees
Our remote employees will become an integral part of N-iX enjoying all the benefits we give to our co-located teams, such as HR and management support, all the necessary devices and software, medical insurance, education reimbursement, access to our professional development tools, etc.
- Integration and communication
Effective remote work requires specific soft skills, such as a getting-things-done approach, self-motivation, and communication. Therefore, we maintain a high bar for these skills when hiring for remote roles and evaluate candidates’ “remote-readiness”.
Communication, flexibility, and trust come to the fore
As an organization, we are committed to empowering our employees, helping them grow, fulfill their potential, and do their best work, wherever they are. This year, we have reimagined a lot of our processes, policies, and strategies. But we have always been a flexible company driven by our entrepreneurial spirit, a sense of ownership, and change.
The workplace as we know it will never be the same, and we embrace this new reality by going hybrid and finding new ways to connect and build meaningful relationships at N-iX. We believe that trust, open communication, and our ability to adapt make us fully prepared for the future we are facing. Would you like to join us? Explore our open positions and remote opportunities!
By Pavlo Deshchynskyi,
N-iX Chief Operating Officer
