How we work (remotely) on our company culture at hej.build
At hej.build, we work together remotely, and we're really proud of it. Our foundation took place without being in one location. The quality and efficiency of our communication have never been higher, and we see our customers much more often. None of us had worked completely remotely before, but everyone consciously chose to do so here and now, together.
We've often been asked how we manage to develop a remote company culture. From our perspective, there's a clear concept, simple rules, and small routines, cool tools, and of course, physical components. Because we, too, enjoy a real hug now and then.
Crystal clear communication
Fundamentals first: From day one, absolute transparency is a must. This means everyone has access to everything unless there's a very good reason not to (personnel talk, work contract, etc.). Since we rarely see each other, the rule is: "You can't over-communicate." Regular exchange and an open approach to challenges that come with our work are discussed in the team. Clear rules allow for maximum freedom. The term "Work-Life Balance" is highly cultured with us: Everyone can choose their work location and time, as long as projects, customers, or colleagues don't suffer. Simple, right? We think so too.
"You can't over-communicate."
A brief but important example of our processes and rules: Our internal communication runs via Slack; emails are only for external communication. For clear communication, we have emojis with precisely defined meanings:
👀 all clear, I've seen it
👍 will be done, no questions asked
✅ is done, no need to ask again
Tools & tech stack
Efficient and goal-oriented communication is crucial for us. Work materials that ensure maximum closeness, like a very good camera or headset, are not a question of investment. Who likes to write with a pen that's out of ink... Here are the tools that make working remotely together easy for us.
Notion is one of the best applications for creating and documenting content together. In this program, you can let thoughts flow from your head and further elaborate on them in the process – visually as well.
Google Workspace is our professional backbone: Whether meetings, our calendars and mailboxes, or shared drives – we work in the Google world.
Our entire internal communication runs via Slack. And each team member has their own animal emoji, of course:
🦉🐅🐝🦐🐷🐿️🦄🐢🐙🦊🐬🦒🦔
The program Figma allows us to work on projects together, seemingly without creative or technical limits.
Keeper manages and secures our accounts, including shared ones.
And we probably don't need to explain Adobe Creative Cloud... 😉
Video before phone before message before email
Insights
Beyond everything that runs on a professional level, there's a personality in front of every screen. With us, this fact is so digitally integrated that we have weekly meetings – in pairs or together – where professional matters are simply left aside. From intensive onboarding of new colleagues to regular one-on-one sessions to the popular workations, it's about us as the hej.Team, consisting of a diverse bouquet of personalities.
Since we've been asked so often: Yes, we're very happy to provide a deeper insight into our remote working method, because we're proud of the quality of our collaboration and processes in the team, having worked hard for them and still not being at the end. In a "Coffee Call" with Michael, we're happy to share insights into our communication structure and remote culture. Nice to see you! ✌️
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