Keeping up the good spirit during Covid-19
In all the interviews I have conducted since joining Betsson, there is one thing I always mention — the company culture . While none of the places I have worked before had a bad culture per se, what I found here was just above anything else I had encountered until now. Therefore, I usually go into this speech, where I proudly mention how not only this is a great place to learn and grow on a professional level but also about the amazing community that we have.
Not only Betsson has many organized events to create those bounds between us (Summer & Winter parties, quarterly team buildings, several weekly Fikas, among others), but all our offices have spaces that makes it easy to organize some social events. From all the different clubs that meet on the 8th floor of our HQ in Malta to the barbecue parties at the terrace in the Budapest office which often ends up into a Karaoke night (yes, we have a karaoke machine in the office). Besides those activities, we also meet and organize activities outside the office. Football, Go-Kart, Running club, just to mention a few. Altogether Betsson has been much more than just a place where we come to work.
Then came the global Covid-19 Pandemic with most companies having their employees working from home. While we had to make some expected adjustments on our ways of working, the fact that our offices are used to work closely together, it was a smooth transition to work efficiently in this new reality. But then came the question “How do we keep the Betsson spirit alive?”. While everyone faced a new reality with social isolation and staying at home, the fact that the Betssonites were used to be quite social at the office made this to have a heavier impact. However, it did not take long for several initiatives to be voluntarily created, both in teams and on a global level.
In Malta, Camilla - our HR Coordinator - who was already organizing similar events before the pandemic, multiplied herself into creating even more. Poker Friday nights and slot tournaments were an obvious choice considering Betsson is a gaming company, and a pretty fun one. My personal favorite was the Quiz nights, which unfortunately I haven’t won. Yet. For last I left the most original one: Betsson Voice. Several Betssonites recorded their song of choice and after 9 finalists were chosen by a jury, the winner was elected after several rounds of votes (with different songs each time!) held within the company.
Being a Swedish company, Fika (ritual of sharing a coffee & cake break with your colleagues), has been always part of our day to day at the office. It was no surprise when different offices held them online. Tallinn’s Wednesday’s Morning coffee, Thursday’s coffee break in Stockholm and Budapest, the ritual became virtual but Fika time was kept as a relaxing moment while talking about work. Some teams would instead hold theirs after working hours with a beer instead of the cup of tea/coffee or even have gaming session. The Jackbox collection became a favourite for most teams since only one player needed to have a copy of the game, with up to 7 more players able to join from their mobile or usual browser. In addition, the games are fun and simple enough that we could just laugh and talk while casually playing.
Altogether, those are just some example among many others. Every team found their own different time and activity to spend some time together, even if virtually. We kept sharing positives vibes daily, it could be a colleague wearing a different silly hat every day, pictures from our new co-workers (usually pet or young children), a brain teasing Koan, previous pictures of the team or a simple cooking project. Everyone was a part of making the social distancing feel less isolated and making us look forward to be back to the office together.
While online Fika and our favorite treats definitely helped our mental well-beings, we also did not forget the physical. In Malta Camilla organised Tuesday and Thursday lunch yoga, while posting different training on Teams. On Monday and Wednesday we had “Movements with Betsson” from Stockholm. In Tallinn, Julia Alexandra recorded a training video and shared it with her colleagues, to be done at any moment of the day.
When summer came around, some of us were able to go back to the office even if in lower numbers and following new safety rules, but happy to be together in person again. Our colleagues in Tallinn even had individual welcome back messages waiting on their desks. Similar to these, leadership in each office sent an individual package to every Betssonite for Easter or more recently for Children’s day.
I heard and read several times that there is no coming back to normal, that what was normal is gone and that a “new normal” will take over. With the threat of a second wave, and uncertainty about Fall and Winter, it is hard to predict how the new normal will actually be like. However I have no doubts that when it will be here, our company culture will not only be alive but even stronger than before. And the merit goes to all those people that - officially or not - create opportunity for all of us to stay connected even when apart.
If your company keeps working remotely and separated on the next few months organizing similar activities will bring teams closer, and remind them that there is much more than just work at work. Like small gestures that goes a long way to improve everyone’s moral and general happiness. On my side, I do hope that the new normal will be here soon, because with my team we have some long overdue steaks, grills, and a karaoke machine waiting for us.
