What We’re Doing to Stay Connected during Quarantine
We’re living in unprecedented times. We’ve never experienced a pandemic quite like the one we’re facing with coronavirus — the closest parallel is the 1918 flu.
So like companies and folks all across the country, we’re doing our part to help flatten the curve and comply with social distancing orders. It’s a sacrifice that helps ensure our hospitals and medical personnel can properly care for the ill.
That also means we had to figure out how to operate in a fully remote capacity pretty much overnight.
Operationally speaking, the transition was nearly seamless. Though we have headquarters in Chicago and Tampa Bay, we are a fully digital home insurance company, and our offices aren’t open to the public. We help our customers online or through phone, chat, or email. That part of our service hasn’t changed.
But as a company, it’s been a big adjustment. We went from the excitement of the office to balancing our work lives at home. Most of our team is figuring out how to full-time parent, homeschool, and keep up with work at the same time.
Coupled with the uncertainty of the present, it’s fair to say that the pandemic has brought stress to the forefront. Because empathy is a huge part of our company culture, we didn’t want to treat unusual circumstances like business as usual. We want to acknowledge the strangeness of the time, the pressure we’re all under, and the need to stay connected now more than ever.
Here’s what we’re doing to thrive while working from home and to maintain our strong ties. Steal any of these ideas — we hope they help you, too.
Esprit de Corps: Daily Activities to Keep Our Spirits Up
We initiated daily events — lovingly called Esprit de Corps — to entertain, uplift, and connect our teams as we work remotely. The idea is simple: anyone can submit an idea for an event they’d like to virtually host or attend. We pick a time that’s appropriate for the activity, put it on the shared company-wide calendar, and anyone who wants to attend can.
Here are some virtual activities we’ve done together so far (please feel free to steal these ideas!):
- Morning group meditations
- JEOPARDY! and trivia nights
- Midday Muay Thai cardio and training sessions
- Learning lunches that run the gamut from songs on the guitar to Photoshop to heavy metal subgenres
- Cooking lessons kicked off with Taco Tuesday
- Video game nights (Halo, Jackbox, Call of Duty, Killer Queen)
- Face masks and rom coms via Netflix Party
- An introduction to acroyoga
- Drag night
- 80s and 90s dance parties
Not only have these activities kept us entertained and in good spirits, but it’s also helped us bond as a team. You don’t rock a side ponytail for 80s night in front of your colleagues and come away unchanged.
Transparency with Company-Wide Check-Ins
Every week, Kin hosts a company-wide meeting on Zoom — and it’s the most packed teleconference you’ve ever seen. (Sidebar: We should really start giving out awards for most creative backgrounds.)
These meetings are designed for full transparency. They’re our chance to get everyone up to speed on how the business is doing, what our hiring outlook looks like, and progress on state expansion and product development.
Leadership makes time each meeting to answer questions the team submits in the Zoom chat (or via a Google form for anonymity) to keep things organized. It gives everyone a chance to:
- Have their concerns addressed in real time.
- Feel seen and heard despite being remote.
Wellness Check-Ins
Our HR team has led with kindness, compassion, and consideration throughout this process. Special thanks to Allison O’Brien, Billy Osterman, Donald Lantz, Derek Dotson, and Taylor Chandler for helping us transition from the office to remote work by setting our teams up with equipment, software, support, and more.
Another really awesome thing they’re doing? One-on-one check-ins with each and every member of the Kin team. These informal meetings make space for folks to vent, talk through their concerns, or ask for support to better help them do their work or to cope with what’s going on in the world.
Virtual Training and Onboarding for New Hires
Yes, we’re still hiring! It’s wild to say, but even amid the chaos, we’ve still managed to grow month over month. Part of that means we’ve been welcoming new team members — virtually, that is.
Every department has its own onboarding process, but all our training sessions have gone digital. A neat thing many of our training managers do? Leave a Google Meeting open all day so new hires can ask questions as they come up. Because all trainees are in the virtual meeting (on mute), they all benefit from the answers, too.
Team-Building with Virtual Lunches and Happy Hours
One of the things we miss most are the face-to-face social interactions throughout the workday. We can’t drop by each other’s desks or grab lunch together, but that doesn’t mean we can’t catch up, chat about the shows we’re binging (yes, we’ve all seen Tiger King), or welcome new team members.
Luckily, Zoom and Slack are the answer to most things. We can virtually eat lunch together while apart. We have Slack channels dedicated to the shows we’re watching, the new music we’re into, and the books we’re reading. Our teams have online happy hours for the heck of it.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from all this, it’s that empathy is the key to our shared survival and success. Find comfort where you can, be good to each other, and be well, everyone. We’ll see you on the other side.
