I recently joined SimScale as a Recruiter in January 2022. I am based in the UK and work remotely from Surrey, in the southeast of England where I live with my partner. I wanted to share my experience of flexible working as well as joining a new company completely remotely, a concept that has drastically popularized due to the pandemic, and not something I would have ever considered for myself pre-2020.
Prior to joining SimScale I had never held a fully remote role, and honestly, I was a little nervous about stepping into one. There are so many obvious pros when it comes to working from home. I’d personally like to give a shoutout to comfy trousers, hot water bottles, and endless cups of tea! But fully remote work isn’t necessarily for everyone! What if I felt lonely? What if I felt isolated from my team? Would I lose track of the wider goings-on in the organization because I’m not physically present on-site?
Now, almost 7 weeks into my new role I can confidently say those initial fears were promptly put to bed and I have completely fallen in love with remote working! Plus SimScale’s flexible working policy means I get to choose when and where I work, which gives me the freedom to work when I feel most productive as well as the space to balance my personal and professional life.
What Flexible Working Means to Me
SimScale’s trust-based approach to flexible working hours allows me to have balance in my life. I can attend appointments, go to the gym when it’s least busy, or re-arrange my day to take calls in different timezones. Being a UK-based international recruiter used to mean working late to speak with candidates on the West Coast of the United States, or missing out on great talent altogether due to different time zones. At SimScale I can start my day later and work into the evening to speak to the best talent. Outside of company and team meetings, essentially my time is my own to manage. In this setting wellbeing and maintaining good mental health isn’t an afterthought. So if I want to log on early so that I can take an extended lunch break and hit the gym or head to a yoga class, I can and that’s completely fine!
How Do I Connect with My Team?
As there is only a 1 hour time difference between us all in the People Team, it’s easy to connect during the company’s “core online hours”. Since joining SimScale I’m pleased to say I have never felt disconnected from my team. We connect on a biweekly basis for our People Team meeting and I have weekly 1:1s with my supervisor. But that aside, as a highly collaborative department we’re pretty much in touch every other day regardless, if not every day! And we recognize that while working remotely we likely miss out on those little moments in the office where you ‘take five’ and have a chat over a cup of tea. So regular check-ins, daily catch-ups, and non-work-related chit-chats are very much the norm.
What About the Wider Organization?
Everyone attends our biweekly company meetings to keep abreast of team updates, company performance, and general announcements. In addition to this, we use Slack as our main communication channel, which allows everyone to connect on work and non-work-related topics. Plus as part of my onboarding plan, arranging get-to-know-you chats with leaders and team members from other areas of the business was just as important as learning the ins and outs of my own role.
At SimScale we recognize that the typical 9 – 5 may not work for everyone, and that’s why we empower our employees to choose when and where they work. A large percentage of our employees work fully remote and 100% benefit from our flexible working policy. By prioritizing employee wellbeing and work-life balance we aim to create a culture of engagement built on trust and mutual respect. For us, productivity is not measured by hours spent on your laptop. Productivity is about results and the quality of your output. We recognize that we are most productive when we feel balanced, valued, and content, therefore giving employees the choice to work how it suits them best is a no-brainer.
Stay tuned for more insights into SimScale and see what the team has been up to on our @lifeatsimscale Instagram feed. Want to start your own SimScale story? Make sure to keep an eye on our careers page for possible openings!
