I hope this blog post finds you well. It is written in the middle of a global pandemic. While toilet paper and hand sanitizer supplies are running short, we are happy to announce that Delivery Hero is managing the situation well.
In this blog post, I will share what Delivery Hero and my team are doing in order to combat the impact of the virus and get through this together.
This pandemic has overwhelmed us all. The subsequent lockdown has already had severe consequences for almost all businesses. Many of them are struggling to stay afloat… These are unprecedented times.
We at Delivery Hero are very lucky to still have our jobs. Our business is hardly affected, and against all odds, we are managing to do well. I cannot express how grateful we are to be in this position.
Working as a remote team
Social distancing is very difficult for a lot of people. There are many factors that make this time so hard, in particular the combination of uncertainty regarding the future, along with the negative sensationalist news, and the fact that this is a completely new situation for everyone. Nobody really knows what is going on and what actions to take. We all have to figure out how to get through this, as a business and as a country, but also on a personal level.
In times of Covid-19, we have to rethink our methods of working. This is not solely figuring out how to work from home, it also means coming to terms with the fact that this is a global crisis. Everybody has to wrap their heads around this fact, while at the same time trying to stay productive. Some of my colleagues are thriving, being highly productive, while others are struggling, including myself.
I think it goes without saying that all meetings are now remote. All the scrum ceremonies are taking place over Zoom. Not much has changed there. I will share a little bit about the new events that have been introduced, along with all the goodies we have received (there have been a lot! :))
Our agile chapter, and the organization as a whole, have set up new events and ceremonies to make life as easy as possible. We have also received some perks and goodies, which have helped a lot during these strange times.
Daily Sanity Checks
I think this is the most important daily event. The team comes together and discusses everyday occurrences and what they have been up to. We mostly goof around, enjoying some drinks and hanging out. This is of course completely optional and no one has to take part. Some do, some don’t, and that’s okay.
Friday Cheers Party
The Friday Cheers party is organized by our agile chapter. It’s a very lighthearted event, where we introduce new joiners, and people present projects they have been working on that they want to share with the whole tribe. Afterwards, we play quizzes or games, and sometimes we just chat! This happens once a week, on Fridays.
Virtual Yoga
Every Wednesday afternoon we have our virtual yoga class. I don’t think there’s much to say on this one. It’s a yoga class, with a real yoga teacher, that takes place over Zoom. It’s fun and very relaxing!
Exercise with our team
One of our product designers had the wonderful idea to organize morning workouts for us. We do them directly before stand-up. They are only 15 minutes long and make the world of difference. Usually we do HIIT-Training, it’s very effective! Although I can’t attend them every time, I really appreciate them. It’s a great way to start the day!
Partial office reopening
Since the first of May, the office has partially reopened. We are still primarily working from home, but this has been provided as an option for those who feel the need to leave their flats and work from the office again.
We are not allowed to have face to face meetings, nor anything else that could expose us to Covid-19. Only around a quarter of our workforce are allowed to go back to the office, and they have to stay on their own floor.
Before going to the office, we have to register. We do this by adding our names to a spreadsheet. We also have to choose our seating prior to going to the office and must stay there for the day. The seats that are allowed to be used are marked by green dots, and a small welcome present is left for us. The others are marked with red dots.
In the kitchen, the floor is marked with red lines. These lines clearly indicate how close people can stand to each other, as well as what way to move around the kitchen, so that everyone maintains a safe distance.
A big thank you to our Coronavirus Taskforce who are making sure we feel safe and looked after during this pandemic. I am very happy that our squad managed to navigate successfully through this lockdown, by taking care of one another and always listening to each other’s problems, be it personal or business related.
We hope you are all keeping safe and well during this time.
We understand that it is difficult for job seekers these days, that is why we would like to share some of our opportunities with you.
