Foundry Spatial’s Home Office
We often say that Foundry Spatial is about its people, but what does that look like when those people have to work from home? As individuals who like our jobs and the people we work with, transitioning to a home office posed to us a challenge of how to maintain the in-office communication and collaboration that makes Foundry Spatial such a great place to work. Our emphasis on and dedication to our company culture encouraged us to take on this challenge in stride and determine how to stay connected while physically apart.
Checking-in
To kick off the week, the team gets together for a Monday Morning Team Meeting. What was once held in our boardroom now exists online as we go around the room (zoom?) and update one another on the past and upcoming week. Not working in the office sometimes makes you feel like you’re working alone on an island, and these meetings help to alleviate that isolation. By hearing an update from everyone on the team, we’re able to remain informed and well-aligned to meet our objectives.
Staying Sharp
Working from home doesn’t have to mean an end to office traditions. Every Tuesday, team members put their heads together to solve trivia questions and ‘Kennections’ provided by Jeopardy!’s Ken Jennings. Mr. Jennings makes sure not to go easy on us, and the wide range of questions has put our knowledge of various disciplines to the test. Backed by all this practice, the team is ready for the big leagues. Perhaps you’ll see us on Jeopardy for real someday!
Weekly Challenge
The purpose of the Weekly Challenge is to get us talking with another team member about questions and topics we often don’t think about. By being paired up with a new teammate each week, we’re able to get to know each other on a personal level and create genuine connections that expand beyond the workplace. We put a lot of effort and thought into having team members that like the people they work with, and the Weekly Challenge helps make this happen.
Here’s a list of some of our Weekly Challenge questions to ponder over for yourself:
- What 3 things would you take with you on a deserted island?
- If a movie was made about your life, who would play you and why?
- What are the 10 things on your bucket list?
- If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be and why?
- If money or time was no object, what community, non-profit or volunteer opportunities/projects would you donate your time to?
- What are some of your favorite quotes and why?
Our most recent challenge question, “what do you think our company values are and what do you think our company values should be?” encouraged us to take a look inwards and reflect on where we’re at. Similar tones rang throughout as we all recognized the work-life balance, teamwork and collaboration, and continuous growth and innovation that make Foundry Spatial (Foundry) Special!
Work hard, play hard
As an office that is no stranger to friendly competition, we get together digitally every second Thursday for team board games where we go head-to-head in online games such as Spyfall, Skribbl.io, Codenames, and Draw.ly. We are aware that none of these constitute an actual board game as we are missing the critical board part, but we are just happy to be able to exercise some friendly office banter and compete for bragging rights.
Foundry Spatial Team Pro Tip: Avoid using your trackpad for the drawing games if you’re going after the title of Office Picasso.
The Daily Routine
On top of our weekly rituals, the team does a few extra things to remain engaged with one another. Throughout the day, people converse with each other over Slack via individual messages, smaller group messages or channels, and company-wide channels. We also have smaller team meetings to discuss various projects and tasks. Even lunchtime has gone digital with our daily Afternoon Yak sessions. However, all participants must abide by the golden rule: no chewing with your mic turned on.
