Digital First is our approach to work at Play’n GO, prioritising flexible ways of working to be at our best. It’s an approach we began in 2021 and now three years in, we are making some changes. But in a world where you’re hearing about return to office mandates, we’re not making those kinds of changes. We’re going all in on remote work and here’s what we’re doing (and learning) along the way.
Prioritising inclusion and accessibility
As we’ve evolved our Digital First approach, we’ve had two words in mind – inclusivity and accessibility. Every decision we make and new solution we implement, we first ask ourselves “Is this inclusive and accessible to everyone?”. We realised that many of our old office work practices needed to be adapted for a remote workplace, from how we manage IT support (no more going into an office to get your laptop fixed) to how we share key information (no more office all-hands meetings) to how we celebrate success together (no more physical awards).
In July, we introduced our new Digital First pathway which provides clarity on the opportunities everyone has when it comes to connecting, regardless of where they work or their role. For some, it’s a big change from what they’re used to, and may take some time to adapt, but for others, it brings new opportunities that weren’t accessible before. But we are in this together and that’s the key.
Being intentional with bringing people together is still important
There could be a perception that Digital First means ‘Digital Only’, and that we exclusively work online. But as human beings, we all know the value of in-person connection. It boosts engagement and motivation that lasts for months and reduces feelings of loneliness and isolation. So, we have been focusing on connectivity as a topic; how do we keep people connected to each other and the organisation? While much of it happens online in day-to-day interactions, we also create intentional moments of togetherness throughout the year.
We’ve shifted from monthly socials after work in each country where only around 10% of colleagues could attend without hours of travel, to quarterly co-working days across our key locations, where colleagues can travel to spend time with other people in their country for a day of activities, updates and let’s be honest, just having a chat. We’ve always had pretty epic summer and winter parties, and now we are expanding where they happen – Barcelona was new for us this year but with over 50 people based in Spain now, it’s great to be able to offer them the same experience some of our more established locations have always had.
You need great people and great tools to enable change
Creating an inclusive and accessible Digital First workplace requires great minds. Within Employee Experience (that’s what we call HR & Internal IT), we have adopted Engineering-style practices, by working in a squad to achieve these changes. From the Culture Team to HR Business Partners, to Internal Comms, to the Learning & Development team, everyone has had a significant part to play. We asked our colleagues what they wanted too, as if it doesn’t work for them then what’s the point, right?
And we’ve invested in great tools too, because when your laptop is the equivalent of your office front door, you need to get it right. We’re bringing in tools like Miro to help colleagues collaborate and innovate effectively regardless of where they are in the world, plus Asana to bring visibility and efficiency to our work planning, and new guides on Sharepoint to help colleagues maximise asynchronous ways of working. Phew, it’s been busy!
Have we finalised our approach to Digital First yet? No. Will we ever stop learning and evolving to create the best workplace for our people? No. That’s the exciting bit.
