{"id":215390,"date":"2022-04-06T09:53:55","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T07:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/?p=215390"},"modified":"2023-08-30T12:42:36","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T10:42:36","slug":"smart-working-beefree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/smart-working-beefree\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart working: Why the Beefree team works from home"},"content":{"rendered":"

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At this point, most people have lived and breathed remote work for long enough to have an opinion on it. We won\u2019t bore you with another article about what it is or how it works.<\/p>\n

What we\u00a0will\u00a0<\/em>do is explore\u00a0smart working<\/strong>\u00a0and why the Beefree<\/a> team won\u2019t be \u201cgoing back to the office\u201d. Spoiler: we won\u2019t be implementing mandatory hybrid work policies, either.<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t come across the idea of smart work before, buckle up. We\u2019re about to take you on a ride to the future of work.<\/p>\n

What is smart working?<\/h2>\n

Smart working is not the same as remote work. Remote work often tries to replicate office environments \u2014 which is a recipe for failure according to publications like\u00a0Inc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Smart working, on the other hand, sets up new rules and expectations that let teams take advantage of the benefits of remote work. All while keeping business goals intact.<\/p>\n

All smart working is remote work, but not all remote work is smart.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mariano Corso, the co-founder of Osservatori Digital Innovation and Scientific Director at Partners4Innovation, summarizes this perfectly:<\/p>\n

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\u201cSmart Working means re-thinking remote working under a smarter look, challenging the idea of working tied to a place and a timeframe, giving people more freedom in defining their own routines in exchange for higher responsibility and focus on goals. Autonomy, but also flexibility, responsibility, talent enhancement and trust become key pillars of this new approach.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This quote hits all the vital points we want to cover. Let\u2019s dive into how it works at Beefree<\/span>.<\/p>\n

How Beefree does smart working<\/h2>\n

We consider ourselves fortunate. When 2020 lockdowns took place, there were many fears and anxieties. We were worried about our health, our families, and our communities. But we were spared from worrying about our workspaces.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been a remote-first company since 2014. When lockdown happened, our remote processes were already in place. Because of this, we were able to transition seamlessly to a fully online environment.<\/p>\n

Again, we are extremely fortunate and grateful to have been prepared. Having a smart work culture kept us going during a time when everyone needed to take care of themselves and their loved ones.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the breakdown of the most important aspects of smart working at Beefree.<\/p>\n

Challenge: Reaching Goals<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Solution:<\/strong>\u00a0We worry less about working hours or work location and more about defining and reaching goals. When people start or end their day is less important than being aligned with the team.<\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t mean we exist in a vacuum. We still work 8 hours per day on average. The difference is each person is free to handle and shift those hours as needed, whether it\u2019s picking up kids from daycare or taking a midday nap.<\/p>\n

Overall this means less stress and more work\/life balance. Which oftentimes means more productivity, not less.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not alone in this perception. According to Microsoft, 74% of leaders believe remote work makes their team equally or more productive than before.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Remote work also means that our team can work from anywhere. This benefits the team because we can pick the best brains from any geographic region and continue to grow as a global company. Individuals benefit because every person chooses where they log in from.<\/p>\n

But with great power comes great responsibility\u2026<\/p>\n

Challenge: Responsibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong>\u00a0Smart work is about empowering and trusting your team. No individual controls anyone or their work, but rather we work together to achieve\u00a0results<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We firmly believe in flat hierarchies (to the extent possible) and sharing responsibilities across the board. This doesn\u2019t mean that nobody is responsible. Or that \u201cbosses\u201d don\u2019t do their jobs.<\/p>\n

Quite the opposite, everybody does their share and everybody is asked to contribute ideas to discussions, double-check work, and challenge misperceptions.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s part of the reason we implement\u00a0Shape Up<\/a>, which puts a lot of power (and a lot of responsibility!) into the hands of each team member.<\/p>\n

At Beefree, we don\u2019t like to work with robots that enjoy isolation. We prefer to work with people who express what they think and aren\u2019t afraid to collaborate<\/a>\u00a0with peers, direct reports, and managers alike.<\/p>\n

Spreading responsibility means there are fewer \u201csingle points of failure\u201d during the decision, design, and development processes. Someone who is having a bad day is less likely to make a bad decision if they\u2019re not alone in making it.<\/p>\n

This requires talking and communicating\u2026a lot. And in the right way.<\/p>\n

Challenge: Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n

Solution:\u00a0<\/strong>Since we are a global company with people from all over the world, communication is key. Everyone brings their personal culture to the table, so flexibility is required. But company\u00a0netiquette\u00a0<\/em>is equally as important.<\/p>\n

Some of our\u00a0netiquette<\/em>\u00a0rules include:<\/p>\n