Remote working is a big topic in every industry. Ilona, our EVP of Human Resources & Data Protection, spoke to Game Developer about our remote work practices. You can read the whole article here, but we wanted to go into more detail about why we went fully remote, what the benefits are to us and our team, and what it’s like working at Green Man Gaming.
When the world went fully remote, it was a big change overnight. It took some adjustment, but everyone on our team pulled together, and we found new ways of working that allowed us to be just as productive, connected, and involved as we would be in an office.
When we could work in person again, we returned to our office in London, expecting things to pretty much be back to normal. But we were surprised to find that the office wasn’t as integral to our work as we remembered it. Many of us had completely adapted, and even preferred working remotely.
After a few months we realised that, while the office was a beautiful space, it wasn’t actually helping us be more productive, it wasn’t helping provide a better service to our partners, and it was actively stopping us from bringing on new talent from elsewhere in the world. So we pivoted to being fully remote, and it made a huge positive impact.
To ensure a smooth transition for the whole team, we focused on three core pillars: leadership, clarity, and listening. These worked well for us, and aren’t unique to the video game industry, they could work for any business. Here’s what we did:
We didn’t want team members to be confused, hearing one thing from their colleagues and another from their managers. All announcements about going fully remote came from our senior management team, keeping a clear and consistent line of communication open, with everyone receiving information at the same time. This helped with clarity, our next focus.
Once we had made the decision to go fully remote, it was important to be clear about what was going to happen, when, and why. We didn’t want to just tell everyone what was happening, we wanted to explain the reasoning behind it, so the team understood why certain choices had been made. If there were disagreements, we were happy to hear them, and to reconsider our position.
Arguably the most important element of the transition plan was giving everyone in the team a chance to be heard. We didn’t want anyone to feel left out or ignored, so we ran a company survey, as well as having one on one meetings to ensure that everyone had a chance to speak their mind.
We also introduced a slack channel for brainstorming new ways of working. This was really helpful to management. We had great ideas being shared from across the team, and viewpoints that otherwise might have been missed ended up shaping the strategy.
Financial support was provided for new home office setups, and virtual meetups were put in place to ensure we all still felt like a team.
The survey found that 80% of the team were much happier working fully remote, and it became clear in meetings and virtual hangouts that we had made the right decision.
Remote working can run the risk of blurring the line between personal and professional life. We set clear boundaries, blocking out focus time, and ensured data protection, privacy and cybersecurity measures to keep the team and our work as safe as possible.
We prioritised flexibility over rigid schedules, while maintaining clear policies outlining expectations and transparency. These included guidelines for in-person meetings, training, and events.
Throughout the entire transition, honesty was key. We weren’t afraid to admit we didn’t have all the answers, but we committed to adapting and reacting with empathy when new concerns arose. The results were astounding.
One of the most immediate benefits of working remotely is that we gained access to talent all over the world. Interviews could happen no matter where someone was, and when new roles were filled, no one had to leave their friends and family behind to pursue their dream job.
Almost half our workforce have moved or are considering moving outside London, as they’re no longer tethered to the capital because of work. This gives them additional freedom that we never could have offered if we hadn’t gone fully remote.
An obvious benefit of working remotely is the improvement to our work/life balance.
This kind of control is so important to employee wellbeing, and overall job satisfaction. Not having to commute gives everyone extra time to manage the tasks of daily life, or the freedom to pursue their hobbies or interests instead of being sat on a train or stuck in traffic.
This flexibility was greatly appreciated by everyone in the early days, as people juggled responsibilities and found their preferred style of working.
Our voluntary staff turnover dropped 14% the year we went fully remote. This helped us build the team, develop and nurture talent, and improve our company culture. We see the impact of this every day, with team members able to build strong working relationships that bring a boost to morale and productivity.
We’re delighted with how the shift to remote working has gone. It’s brought the team closer together, with virtual water cooler sessions and informal meetings helping to build bridges that might never have happened in an office.
We’ve seen an improvement to our company results, and our employees are extremely satisfied. Remote work began as a temporary adaptation, but for us, it’s become a long-term strategy that has led to a more engaged and productive workforce. We did this by focusing on building a flexible, supportive environment that could be accessed from anywhere in the world, where our employees could thrive.
While we may not have all the answers, we hope our experience has provided some useful insights if you are considering changing to fully remote work.
There is no “one size fits all” model – we just stayed open to adaptations and adjustments as we went, and found that we were able to accommodate everyone.
Learn more about us and how we work, or check out the available jobs at Green Man Gaming.