About 43% of the UK's workforce now work from home, a dramatic rise from the pre-pandemic levels of 5.7%. Home working has brought increased flexibility, greater autonomy and a better work-life balance for many.
Here at Ophelos, remote-first is how we started and it's how we mean to go on.
Our diverse team spans 3 continents, 6 UK counties and speaks 5 languages. We have a central office space in London which is open to anyone who wants to work there, however much they wish. With our hybrid work model we aim to bring opportunity and value to each individual while also benefiting the business as a whole.
1. More flexibility and better wellbeing
Being able to work remotely - not just at home but from anywhere - gives our employees freedom. Whether people like exercising in a lunch break, enjoy an extra hour in bed instead of having to make the morning commute, or want to spend more time with their loved ones, remote work allows people to choose how they schedule their day and frees up more time for doing the things that make them happy.
2. Increased collaboration
One of the biggest criticisms of home working has been that it can be difficult to collaborate. To combat this, we've invested in the best tools to help us work together: we use Pitch for our presentations, Miro for collaborative whiteboard sessions, Notion to keep everyone in the loop on calendars, notes, documents & meetings, and Figma to design together.
Making use of these tools also allows us to better focus our time, and even makes our meetings more engaging and creative than before.
3. We can tap in to global talent
We believe in the notion that talent and intelligence are evenly distributed throughout the world, while opportunity is not.
Being remote-first allows us to find talent from an ocean, not a small pond, bringing with it a diverse array of cultures, backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. Our work involves helping people in debt from all walks of life, so having diverse knowledge and open outlooks help us to provide the very best customer care.
4. Higher productivity
Working in a more flexible fashion breeds productivity. In one two-year experiment, remote workers were found to produce 13% more work in the same amount of time as their peers. Since our team is located across several time zones, we are able to work round-the-clock and achieve more in a shorter timeframe.
5. Home comforts
Being at a remote-first company means that we can work in the comfort of our own homes. People can create their own environment to fit their working style - they can play music, work in silence, work in a communal space or in a campervan in the middle of nowhere.
Everyone at Ophelos receives a WFH allowance each year, which they can put towards things like a second screen, a desk or an office chair to make their work environment more comfortable.
Ensuring that remote work doesn't come at the expense of privacy and security
We've been remote since day one, so maximum security has been built into every part of our process. That means that all data on our clients and users is kept private and safe. We also foster a culture where we all stay educated on the risks surrounding cyber and data security.
Making time for things other than work
Remote work isn't always for everyone, so we have a central office space in London. Our office also serves as a great place to meet up, put our heads together, or socialise more informally.
Not having much face-to-face contact can be challenging, especially if a person's role isn't particularly heavy on meetings. The office chit chat, coffee breaks and after-work socials aren't quite the same over video, and as we've seen from the pandemic, loneliness has hit a great deal of people. To tackle this, we have a company-wide stand up every day, where we share news, discuss what's happening in the company and make sure everyone's kept up-to-date on our various projects.
Every few months we try to get as many people together in the same room as possible for a social. On top of that, we have more informal meet-ups online - on our Ophee breaks (!) - and play games on a Friday. Yes, we are still a start-up.
