Advantages of Remote Employment | GI Sprint
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many studios transitioned to remote work and have chosen to remain that way. Bossa Studios and FuturLab, both based in the UK, exemplify this shift, operating with global teams from home.
Henrique Olifiers, Bossa's co-founder and CEO, and Toby Adam-Smith, FuturLab's head of production, shared insights with GamesIndustry.biz during GI Sprint on how remote work fosters creativity and collaboration.
Transitioning from Office to Home
Adam-Smith highlighted how office settings allowed managers to spot issues and offer feedback just by observing or overhearing conversations. "In this way, progress and issues would often be shared and raised organically regardless of your project or discipline," he explained.
"So long as employees are empowered and understand shared visions and goals, they find the best way to work to achieve them"Toby Adam-Smith
FuturLab has embraced platforms like Slack and Gather to replicate this spontaneous collaboration online. "Trust is crucial with remote work, and we ensure our team shares our vision, making it everyone's responsibility to deliver," Adam-Smith stated.
Aligning the Team’s Vision
Olifiers of Bossa Studios noted that remote work can sometimes lead to misalignment. "If you're not careful, misalignment results in people working in silos on non-priority tasks," he warned. Bossa combats this with regular workshops and iterative development processes, continually revisiting player-focused questions.
Bossa's approach includes breaking teams into mixed-skill groups, a practice they've adapted to online communication tools like Slack. "Work is actively encouraged to be shared in these channels, facilitating feedback and collaboration through calls and screen-sharing," Olifiers added.
Such methodologies minimize misalignment, enhance bug fixing, and ensure cohesive teamwork. "This in turn reduces the likelihood of revisiting features and ensures everyone moves in the same direction," he concluded.
Boosting Remote Efficiency
Efficient remote work hinges on using the right tools, says Olifiers. He highlighted virtual workspace apps like Miro, play sessions on Discord, and project tracking with Jira to maintain streamlined workflows.
Remote work inherently boosts productivity due to fewer distractions, provided there's a good home setup. "Family life improves, so does happiness and job satisfaction, contributing to a better work-life balance," Olifiers noted.
"[Using the right tools can] create a fairly seamless setup which unlocks efficiency if well managed and culturally aligned"Henrique Olifiers
However, challenges like isolation and longer working hours can arise. Adam-Smith pointed out the fine balance needed, saying, "It can be very isolating working alone, and some may end up working longer hours."
Effective Online Communication
For both Bossa and FuturLab, effective communication is key. Tools like Slack, Discord, and Google Meet are vital for conducting meetings and maintaining a collaborative environment, tailored to the needs of remote work.
Olifiers believes that meetings should be concise, with well-defined agendas and only the necessary participants. He emphasizes that meetings involving the entire studio are crucial to keep everyone informed about the development progress.
Adam-Smith highlights the importance of making sure that everyone feels they have a chance to participate.
"In larger meetings, whether virtual or in-person, leads and senior leaders often take center stage. It's vital to keep opportunities open for others to showcase their work or voice concerns," he remarks.
"This practice is beneficial for any studio, but it's particularly significant when team members can easily be overlooked beyond their immediate groups."
Adam-Smith suggests creating an environment where team members can freely communicate with each other and encourages frequent check-ins as suitable.
Embracing new communication methods and ideas from the team is also crucial. FuturLab conducts surveys to gather feedback and improve communication strategies.
"Try to keep the door open [during larger meetings] and encourage others to present work they're proud of or raise concerns"Toby Adam-Smith
The studio has appointed a welfare manager to promote social and wellbeing-focused communication among team members and to help "break down barriers and connect members who might otherwise interact only occasionally."
Both Olifiers and Adam-Smith support regular face-to-face meetings. Bossa organizes full team gatherings four to five times a year, holds leadership meetings every six weeks, and has individual teams meet more frequently between larger company events.
Olifiers views in-person meetings as essential for strategic talks, creative direction, and fostering personal connections.
Nonetheless, Adam-Smith warns against making these meet-ups compulsory and advises considering travel time.
"If in-person meetings are necessary, cover travel expenses for those coming from afar and allow them to travel during work hours," he suggests. "If you're gathering the team, the social aspect is just as important as any formal meeting, so try to plan around a celebratory occasion."
