Last updated at Tue, 11 Apr 2023 10:52:14 GMT
As the world continues to navigate the post-pandemic shift in work environments, Rapid7 is operating on a hybrid-first approach that balances flexibility and productivity with collaboration and optimizing for customer success.
In the spirit of cross-collaboration, the People Development and Workplace Experience teams partnered with managers across the company to record an internal podcast series. The series, dubbed “Have You Herd? Navigating Our Hybrid-First World!,” captures the stories and experiences of our managers adapting to hybrid work and how they support their teams. ‘Herd’ is a nod to our moose, the term we use to describe our people. Since the word ‘moose’ is both singular and plural, it means that we respect everyone’s individuality while working together as one team towards a common goal.
Chatting with our host, Senior Director of UX for the Detection and Response practice Gwen Betts, managers shared tips and tricks for building strong cross-functional teams, staying connected to the Rapid7 community, and most importantly, creating impact for our customers. Throughout these episodes, three key themes emerged: building strong team relationships, cross-team collaboration, and employee engagement. Take a look below to see how our managers are navigating these areas, and hear directly from some of them via the audio clips!
Strong Team Relationships
Whether you’re working together in person or virtually, it’s important to consciously create a dynamic and supportive team environment to help people drive impact. Balancing both environments in a hybrid workplace can often feel challenging. In Episode One, Director of Talent Acquisition Caroline Galvin and Senior Director of Software Engineering Neville O’Neill discussed how they foster team relationships for creating impact. Some tips they shared include:“Anchor your team around a common mission.” When team members are accountable to each other in pursuit of a common goal, the bonds of trust and respect are strengthened.
“Find ways to come together for the moments that matter.” There are many ways to celebrate wins virtually, but don't lose sight of the value of coming together in person to celebrate the big milestones or especially noteworthy occasions. This can create a solid foundation that helps those virtual celebrations and events become even more meaningful because of what you've spent time to build intentionally.
“Connect as humans! Be more relational, less transactional.” Encouraging your team members to bring their full selves to work (like we emphasize with our Bring You core value) and connecting on a personal level improves communication and trust for working through tough situations.
The Magic of Cross-Team Connections
Not only are our Moose moving between home and office work environments, but our managers often have direct reports and cross-functional stakeholders working across different locations and time zones as well. Ensuring they have a solid communication plan is fundamental to their team’s success.
In Episode Two, Jan Krijgsman, Senior Sales Manager and Aniket Menon, Vice President of Product Management shared their tips for developing clear and consistent communication channels:
“Be clear with Slack message/email intentions.” Let the recipient know whether a question or request is urgent, or can wait for a response. Respecting people’s time and helping them prioritize their work makes for better collaboration.
“Engage in regular check-ins with your direct reports.” Build a connection based on trust so that difficult conversations are not avoided and feedback exchanges can be prioritized.
“Empower team members to connect cross-functionally.” Encourage them to develop their internal networks. Every day, Rapid7’s InsightCoffee program empowers our people to develop cross functional relationships that otherwise would not have been possible. We’re intentional in making sure all of our Moose feel encouraged to reach out and chat with anyone, at any level, on any team.
Employee Engagement
A major focus of the podcast has been employee engagement in a hybrid world. With reduced face-to-face time and the ever-present threat of Zoom fatigue, how do managers help their teammates stay engaged with the Rapid7 community? All of our podcast guests had fantastic solutions that they use to consistently boost team morale:
“Utilize the concept of ‘first’ and ‘second’ teams (or, regional and functional teams).” If you have team members who are geographically separated from the rest of the team, work with them to develop a regional team with those who work in the same location. This helps balance creating a strong global team culture with strengthening the micro-cultures that form locally, establishing a strong foundation for people to feel even more connected.
“Slack is the new water cooler!” Have a few minutes in between Zoom meetings, or taking a coffee break? This is the best time to drop into those ‘fun’ Slack channels to engage with others around personal interests. Some favorites at Rapid7 include the #puppies and #cooking channels!
“Celebrate ‘wins’!” Make an effort to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible work that your team does. Show that what they accomplish makes a real impact on the success of the team and the business!
Conclusion
Our work environments look quite different than they did three years ago. While we have largely settled into this new way of working, we embrace our core value of Never Done by continuing to ask ourselves how we can continue to improve. At Rapid7, we truly believe that our managers are impact multipliers, with a direct hand in optimizing our teams and creating impact for our customers. This podcast series has given our managers another way to learn from each other and collaborate on best practices for building strong team relationships, improving cross-team collaboration, and encouraging robust employee engagement.
