Doors have opened at Gecko Designs – literally and figuratively.
We closed the doors at our office when the world went into lockdown in March of 2020. Staff retreated to their basements, home offices, and kitchen tables while continuing to work hard on client projects. It seemed like we were right in line with the rest of the world; finding a “new normal” and figuring out how to successfully transition to remote work. We had guidance from other companies doing the same, including ways to keep positive through Zoom happy hours and masked outdoor gatherings as well as advice from the health department on how and when to return to in-person shared office workspace.
While our physical doors were closing, metaphorical doors opened for us at Gecko. For the first time in 25 years, we considered the possibility of hiring new team members not located in our beloved Missoula. We questioned how it would work – would remote employees feel connected to our local staff while maintaining our high design and development standards? Would local clients coming into our office downtown miss seeing the faces of their entire team in person rather than on a screen in the conference room?
Turns out, opening the door for remote employees has been a great experience. We have two new team members at Gecko – Matt, located in Springfield, Missouri, and Andrew in Albuquerque, New Mexico. These two bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in design and development that fits perfectly with our established skillset. They’re asking the right questions, pushing our team to try new ideas, and more importantly, feel just as much part of the team as any of the local folks.
Slack, Google Meet, and Figma make it easy for us to seamlessly communicate and collaborate on projects. Opening the door to remote employees may have come at an unexpected time during a global pandemic but has been proven to work well for us.
Our doors are open…come on by and say hi!