When we decided to temporarily close Curve HQ doors as part of the social distancing measures, we didn’t quite know what to expect.
But to think big and innovate is one of Curve’s core leadership principles, and eloping to our fold-out kitchen tables wasn’t going to stop us doing what we do best. We’re all part-internet anyway so we just ran some extra long extension leads and jump-started the mothership.
Another unusual experience for us? Virtually onboarding all our new colleagues. Carlin, Aminoor, Lara & Lyuben have all joined Curve since our temporary domestic relocation, so we asked them to share their personal experience of what it’s like to start a new job remotely:
Lara Biagini
Junior Product Designer
Joined Curve: March 16th
“Within 24 hours of joining Curve, we were working fully remotely.”
My first day at Curve was on the Monday before the lockdown started. I knew transitioning from uni to work would be tough, but this is a situation no one foresaw!
The whole process has been managed exceptionally well by Curve. Within 24 hours of joining, we were working fully remotely; the IT team has done an incredible job to make this happen.
The hardest part has been understanding the dynamics of the business remotely. I’m very social and I thrive off the group energy when collaborating on a project or new ideas. It’s hard to be as creative and spontaneous when you’re not in the same room, but we’re trying our best.
I was a little overwhelmed at first but my team has been so patient, understanding and supportive with me. I can’t wait to work with them in the office!
Carlin Leung
Analytics Engineer
Joined Curve: April 14th
“I’ve been able to hit the ground running and show what I can do.”
I’ve worked remotely before, but onboarding remotely was a brand new experience for me.
I had my interview with Curve just as things were starting to shut down in the U.K, so I knew that I would be starting remotely. Knowing this ahead of time was really helpful as it was one less thing to worry about.
As the data team is working on so many interesting projects, I’ve been able to hit the ground running and show what I can do. This happened quicker than I imagined but I prefer learning on the job and solving problems in real time.
It’s harder to get to know people on a personal level outside of the office environment and I am missing the social interaction but there will be plenty of time to make up for that I’m sure.
Lyuben Karamarinov
Animator/Motion Designer
Joined Curve: March 30th
“I was set up & ready to go a week before starting.”
My first few weeks at Curve have been without fault so far. The process of receiving my laptop and any other tech I needed was absolutely flawless; I was set up & ready to go a week before starting.
I have loved getting to know my colleagues, and am clear on what is expected of me and where I should turn if I need anything. As I’m self-taught in my field, I’ve seen this challenge as another opportunity to further improve my skills.
I have worked remotely for almost 10 years and this experience has really helped me transition into a new industry, allowing me to focus solely on the job at hand. That being said, I can’t wait to meet everyone in person!
Aminoor Alam
Junior Site Reliability Engineer
Joined Curve: March 16th
“We have a dedicated Slack channel for sharing thoughts and ideas.”
Settling into my new team has been a really smooth experience; we spend a lot of time on Hangouts and have a dedicated Slack channel for sharing thoughts and ideas.
As a new starter, the support I have received has been a proper team effort. Since the very first day I joined I have been involved in sprint planning, retrospectives and project meetings. The only thing missing is the face to face contact with my colleagues but we’ve worked around it brilliantly and know what we want to achieve.
I’ve worked from home before and at times it felt that I was cut off from the team but that hasn’t been the case at Curve. The barriers that I experienced before are absolutely non-existent here, which has completely blown me away!
Although we look forward to meeting our new colleagues face-to-face, it’s clear to see that modern tech makes it possible to sustain that team environment so we can continue building Curve for you together, while apart.
