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Since the pandemic, company culture has been in the spotlight. Betting and gaming companies have had to adapt to the new demands of their employees.
The focus has shifted from meeting corporate goals to focusing on employee well-being, and the shift is towards remote working.
PandaScore’s focus on culture is not new. PandaScore has always placed a high priority on creating an environment that promotes a community and encourages employee advancement. This has helped to shape its operational strategy.
Since the pandemic, there have been some changes.
Shift in working patterns
Jeremy Picard was the Chief of Staff for PandaScore. The prospect of remote working initially raised some questions as to how the brand could maintain the synergy of the company and the sense of culture within the team. The results have so far shown that allowing the team to work remotely has proven to be more beneficial.
He said: “During this pandemic we held discussions with our employees about what they want from their work. The result of these discussions was that our team designed a flexible work policy.
Our employees, or Pandas, as we call them, are free to choose when and if they want to come into the office. We wanted to ensure that everyone had the freedom to work as they see fit.
Picard said that PandaScore drew its inspiration for the current company working practices from the team’s passion for gaming. He believes that this has made the shift to online team calls and remotely working easier.
Picard continued, “This flexible approach to working has been a great fit for our company.” Many of our employees enjoy video games and are used to a social life centered around digital technology. This shift to remote working is now second nature.
We ensure that our team is always in constant communication with us via Slack or Discord. These two platforms allow you to instantly connect to one another without having to create meeting links or send out calendar invitations. “You’re just a click away from chatting to your colleagues.”
PandaScore’s weekly calls, which are held alongside calls made on Slack and Discord and often include a game or icebreaker for the entire company, help to take the focus off of work.
The team will then meet regularly in person and have team-building sessions to help build relationships. These meet-ups are often accompanied by pizza for the food-motivated among us.
We also hold in-person events such as our annual tech team building or pandackathon. These are usually held in a new city each year. We also host regular gaming sessions (also known as pizza lol), where Pandas get together to play games and enjoy pizza.
These face-to-face meetings are fantastic for fostering relationships and building team morale. We encourage remote pandas to visit the office whenever they feel disconnected. It’s important to maintain a strong relationship with employees when you run a remote business.
One to one
It can be difficult for a remote business to maintain a sense of teamwork. It can also be difficult for managers to monitor employee wellbeing.
It can be hard to tell if an employee needs additional support or is going through a tough time when you don’t see them every day.
Picard said that PandaScore places a high value on employee well-being. In order to achieve this, the company regularly conducts anonymous mood surveys which allow employees to express their opinions and feelings. PandaScore will then be able to use the feedback to adjust to any issues that Pandas may face.
“Communication is crucial, particularly around topics such as work-life balance and wellbeing,” he said. We encourage department leaders to hold regular conversations with their teams to find out how they feel working remotely. We also do annual HR follow-ups, where we learn a great deal.
“As Chief Staff, I also regularly meet with members of my team from across our company to discuss their feelings and what we could do better. We encourage honest and open communication.
PandaScore believes that there are no bad questions or feelings. We want our team to feel comfortable sharing anything.
The senior management team of the company is also encouraged to be open and honest in their communication about the ongoing changes that are occurring within the business.
Picard noted that 99% of Pandas responded to a recent survey on employee satisfaction by saying that they “wouldn’t change anything” about the current company working policies.
Picard stated: “We recognise that in addition to encouraging open communication and adapting our work culture to feedback, it is important to strike a balance between structured procedures and flexibility.
“At PandaScore we listen to the feedback of our Pandas, and use this information to improve our policies. We are proud that our policy reflects the culture of our company.
As we look towards the future, it is not only about promoting remote working, but also finding the best blend of in-person and remote collaboration to maximise productivity, creativity and employee wellbeing. We need to continue to evolve as a company and find new ways to make your team happy.
