Hike announces work from remote location amid coronavirus pandemic

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Messaging app Hike on Thursday announced that the company is adopting a Remote-first approach for the rest of 2020. However, those who voluntarily want to come to the office will have to follow strict guidelines to ensure social distancing and sanitation. To facilitate this seamlessly the company has also announced multiple arrangements to help employees create a workspace at home. Hike would be delivering an ergonomic office chair and a brand new compact office table to its employees residing in Delhi/NCR.

For employees presently outside of Delhi/NCR Hike has announced a reimbursement of up to INR 10,000/- for the purchase of their own chair & table to set up their workstation at home. Additionally, Hike would also be supporting its employees for any internet and IT accessories requirements. These include accessories such as Monitors, USB Converters, Laptop riser & more, adding up to INR 40,000 per employee.  

Some unique features of the 'Remote-First' initiative also include no-meeting hours, Remote All-hands, and virtual recognition programs.

The team managers will focus on the following goals in this 'Remote First' initiative: 

• Setting Expectations: As a manager, it's important to clearly convey your expectations. be as specific as possible while using simple and concise language. “New Normal” isn’t necessarily a business world without working in an office, it’s just a world where we focus on work instead of the office
• Trust: Emphasizing on the act of leading with trust as opposed to micro-management as can be the temptation in the absence of face to face interaction with the team  
• Empathy: People that work remotely shouldn’t feel like they need to be in the office to be fully informed. Flexibility and empathy are key. This is new for a lot of people, and these are without a doubt extenuating circumstances
• Hiring: The key to developing a thriving remote culture that is built on trust starts with finding the right people and setting the right expectations

Meanwhile, those employees who want to work from office have to comply with the following mandatory guidelines aligned to statutory requirements:

• No one above 99 temp would be allowed in the office building 
• Everyone has to wear a mask all day long 
• Physical/social distancing
  • Lunches won’t be together
  • Not more than 3 people in the washroom at a time (original capacity: 10)
  • Meeting rooms will no longer accommodate to capacity:
    • 2-3 seater will be for 1 person
    • 5-6 seater will be for 2 people 
    • 8-10 seater will be for 3-4 people
  • Work stations to maintain 6’ distance 
• No Gym 
• Social distancing while walking in the hallways 

According to reports, Hike has been operating remotely for over 5 months and has also launched the world’s first mobile-first virtual world, HikeLand, remotely, recently. Starting March 6th, 2020, Hike had implemented Work From Home (WFH), organization-wide to ensure employee well-being ahead of the lockdown announcements by state and national authorities.