Making a digital collaboration tool become a true ‘virtual office’ is about fully embracing the technology throughout your business.
For Envato, one of Australia’s biggest digital exporters, Slack has delivered the ideal hybrid work platform thanks to its ecosystem of apps and integrations to build a strong team – wherever they may be.
Envato has grown from a garage startup in Sydney to a global scaling business, shaping the creative industry with two of the most innovative and comprehensive creative products on the market: Envato Elements and Envato Market.
With over two million customers per year, the business is dedicated to helping creatives thrive by enabling them to buy or sell creative assets across video, music, photo, graphics, fonts, code and more. In 2020 the Envato Authors (sellers) surpassed $1 billion in earnings. Today, Envato has hundreds of staff across key offices in Melbourne, Guadalajara and in remote work locations wherever staff may live.
Leading a high-functioning team primarily through Slack has taken a lot of careful thought and planning, but Envato Senior People Experience Manager, Claire March, sees that the platform has been key to building strong lines of communication to ensure the whole team always feels supported.
“Psychological safety is so important in an organisation and our leaders understand the importance of a workforce that feels comfortable sharing new ideas and feedback,” said March.
“Employees seek a balance between reduced office time and increased opportunities to engage with senior leadership and contribute to decision-making. To address this, we have implemented initiatives that empower our workforce to voice concerns, seek clarification, and offer feedback directly to our executive team. Additionally, we utilise Slack as a platform to transparently communicate our accomplishments, challenges, ambitions, and key focus areas, nurturing a culture of trust and collaboration within the team.”
With 17 years of company history leading to information being stored across a variety of platforms, March says one of the strengths of Slack has been its integrations to act as a hub for staff to easily access the company’s knowledge.
“Slack has truly revolutionised our work process by consolidating everything in one central platform. Thanks to the work from our exceptional Tech Services department who implemented the integration of AI copilot, Moveworks, we have unlocked remarkable efficiency in accessing essential information and taking action across multiple systems — all within Slack,” explained March.
“Now, with just a few keystrokes, we can instantly retrieve answers to queries such as ‘What is our travel policy?’ or ‘How can I request a new mouse?’ Moveworks swiftly retrieves relevant information from our various knowledge base sources. The Moveworks copilot is also able to autonomously resolve common IT requests, like password resets, hardware requests, and much more. Its learning capabilities continue to evolve with each interaction. Accessing it through Slack makes it a true game changer for our business.”
Another recent integration used by Envato is Donut, a clever team engagement tool for creating new social connections throughout the business. Alongside a wealth of social channels covering hobbies and interests across the team, Donut adds another layer to ensure there’s a ‘water cooler’ culture in this virtual office.
“Donut brings some fun to our team dynamics by randomly pairing up members and creating dedicated channels for casual coffee and donut conversations. This virtual icebreaker adds an element of fun while also fostering opportunities for our employees to explore new perspectives and interests,” explained March.
“Given a substantial portion of our workforce is located in Guadalajara, Donut has become a gateway to expanding our team’s horizons, connecting us with colleagues in Mexico and facilitating cross-cultural exchanges.”
With these Slack integrations in place, there is a wealth of self-service support for Envato’s team, but March emphasises that leadership must take responsibility for maintaining the quality of the workplace culture. As a company, Envato actively ensures its leadership team has the skills to meet these aims.
“We prioritise leadership development to equip our leaders with the necessary abilities to inspire, motivate, and unleash the full potential of our teams. In a remote or hybrid work environment, effective leadership demands a distinct set of skills,” explained March.
“In this context, traditional cues like body language and facial expressions are no longer reliable indicators of mood or well-being. It becomes challenging to discern whether someone is experiencing a great day or facing difficulties. Embracing technology becomes paramount as it becomes a vital element of the contemporary leadership toolkit, enabling transparent communication, seamless collaboration, and the cultivation of a thriving workplace culture.
Envato has found some more recent additions to Slack have been invaluable in continuing to improve this digital team culture. Slack Connect for deepening connections with external partners by creating shared channels to collaborate directly while minimising emails and phone calls, and Slack Huddles as a way to bring back the feeling of a quick chat at someone’s desk.
“As a people leader, I have found Huddles to be an invaluable tool,” shared March. “With just a quick visit to a channel, I can initiate a Huddle and let my team members know that I am accessible to address any inquiries, offer support, or engage in casual conversations. It provides a wonderful avenue for staying connected with my team, eliminating the need to wait for formal one-on-one meetings to bridge the communication gap.”
For all the choices of tools and services to run their global operations, March emphasises a fundamental quality that drives their success in keeping its team so connected: trust and transparency.
“Establishing a company culture rooted in trust and transparency yields numerous benefits, such as elevated employee morale, increased job satisfaction, and the cultivation of an environment that embraces the advantages of remote work while mitigating its challenges,” March said.
“In this regard, digital office spaces like Slack serve as vital platforms for fostering transparency and active engagement. Within our organisation, Slack has played a pivotal role in cultivating a robust sense of community and purpose, propelling Envato and its team members towards shared goals.”
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