United in diversity: How Scale Final builds and manages teams across Europe
Scale Final has been around for over four years, and we are now over 200 people. In 2021, we had an office in Kyiv. Since then, we have had two new spaces—one in Cyprus, Limassol, and the other we recently opened in Warsaw, Poland. At the same time, many of our employees work remotely—from Kyiv to London and Lisbon. So, how can we communicate and keep the job going in these long-distance relationships?
Some of the following thoughts are better explained in previous articles (this and this).
Firstly – and most importantly – a clear corporate culture.
Let’s divide the corporate culture into two parts. First, the main task of management is to formalize a certain pool of company values, goals, and guidelines so that the whole team is on the same page.
I hope that doesn’t sound too obvious. In practice, many companies do not formalize their values. More often, they remain at the level of onboarding (we will talk about this and the importance of this process next time) and clearly formulate tasks about the necessary personal KPIs for the employee and—in general—for the company.
Ultimately, our job and workplace, both physically and figuratively, are not about these KPIs. It’s about how you feel about yourself, the conditions under which you work, your relationship with your colleagues, etc.
This brings us to the second part of corporate culture – namely, how a certain set of rules is implemented and lived by your employees. If the corporate culture is only on paper and your team works differently, you shouldn’t be too quick to fire your employees if they don’t conform to the ‘spirit of the company’.
Most likely, the problems lie in what and how you have formulated it.
Company culture is about how things actually work in your company. It’s meaningless if your employees do not share it.
And only then can it be described as transparent and understandable if the gap between expectations and reality—between the guidelines and values and the everyday lives of your employees—is minimal.
The difference is there. It’s not ideal. There must be something to strive for.
How can I test your corporate culture for transparency?
There is no universal screening tool. You will not survey your employees. However, anonymous surveys are a viable option.
But there is a cooler tool. Your company culture is truly successful when your employees not only share your ‘paper values”, but also formulate and add their values.
The test is simple. Ask yourself:
- Do your employees bring a new spirit?
- Are they changing the work in the company?
- Do they feel empowered?
What else is vital for maintaining long-distance working relationships?
Online parties? Frequent Zoom calls? Not enough. While these elements increase engagement and fun, they’re not enough on their own.
At the heart of Scale Final’s strategy is trust. It’s about making each team member feel secure in their role and in their interactions with others. This is ensured by fostering horizontal relationships where open communication and mutual respect are the norm, regardless of position or location. Such an approach fosters a sense of belonging and engagement so that geographical distance does not matter.
Even if we are talking about work, this does not mean the need for solid and reliable human connections disappears. In other words, these are not just exchange relationships, but communal in a sense.
In this context, the role of the HR department is crucial. The company hires HR professionals who do well with administrative tasks and can nurture these relationships and make each team member feel valued and understood.
Conclusion
Scale Final’s success in managing teams across Europe is a testament to the power of trust, horizontal relationships and strategic HR practices in creating a cohesive and vibrant work culture united in its diversity.
