By Randall Ward, Appfire CEO
This piece is shared as part of Pledge 1%’s #GivingTuesdayNow campaign, which highlights how Pledge 1% members and the business community are coming together as a force for good to combat COVID-19.
“Be Human” is our guiding core value at Appfire. Now, more than ever, our team has been reminded of the importance of remembering that we’re all only human. I have been so inspired and encouraged by our team’s response to this unprecedented time.
Another one of our company values is “Light the way” and I hope that sharing the ways we’ve extended special care both within and outside of Appfire will inspire other organizations to do the same on #GivingTuesdayNow.
Here at Appfire, we’re well-practiced in remote work. As a global team, we were able to quickly pivot to 100% remote several weeks ago thanks to the efforts of our amazing business systems and operations teams. Beyond the technical side of supporting remote work, our HR team also provided resources on managing stress and leveraging the connection between wellbeing and productivity.
Since a global pandemic is no normal work-from-home situation, our team has also adjusted our benefits to include additional paid time off not only for personal and family illness but also simply to care for our children and take a breather on occasion.
Staying connected is essential for people and, as an organization, we know that taking care of both our health and that of our families is the number one priority. So we’ve cut back on business meetings and also introduced other ways for our team to feel connected and supported.
For instance, we’ve instituted daily “family lunches.” These short, 15-minute Zoom calls are completely optional and are often joined by kids and pets. The only rule? No work talk. We even have themed lunches (yes, our team fell “prey” to the Tiger King craze).
Amidst all that’s happening, our Appfire team members have also found ways to extend support to their communities. Sharing updates via our #LivingThePledge Slack channel, our employees have donated to local food banks, dropped off supplies to neighbors in need, and helped fundraise for hospitals.
On the customer side, we know we’re not the only ones adjusting to new difficulties every week. That’s why we offered an extension to our grandfather pricing program so customers can maintain their pricing from 2019. Additionally, as an Atlassian partner, we’re fully supportive of their efforts to offer work-enabling technology for free and we’re continuing to partner with Atlassian to find more ways to support teams that may be struggling.
If there was ever a time for empathy, that time is now. We know our teammates and customers are working under exhausting circumstances, and we want to continue to offer support in creative and considerate ways.No person, and no company, is an island. We exist in a very interconnected ecosystem and during this time, we know that the way forward is together.
