In this episode, Springworks’ Head of Partnerships, Moshe talks to Igor Fedenkoff, co-founder of Brybe Inc. Fedenkoff is a serial entrepreneur with a decade-long history of successful startups in healthcare and hospitality verticals, improving brand image and revenue by 10x.
He holds a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) and Applied Linguistics (MA). He is a business instructor/trainer, a marketing specialist, a public speaker, and an investor as well.
Igor talks about what he has done in terms of managing his team remotely and keeping them engaged at Brybe. He also points out the common mistakes that many companies make in the name of employee engagement.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
1- What mistakes companies are making to manage employees in a remote work system?
According to Igor F, a remote environment is no longer just an option but has become a necessity. So companies should learn to manage employees in a remote system. He adds that companies are struggling to cope with the new system because they are not used to that dynamic.
To make things work trust is the most important factor, he says. Companies that don't trust their employees are not stepping forward to adapt to the remote environment.
Some common mistakes that they are making:
Trying to track their employees' activities every minute.
And micromanaging the team.
According to him, this kills human value. That's when "team members" become employees.
2- How to keep a remote team managed and engaged in a company?
Trust is the core value of engagement. He says a small team dedicated to the work has made his managerial role easy. Igor adds that allowing team members to work their way is the best way to keep them interested. Trusting their opinions and making them feel a valuable resource also adds up.
Another factor is entertainment. Igor always makes sure that his team is not stressed about work. They add humor, happiness, and fun to build a healthy environment which leads to great work culture.
Also, to manage a team he suggests making use of daily reports and zoom meetings. It allows you to keep track of the work and to have regular conversations with the team members.
3- Challenges that companies face in a remote environment:
Working in a remote environment is challenging too. Igor says that the two biggest challenges every company faces are:
Time Zone difference - Due to the difference in location, it provides them with a small amount of time to get together in Zoom meetings.
Employee's lifestyle - Everyone has a life that includes kids, family, and other important stuff.
4- How to hire the right person for a role?
Hiring the right person for the role is hit and trial. It is like if you don't do it, you don't know it. If you don't hire someone how will you know how he performs?
But some of the valuable tips that can become handy are:
Analyzing the CV to find if the information is legit or another cookie cutter.
Reading the person's behavior during the interview.
Understanding his attitude towards learning and working.
And asking for the team's opinion.
Igor thinks that there is still a lot to know about the person. So he suggests that as soon as a candidate is hired, give him a chance to prove himself. That is, give him a challenging task to see how he performs in critical situations.
He adds that "trust always has some risk involved."
Follow Igor F. on LinkedIn
Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast host: Moshe Vhanunu