By Jordan Jurkowitz, Senior Talent Acquisition Manager
Over the last few months we have written a number of posts about the future of remote work in a post-pandemic world and how companies must adapt expectations from both a technological and efficiency standpoint in order to adjust to the “new normal”.
We have also discussed the importance of a company establishing a productive culture for its employees and how to go about that process.
Today I’m going to discuss the impact these shifts are and will continue to have from an employee standpoint; and how adopting the DevOps mindset regardless of where you work within the company is crucial to maintaining success.
For those unaware, DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development and IT operations in order to shorten a project lifecycle and provide continuous delivery of software. In layman’s terms, it is a means of collaboration between two departments that previously worked independently from one another in a combined effort to increase productivity and efficiency.
Although DevOps is traditionally associated with IT delivery models, that doesn’t mean its principles can only be applied to software and IT teams. Its core purpose is to share information and responsibilities that were previously kept separate and to create a better sense of independence among team members.
Working cross-functionally with people in different departments, asking good questions, learning new tasks and proactively working with others to make things more efficient are tasks anyone can take on if motivated, especially as companies are exploring the best ways to maintain employee engagement, advancement opportunities and productivity in the absence of previously established metrics.
For many companies, starting a DevOps team within an office setting means that they must select specific employees to be part of the team; thereby limiting opportunities. In our remote work world, that is no longer the case.
The challenge is taking the necessary steps to adjust behavior and shift how you view day-to-day responsibilities.
In an office, an employee in HR might be sitting in one part of the office while marketing is in another part, so if one has a question for the other they can simply go ask that person, maintaining a siloed environment and minimizing the need to learn and understand the challenges that exist from one department to another.
The DevOps mindset discourages this sort of departmental dependence and fosters a culture of independence. Instead of waiting for Marketing to respond to a day-to-day question, take on the initiative to learn about how the marketing process works and try to work through the answers yourself. Instead of asking them what you should do, ask them how the situation needs to be addressed and how you can better assist in the future.
Another hallmark of DevOps is automating processes to speed time of delivery. For an IT team that could mean developing a repeatable code. For those outside of IT, it can be as simple as developing repeatable email or client outreach templates and storing them within a shared document repository system for other employees across the company to use, tweak and collaborate on adjusting. Rather than thinking about what works for you, think about what works for you and how sharing that with others can help them be better at their jobs and provide you with unique insights into doing yours better.
Instead of looking at your role at the company in a tight prism, work to flexibly define your responsibilities and areas of strength beyond just what you were hired to do. Take the initiative to leverage, teach and demonstrate these strengths, whether that be by utilizing a college degree that you have or lessons learned in prior positions. Ask open ended questions and learn more about other areas of the business. Be proactive, not reactive. Don’t be afraid to offer opinions and ideas about how to make things operate more efficiently – be nimble and open to change.
Working remotely can be very challenging for those who are conditioned to work in an office. But, especially when introducing new practices such as DevOps, can also bring opportunities to grow and advance.
All you need to do is develop an open mind and operate outside of the box.