A Platform for People: How Are We Building Our Global Community?
 

People are the focus of ES's culture and we have a team dedicated to fostering a safe, inclusive, and interactive environment. Every company has its own culture, but do they use this characteristic when creating their strategies?

It is not a simple task to understand the movement and different cultures of a global community, which has operated remotely since its founding.

We don't have a daily interaction that is still predominant in people's minds, such as a face-to-face coffee break with a co-worker in the middle of the day or the habit of having lunch together and the usual exchanges that generate that approach of which most people are accustomed.

Our challenge is to break this bubble and bring about the possibility of other types of equally humanized, inclusive, and positive interaction that the remote can provide. This does not exclude face-to-face interaction. On the contrary, we have our meetings and a space that is very close to our community: HubES, which is located in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. This is ES' first interactive space and serves as a pilot for the next ones that we will open in strategic locations conducive to our expansion.

We have professionals with their life stories, perspectives and singularities spread throughout Brazil and around the world, which brings about a totally unique vision.

A platform flexible to the needs of people

Nina Fragoso is the one who takes care of the community, currently serving as Community Booster. Nina joined ES as a 3D Artist trainee and, due to a personal affinity and company need, she designed her own position herself.

It is very much in Elephant Skin's culture to 'not hold onto titles' and Nina is a prime example. The issue is not the position, but that you perform an activity and role that you believe is important for the organization. This identification makes all the difference in the role. Ever thought of creating your own job?

At ES, you are free to make propositions and, if in harmony with our purposes as a community, strategy, vision and values, they are very welcome.

Nina explains, “In a global company, thinking about culture and community is important in building strategy. There is no single culture or single community. How do you take care of these people so that they feel welcome and have their voices heard? I am currently working on a diversity and inclusion program for our community.”

Victor Luidgi, Head of Culture, defends the idea that within a platform for people, which is today how ES sees itself as a company, it is fundamental to have a structure which will provide people knowledge, belonging, and freedom to expose their potential, be it creative, artistic or in project management.

“When you don't have structure, everything turns into chaos. There are queues, signs, and logistics so that people can organize themselves and understand their environment through clear language. As a people platform, we need many structures to take care of our professionals. Culture in Latin comes from culturae, which means "action to treat,” “cultivate," or "cultivate the mind and knowledge.” In fact we are plural,” he adds.

There are Elephants in Curitiba and in several places throughout Brazil, even in the hinterland of Bahia! Also, there are Elephants scattered around the world. How can we give voice to all of these people? How do we foster open communication with professionals in New York or Italy?

Once again there is the question of 'building the wheel' or 'puncturing the bubble.’ Humanization does not mean being in a physical environment and working in space, but the breadth of possibilities; the freedom to choose and not a formal obligation.

What do we elephants consider to be humanization in the work environment?

At Elephant Skin, there are opportunities for people from all over the world, and the only prerequisite is to be a competent professional for the job the company needs. Today, we are building what we consider to be ideal in a work environment and this is momentous for everyone who plays a part.

We want to grow strategically, control this expansion, and reinvent how people exchange and interact. What does ES and the Elephants want?

The level of interaction among professionals in our Slack is very high; we communicate a lot and more often. Through messaging, people have opened up about their lives and shared personal difficulties. The idea is to build a safe environment in which everyone can freely and without judgement expose their weaknesses.

The remote work community still seems strange to many people who are dealing with this new way of interacting and generating closeness. We advocate for more face-to-face meetings, every six months, generating communal interaction with teams around Brazil and the world in order to strengthen this exchange.

It is very gratifying to experience what we envision as a work environment and to have the freedom to build this space.

The Elephant dreams big. This is part of the company's culture, which was born to be giant and generate opportunities for this growth. It is amazing to see ideas taking shape, while engaging and inspiring people!

The construction of our culture today can be a reality for professionals from all over the planet. Each particular person can be part of this platform. And what a platform! Can you imagine bringing together the best of the best people in the world? We are already firmly on this path.
 

Communications Manager - Roberta Lemos | Communication Intern – João Victor Campos
Author – Journalist Daiana Barasa and Juliana Rodrigues | Naiá
Interviewed – Victor Luidgi Catunda Viana – Head of Culture | Nina Fragoso – Community Booster

*All Rights Reserved to Elephant Skin Group Corp.​