I’m a Product Manager at Fasthosts, where I lead and manage our Web Hosting, Website Builder and Online Marketing platforms.

I'm focused on delivering innovative products and features that provide our customers with the capabilities they require to succeed and thrive online, at the value they expect.

How big is it?

‍Fasthosts as a company has 156 employees, including a 4-strong Product Management team.

The wider engineering teams total 44 employees and include: Product Owners, Development Engineers, UX/UI designers, QA and Technology Architects spread across three teams.

Of course we also interface with other cross-functional teams including; Sales, Marketing and Finance. ‍

Where are your teammates located?‍

The Fasthosts product team is located in Gloucester, UK, but as a company we also have teams in London and Asia! ‍

What does your team do? What are you responsible for?‍

I’m personally responsible for helping to set the vision and strategy for my product group, building a comprehensive roadmap based on company and customer value. As a wider team we thrive on developing and leveraging the latest technology to deliver a market-beating platform of services.

Collaboration‍

Like anything, there are pros and cons to remote collaboration, but when done correctly it can be extremely effective. Firstly it allows remote employees to be more productive in a setting they feel most comfortable by accommodating all working styles. Our staff can focus on the job at hand and avoid office politics - this point can be really beneficial for employees who struggle with their confidence and communication skills. 

However we should recognize that it's not for everyone, some may feel isolated and require guidance in a face-to-face setting. Others may just work better in a physical setting.‍

Trust‍

Staff are trusted and valued members of the team, and we know that employees in high-trust organizations are better collaborators. If the remote workforce can feel trusted then they’ll be more productive, suffer less from stress and anxiety and display the type of loyalty that makes organizations like Fasthosts go from strength to strength. ‍

Continued communication‍

Work and progress suffers when communication breaks down, and this is where we miss the physical setting. It's vital to have regular and open communication between our team, now more than ever. 

Much like what I mentioned before, it's imperative we take the time to speak with one another and regularly talk through issues and ideas in detail. Somewhat contradictory to this is to also allow each other time and space to perform well independently.

I find it's also beneficial to set attainable goals and track these with regular follow up calls and meetings. It's great for morale when we know we’ve achieved what we set out for at the start of the week or month, and it shows everyone how our collective skills result in positive outcomes.

Relationships‍

My biggest challenge, and one I’m sure we’ve all faced recently, is building rapport and personal relationships with colleagues, especially those who are new to the business. 99% of our meetings are now virtual and often there isn't time for the ad-hoc water cooler type chat we might have otherwise had.‍

Too many cooks‍

Another challenge I see often is that due to the size of some virtual meetings, those with great ideas or initiatives often don't get the chance to express themselves. All organisations have dominant personalities who thrive in both physical and virtual settings - which often leaves those less confident without the opportunity to do the same. To combat this I think it's important to maintain smaller ad-hoc meetings to make sure everyone is heard and no stone is left unturned. I always ensure I’m available for one-to-one chats in this regard.

Being from the UK, we all love a good pub quiz! It's been a little hard to do these in person (for obvious reasons) but we recently ran a company-wide virtual quiz which was great fun. 

Previously we’d often go out after hours, as well as making sure to always have great Summer and Christmas parties. Hopefully we’ll be doing that again soon!

A lot of staff play fantasy football (soccer) and there’s plenty of trivia sharing among teams.

It's always nice to start with a catch up on your weekend activities. It shouldn't all be just work, and I’m happy that Fasthosts has a very open and welcoming culture.

Google chat is a really useful way to stay in touch with each other. Whether that's professional or personal! It makes for great group brainstorming and collaboration too. 

We’re working on a platform where we can share company-wide updates to help us all engage with the business and each other's teams when we’re remote. TBC!

ProductTank - is an informal worldwide meetup that brings local product communities together. It's great to chat with other local product professionals in your area. ‍

Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) - run some fantastic product courses, making sure that we as PdM’s are always upskilling and adapting to changes in the discipline and market around us.‍

LinkedIn - it's a great source of insight from individuals and product groups alike!