Work Your Way With Dan Murray-Serter, Co-Founder Of Heights

Laura Beales 2 minute read

Work Your Way is our new blog series in which individuals give their honest answers about how they like to work when working remotely. From how to create and maintain a work culture when working remotely, to how they best like to work remotely, they share their insights and top tips.

Dan Murray-Serter, Co-Founder of Heights shares with us how an iconic Friends backdrop has become the company's go to for virtual catch-ups and what it has been like starting a company in the midst of a pandemic. Heights makes products, creates content and connects community to care for your brain's health and optimise your human potential.

What is the biggest advantage to the company of working remotely?

Probably getting those extra few minutes or even an hour of sleep every morning without having to worry about getting on public transport first thing, and rushing into the office. One of the things we prioritise is people's sense of energy and how they show up to work and if they actually feel mentally ready to attack the day. Being able to get that extra time to prepare in the morning is a massive advantage.

Remote-Friendly or Remote-First?

So, we are remote first and we actually haven’t had a choice. We launched on January the 6th 2020 - that was the first time we sold any product in the market. Then the first person we hired was in March and by that time the pandemic was in full effect, so we have actually never met our whole team altogether. Remote first for sure.

How do you keep remote work visible?

We keep remote work visible by using a whole array of different tools. We use a tool for talking called Tandem, and for video calls, obviously Zoom. We use Miro as a digital whiteboard and we have Notion which is our central database, where things get done. So, we actually find it quite easy to collaborate in general.

How do you maintain and create a company culture when working remotely?

It has been a group effort. Like I said, we started in the pandemic so we have always had to figure this stuff out. Two things that really stand out, is working really hard on our values and making sure that they are embedded into our meetings. As an example, we do a weekly meeting called ‘Central Perk’ where we use Central Perk as the Zoom background and we choose a different activity every week to do that is non-work related but aligns with one of our values. The other thing is trying to do some activities. Recently we did a murder mystery that was all online and we do quiz nights together.

Where is your favourite place to work from when working remotely?

My favourite place to work remotely is my living room, but this has been more of a later development. For the first six months or so, I was working from my bedroom and if you were to ask me where my least favourite place to work was, it would be there. So this is definitely an upgrade.

A big thank you to Dan for his honest answers and insights into Heights.

With Tally Workspace, we can find your team a private office to call home or you can instantly book meeting rooms and desks.