Introduction to Gapstars

Gapstars Philosophy

Understanding Your Organization

Partnership Fit

In the Engineering Call, we aim to fully understand the specific needs of your desired tech team. During this meeting, we will:

• Explore Technologies: Hear from you about the technologies and tools your team will use.
• Determine Seniority Levels: Understand the seniority levels required for each role.
• Define Team Composition: Learn about the ideal mix of skills and expertise you need.

The outcome of this call is our assessment of whether we can find the candidates you require in Sri Lanka or Portugal.

The recruitment phase is key to building a successful team, from kickoff to signing contracts. Our aim is to deliver a talented, well-matched team for your collaboration. Here's an overview of the process:

• Sourcing and Headhunting: Our Talent Acquisition team identifies potential candidates based on the requirements and needs of the role, using our extensive networks and expertise.
• Candidate Qualification Calls: Longlisted candidates undergo a qualification call with our recruiter to shortlist those with the right experience and cultural fit.
• Technical Assessment: Shortlisted candidates complete a Testdome assessment and a technical interview with our engineering team to ensure their skills match your requirements.
• Candidate Profiles: We present detailed profiles of top candidates with a CV, cover letter including assessment results and our Engineering Manager's evaluation.
• Client Interview(s): You interview the shortlisted candidates to assess both their technical skills and cultural fit.
• Offer/Negotiation: We handle the offer and negotiation, ensuring terms align with both parties' expectations for a smooth start.

Our HR department serves as a dedicated support system, ensuring a seamless experience for you and your team. Our HR Business Partners (HRBP) play a pivotal role in the following areas:

Administrative Excellence:

Our HR team manages all administrative HR tasks, from payroll processing and benefits administration to documentation and compliance. This allows you to focus on the core business activities while we ensure the smooth functioning of HR operations.

Employee Satisfaction and Engagement:

We prioritize the well-being and satisfaction of our community members. Through regular check-ins, feedback mechanisms, and team outings, our HR department measures and enhances employee satisfaction, contributing to a positive and motivated Gapstars community.

Cultural Alignment:

We understand the importance of a shared organizational culture. Our HR professionals work to align your team with the values and ethos of Gapstars and our partner companies, fostering a cohesive and unified work environment.

In essence, our HR department is not just about managing paperwork; it's about cultivating a workplace where you and your team can thrive. We are dedicated to ensuring that the human aspect of your business is taken care of, contributing to a positive and productive work atmosphere.

Our onboarding program ensures a smooth integration into the Gapstars family and sets the stage for a productive collaboration with you and your team. Our onboarding program looks as follows:

• Induction presentation introducing Gapstars' culture, values, and office policies
• Office tour to familiarize the new hire with the work environment
• Systems set-up to ensure a smooth transition into their role

• Check-in with our Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) to address any queries and gather feedback on the onboarding experience

• For developers in Sri Lanka (IST): The call takes place at 09:30 CET
• For developers in Portugal (WET): The call takes place at 14:00 CET

The Gapstars Academy is the learning and development environment of Gapstars. We are dedicated to ensuring everyone in the Gapstars community is the best version of themselves. We commit that every community member in Gapstars will successfully complete trainings for 2 tech skills and 2 soft skills every year, supported through the Gapstars Academy. We will also ensure that every community member has a live Moonshot which renews every 90 days.

We offer a number of self and group learning activities to support our community as below:

• E learning: Self-paced online learning
• Star Talks: In-house community tech talks
• Technical qualifications: Ensuring all engineers are prepared to pass their essential qualifications
• Moonshots: Personal development plans
• Mentoring: Partnering the community with experts
• Group courses: Group classes for both technical and soft skills
• And More…

Recognizing how important personal and professional development is in both soft and tech skills, the Gapstars Academy is available for our community members from the first day they join.

Understanding that Gapstars works across different cultures, we have curated a workshop which helps you and your team to understand the cultural differences, recognize when these cultural differences are at play, and in turn help you to understand each other better for improved communication and enhanced team dynamics.

The training is based on the book 'Culture Map' by Erin Meyer, which focuses on 8 different cultural dimensions. It combines a smart analytical framework with practical and actionable advice for working with a remote team. Examples of the cultural dimensions are: communication styles, decision-making processes, and approaches to hierarchy.

The workshop is split into 2 sessions:

• Session 1: Covers 4 of the 8 dimensions, delivered after the first 90 days of working with Gapstars. The session is 1.5 hours long.
• Session 2: Covers the remaining 4 dimensions. Delivered preferably within 2 weeks after session 1. The session is 1.5 hours long.

For optimal results, we encourage the participation of both your Gapstars employees and employees from your local organization who are collaborating with the Gapstars team. The sessions are flexible and can be delivered either online or in person.

A quarterly meeting is scheduled by your Account Manager every three months to review and discuss the challenges, progress, and objectives of our partnership. We like to zoom in on your team members and brainstorm on strategies for the upcoming quarter. The meetings are a dynamic process, generally encompassing the following topics:

1. Looking Back: What happened during the previous quarter
2. Your Business & Roadmap: How is your business doing; What is happening in your industry; What does your roadmap look like
3. Gapstars Team Update: HR, Delivery, Academy
4. CSAT: How satisfied are you about your partnership with Gapstars; How can we improve our services
5. Community: Gapstars events coming up; Your team

Gapstars believes in delivering exceptional service, and your feedback is important to us. Conducting a Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) survey allows us to delve deeper into your experiences and preferences. Your feedback provides us with insights that empower us to refine our offerings, address concerns, and tailor our services to better meet your expectations. By participating in our CSAT, you play a pivotal role in shaping the quality of our service and ensuring it aligns seamlessly with your needs.

Your Account Manager will ask you to complete the Gapstars CSAT on a bi-yearly basis.

The key topics in the CSAT are:

• Team performance
• Gapstars Services
• Account Management
• Overall satisfaction

As a part of our commitment to empowering your team's success, we've integrated a comprehensive performance feedback system (BambooHR) into our services. Our performance feedback process is designed to provide actionable insights and facilitate constructive conversations between you, your employees, and Gapstars to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement and accountability within your organization. With our performance feedback system, you are facilitated for:

• Regular Check-ins: Scheduled sessions between managers and direct reports to share and discuss manager- and self-assessments.
• Peer Feedback: Opportunities for employees to provide and receive feedback from their peers, fostering a culture of collaboration and shared learning.
• Goal Setting: Collaborative goal setting to align individual objectives with organizational goals, ensuring clarity and focus.
• Data-driven Insights: Access to analytics and reports to identify opportunities for improvement and understand how to help your employees.

Understanding that Gapstars works across different cultures, we have curated a workshop which helps you and your team to understand the cultural differences, recognize when these cultural differences are at play, and in turn help you to understand each other better for improved communication and enhanced team dynamics.

The training is based on the book 'Culture Map' by Erin Meyer, which focuses on 8 different cultural dimensions. It combines a smart analytical framework with practical and actionable advice for working with a remote team. Examples of the cultural dimensions are: communication styles, decision-making processes, and approaches to hierarchy.

The workshop is split into 2 sessions:

• Session 1: Covers 4 of the 8 dimensions, delivered after the first 90 days of working with Gapstars. The session is 1.5 hours long.
• Session 2: Covers the remaining 4 dimensions. Delivered preferably within 2 weeks after session 1. The session is 1.5 hours long.

For optimal results, we encourage the participation of both your Gapstars employees and employees from your local organization who are collaborating with the Gapstars team. The sessions are flexible and can be delivered either online or in person.

As a part of our commitment to empowering your team's success, we've integrated a comprehensive performance feedback system (BambooHR) into our services. Our performance feedback process is designed to provide actionable insights and facilitate constructive conversations between you, your employees, and Gapstars to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement and accountability within your organization. With our performance feedback system, you are facilitated for:

• Regular Check-ins: Scheduled sessions between managers and direct reports to share and discuss manager- and self-assessments.
• Peer Feedback: Opportunities for employees to provide and receive feedback from their peers, fostering a culture of collaboration and shared learning.
• Goal Setting: Collaborative goal setting to align individual objectives with organizational goals, ensuring clarity and focus.
• Data-driven Insights: Access to analytics and reports to identify opportunities for improvement and understand how to help your employees.

At Gapstars we believe our community members are the drivers of their own development and career. In order for us to stay ahead of the game in our fast-paced world and to ensure we are ready for the next challenge, we need to continually develop ourselves to become the best version of ourselves.

A moonshot is a structured framework used to become aware of the skills you have, identify and develop skills you need, create SMART goals, and create an actionable plan to achieve those objectives.

A moonshot follows a performance management cycle and is an essential next step for personal growth, following feedback given from your employee's manager or peers.

1. Identify areas for growth: Feedback is shared by manager and peers to identify areas for development.
2. Create a moonshot: SMART goals are created, and the Gapstars Academy will assist in finding the right learning solution.
3. Plan in action: A learning plan is created, with monthly catch-ups with the academy to ensure the plan remains relevant and to discuss progress.
4. Moonshot complete: After 90 days have passed, the moonshot should be complete, and we can start the process again.

At Gapstars we believe our community members are the drivers of their own development and career. In order for us to stay ahead of the game in our fast-paced world and to ensure we are ready for the next challenge, we need to continually develop ourselves to become the best version of ourselves.

A moonshot is a structured framework used to become aware of the skills you have, identify and develop skills you need, create SMART goals, and create an actionable plan to achieve those objectives.

A moonshot follows a performance management cycle and is an essential next step for personal growth, following feedback given from your employee's manager or peers.

1. Identify areas for growth: Feedback is shared by manager and peers to identify areas for development.
2. Create a moonshot: SMART goals are created, and the Gapstars Academy will assist in finding the right learning solution.
3. Plan in action: A learning plan is created, with monthly catch-ups with the academy to ensure the plan remains relevant and to discuss progress.
4. Moonshot complete: After 90 days have passed, the moonshot should be complete, and we can start the process again.