Gather 2.0 Pilot Guide
Follow this six-step guide to launch Gather for your organization
In this Guide…
How to run a Gather office pilot
Join over 10,000 remote organizations, from startups to Fortune 500s, building connected, productive teams on Gather.
Plan your trial
Your first 30 days in a virtual office on Gather 2.0 are on us! Invite up to 50 team members to get the full experience.- Who to include:
Select teams that frequently collaborate, such as two engineering pods or an engineering team and a product team. - When to start:
Anytime! Just be sure to communicate expectations to your team so everyone can fully commit. - Know your ‘why’:
Review the benefits of a virtual office and determine what you hope to improve about your team’s culture. Consider these goals as you evaluate your pilot.
- Who to include:
Create your workspace
Click here to start your free 30-day trial if you haven't already. The app will walk you through initial setup. A few things to keep in mind:- Office Name:
You won’t be able to change this, so use the actual name you want. (Not Acme Co. Test!) - Invite 5 Collaborators:
Use this step to invite other admins. They can help you set up the office and onboard the rest of your team when you’re ready. - Office Template:
Choose the size, theme, and layout of your workspace. An Open layout makes every personal desk unlocked by default, making it easier to hear people around you when they unmute and talk to others. A Private layout makes every personal desk locked by default, so conversations stay private unless you invite someone to join in. A Hybrid layout places both types of desk in your office so you have the best of both worlds.
- Office Name:
Customize it
Before inviting the rest of your organization, discuss the floor plan with your other admins. Determine where each team will sit and decide if you want to make any changes to meeting areas (more/less, bigger/smaller).- Customize your office with Gather Studio. Drag and drop rooms to move them around, click and drag to expand or shrink them, and add entire meeting rooms or team areas at once.
- Best Practices:
- Have each department or individual team sit in a Team Area together. (A group of desks.)
- Name each Team Area so everyone else knows who sits there at a glance.
- Arrange teams so they sit near other departments they commonly interact with. For example, the Engineering Team Area should be near the Product Team Area.
Onboard team members
The easiest way to add the rest of your team is to share an invite link in Slack, Teams Chat, or email.- To find your invite link:
- Open the Main Menu and click Invite to office
- Make sure the Members tab is selected and click Copy next to the link
Use the following template to share helpful getting started tips along with the invite.
Template:
Hi everyone, I’m excited to announce that this month, we’re piloting Gather: a virtual workspace where distributed teams can meet, collaborate, and work together – just like we’re in person. Why are we doing this? Gather encourages short, <10-minute conversations and fewer meetings, helping everyone save time. It also restores energy and presence, letting everyone see and interact in a virtual space—talking, walking, bumping into others, or debriefing after meetings. Pilot Details We’ll trial Gather from [start date to end date]. At the end of the trial, I’ll send a survey for feedback. To help us fully evaluate Gather, our ask for the team is to:
- Hold all internal meetings in Gather
- Be online in Gather throughout the day (this will help others see when you're around for quick questions)
- If you need to stay away, switch your status to 'busy' or 'away' Getting Started
- Download the Gather desktop app
- Click this link to join our office: [insert your office invite link]
- Follow the onboarding steps, including connecting your Google Calendar
- Install the Chrome extension
- Find your team area and claim a desk!
- Move/schedule all internal meetings to Gather during our trial
- Review settings to customize your setup If you need help, look for me [and other admin names] in the office, or read Gather’s Getting Started Guide.
- To find your invite link:
Work in Gather
It’s time to start using the office together. Swing by each others’ desks, hold meetings, and collaborate on projects.- Best practices to make the most of your office during the pilot:
- Hold all regularly scheduled meetings in Gather. That includes department meetings, standups, 1:1s, all-hands, etc.
- Start a coworking session . Click on the couches in your workspace to start a coworking session. Choose from Focused, Pomodoro, or Casual.
- Keep Gather open even if you’re not talking to anyone. This helps others see who’s available for real-time collaboration.
- Start conversations by waving. This action is a nice way to let someone know you want to talk.
- Collaborate with cross-functional partners. These meetings are a great way to introduce Gather to other departments.
- Ask your team for feedback throughout the pilot. Are there enough meeting areas? Does the seating chart make sense? Implement feedback for the best experience. Remember: Gather is a new way of working. As your team builds the habit of collaborating in the virtual office, it’ll feel increasingly easy and natural.
- Best practices to make the most of your office during the pilot:
Evaluate the pilot
To evaluate Gather, survey your team to measure productivity, engagement, connectedness, and general sentiment about Gather. Use the following survey template. For the first four statements, use a Linear Scale of 1-5, with 1 meaning ‘Strongly Disagree’ and 5 meaning ‘Strongly Agree’.Template:
Gather has made it easier for me to engage with coworkers when I need to.
- Gather has helped me feel more engaged with [company name].
- Gather has helped me feel more connected to my teammates.
- Overall, how satisfied are you with your experience using Gather?
- Why did you provide that rating? Feel free to expand on what you liked, disliked, and hope to see regarding your experience with Gather. [optional] Review the survey feedback to build your case for Gather. Pair the data with employee quotes to capture the complete picture of your pilot experience. Use the following template to share your results.
Template:
We piloted Gather for [amount of time] with [total number of] members. After surveying the team, [Survey Question 1] were able to schedule fewer meetings. [Survey Question 2] felt more engaged with [Company Name], and [Survey Question 3] felt more connected to their teammates. Overall, [Survey Question 4] of the team are satisfied with Gather. Examples of feedback: [Survey Question 5]
- Quote 1
- Quote 2
- Quote 3
Resources
Getting Started Guide
Download Desktop App
Google Chrome Extension
Help Docs