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Liverpool’s Lucid Games is hiring! Head of talent Hollie Lapworth gives us the inside story on its culture, remote working policy and making everyone feel right at home
How many staff are you currently looking to take on?
We currently have over 20 positions open across art, animation, design, operations, production and programming.
What is the culture like at your studio?
Our studio/remote studio is very relaxed, very informal and everyone is super super friendly!
We have regular social events/clubs ranging from active clubs such as yoga, running & climbing to celebrations such as summer, christmas and launch parties. Our studio management team created a culture ten years ago and have successfully continued to maintain and build on that ever since.
Everyone at Lucid has a huge impact on the work we do. We have a relatively flat structure and find that this allows us to be as collaborative as possible resulting in making great games in a great environment.
If you have recruited internationally, what is the process like?
We do recruit internationally and this year we have sponsored numerous Skilled Worker Visas and relocated people from all over the world as well as having remote overseas workers. We start the process by having initial calls to understand what is required and also if they want to move to Liverpool or stay where they are. Candidates then go through our interview process that consists of two stages; one with the team they will be working with followed by a chat with a couple of our company directors.
All our interviews are held on zoom and we know that timezones can make the process difficult so we are really flexible on timings and try to make the process as accommodating as possible. If successful, candidates are offered the position and then assigned a dedicated in-house relocation specialist to help them apply for visas, attend meetings and move to Liverpool. We also provide candidates with a tailored relocation package to ensure they are supported financially when they make the move.
What processes do you have for onboarding staff remotely?
We introduced a new onboarding process in 2020 to ensure that we were giving our new starters the best introduction to Lucid. After accepting an offer from us, you will have calls arranged with our talent and IT team to ensure you have all the equipment you need. Whether you are a full time remote worker or hybrid worker we provide the equipment both onsite and at home (this is delivered to your address ready for your first day).
On your first day, if you start in the office you can expect to meet the team at one of our amazing monthly breakfast mornings. If you are remote you are welcomed by our HR team to talk you through Lucid’s history, our current and future plans.
We set up calls with your line manager and the team to talk you through projects and what you will be doing.
We set everyone up on “Donut be Strangers” where everyone is randomly matched with someone in the company to have a catch up over a coffee, tea, water etc.
We also have recently introduced a trip for all new team members to visit Liverpool before they join us. We provide accommodation and travel to Liverpool for them to experience the city, see the offices and meet the team before starting or within the first few months of joining us.
How has the pandemic affected recruitment at your studio?
The studio headcount has grown by over 40 per cent since 2020 and Lucid actually hired me in the midst of the pandemic. The pandemic has given us access to so many different talent pools, we were previously only accepting candidates who could move to Liverpool and we couldn’t facilitate remote working, we now have people working with us remotely across the UK and the world. We feel that the past year has given us the opportunity to be truly flexible to our team’s wants and needs. We have seen a huge growth here at Lucid in the past year and there is no sign of slowing down, we are actually hiring for more people to join our talent team to help us achieve our ambitious goals.
