As companies continue to bring in top talent to move the needle toward lofty goals, the standard benefits and perks aren’t always enough to attract talented tech professionals. Just because a candidate is located in the Bay Area doesn’t mean the standing desk on the company’s 12th floor, across the hall from the free coffee machine, is where they prefer to spend their workday — or where they will be most productive.
In fact, the search for long-term remote work options is a leading reason employees are looking for new career opportunities, according to research by staffing company Robert Half. Other factors include a higher salary, better benefits and career advancement opportunities. But just as important as these personal incentives is how a team communicates and collaborates. LinkedIn’s latest Global Talent Trends report found that 40 percent of job candidates consider a company’s culture to be a top priority when making an employment decision.
Built In San Francisco sat down with employees at eight companies to learn how they approach professional development, communication and remote work.
What they do: Fivetran helps companies make data-driven decisions with automated data integrations.
What career development looks like: “Our teams are encouraged to take ownership of projects, expand their skill sets, work outside of their project scope and seek out learning opportunities that are important to their personal goals,” Arrey said. The onboarding experience enables new employees to engage in learning opportunities, and the management training program seeks to provide leaders with the tools and skills needed to be successful. In addition to formal coaching programs, Fivetran also supports mentorship programs.
How they communicate: Regularly scheduled all-staff meetings provide transparency about company updates, Arrey explained, and quarterly business reviews for each function “showcase big wins, identify roadblocks, and act as a platform to share ideas and engage with employees.” For daily team communication, “We have a variety of Slack channels in which we share company updates, celebrate successes, flag issues and promote events,” Arrey said.
How they work: “We support a hybrid model in which employees have the opportunity to work from home, from the office or a mix of both, depending on their role. We encourage and trust everyone to manage their time and locations in a way that not only supports the business but also supports their personal lives and obligations.”
What they do: Handshake matches college students with career opportunities.
What career development looks like: To empower each individual’s growth, the company creates development tracks that focus on competencies and skills that are transferable and scalable, Russell said. “We know not everyone wants to move into people management, and that’s okay,” Russell explained. “So, we’ve created development programs inclusive of our employees’ career goals.” Team members also have access to a learning and development stipend that can be used in a variety of ways.
How they communicate: Annual employee surveys help lead communication strategies, Russell said, noting that internal communication channels include meetings, memos, presentations and Slack. Employees also have access to the leadership team during “ask me anything” sessions, lunch and learns, and all-hands meetings. “It’s important to provide access to leadership through an approachable, mixed bag of communication tactics so employees can feel connected to the decisions being made.”
How they work: “We believe solid communication and transparency foster meaningful asynchronous work, but at the same time, there is still a place for in-person gatherings,” Russell explained. There’s continued support for in-person work at Handshake’s main office locations, but the team has expanded with employees located in major hubs around the country and internationally. “These hubs will work remotely with opportunities throughout the year to come together for in-person events, projects and team building,” Russell said.
What they do: CodeSignal powers tech recruiting with technical interview and assessment solutions.
What career development looks like: Markman said that their startup environment allows the opportunity to develop “new and transferable skills so we can meet the changing needs of our clients.” In addition to a yearly learning stipend, Markman said each employee works with their manager to identify areas for development, such as “increasing their impact as an individual contributor, leading a team in a management capacity or honing a new skill that will broaden their opportunities.”
How they communicate: With employees across the globe, Markman noted that communication needs to be “accessible, discoverable, clearly written and documented, and visible to all unless truly and justifiably confidential.” She added the executive team “encourages a free-flowing exchange of information by demonstrating it themselves.” Their weekly meeting notes are published to the internal wiki and provide high-level updates from each department as well as valuable insights into leadership priorities.
How they work: “Our work-from-home flexibility allows us to work around our lifestyles and personal commitments,” Markman said. Employees often “take time during the workday to connect with their children after school, walk their dog, hit the gym, enjoy a meditation break or run an errand.” She said the company has built a culture of freedom and responsibility with no hour tracking and an unlimited PTO policy.
What they do: Finch helps companies streamline their HR systems with a single integration.
What career development looks like: “People are encouraged to work on projects that interest them, even if they are outside of their normal role,” Liu said. “Since I joined, I’ve been able to transition from product operations to business operations to partnerships, giving me a look into the work of each business function and how teams can communicate most efficiently.”
How they communicate: “We prefer to post questions and discussions in group Slack channels instead of having one-to-one discussions so that anyone can read work-related conversations,” Liu said. Gather offers a platform for internal meetings and sprint demos, while the team uses Notion for real-time collaboration and feedback.
How they work: “Our work environment is very flexible and we respect and plan around personal commitments,” Liu said. As a fully remote team, employees work the hours that are best for their own schedules. There’s also a budget for those who want to take advantage of co-working spaces, which Liu uses to meet up with a co-worker once a week.
What they do: Glu Mobile creates interactive mobile games.
What career development looks like: Rehmani said employees have options for self-guided instruction as well as hands-on, individually tailored coaching. “A standout is the mentoring program, which pairs employees of all skill levels with appropriately matched mentors,” she explained. “It’s a wonderful way for mentees to access leadership across the organization and have a sounding board for professional advice.”
How they communicate: Communication channels include town halls, emails, internal wikis and chat channels. “At all junctures, open communication is strongly encouraged and there are opportunities to ask questions, raise concerns and address responses in a public forum,” Rehmani said. “Leadership plays an active part in connecting the dots between individual product decisions and broader company strategy.” Because of this, she noted that “people feel seen, heard and informed, and view themselves as an engaged part of a larger sum.”
How they work: Employees are able to leverage the company’s flexibility in how and where they work to balance their own needs with those of the business. Rehmani explained that the company clearly communicates its policies in documented internal resources so that employees are all on the same page regarding expectations.
What they do: Lob connects the offline and online worlds through direct mail automation.
What career development looks like: All roles within the company are open to internal candidates, which enables employees to develop their careers in the areas they’re most interested in. “We marry external, individualized coaching opportunities and learning stipends with clear feedback and promotion cycles so all employees are involved in their development and understand how to get to the next level,” Plinck explained.
How they communicate: Plinck described the leadership team as transparent about the company’s successes and challenges, and noted that ideas and feedback are always encouraged. “Whether it be a fireside chat with our C-suite or our dedicated Slack channel that offers all employees a line to the leadership team, we are encouraged to be curious, bold and open so that we can all be involved in our company’s success,” he said.
How they work: Employees are distributed across the United States, so collaboration occurs across time zones. “We have flexible work schedules and our functional leaders are encouraged to look in on their direct reports to ensure they have the space and time they need to be successful,” Plinck said
What they do: Mynd is a tech-enabled real estate company for single-family residential real estate investors.
What career development looks like: Pierce explained that team members have access to role-specific training, and people managers are able to be a part of a custom leadership development program that’s designed to foster a trusting and open environment.
How they communicate: Managers communicate openly and provide feedback for all employees, Pierce said. “We are also very intentional about how and what we communicate during all-company meetings versus when we use asynchronous communication,” she added.
How they work: While there are two headquarters — one in Oakland, California, and one in Tempe, Arizona — as well as co-working spaces around the country, Pierce said the company considers itself to be remote-first: “Fostering a culture of collaboration is fundamental to our success, and we recognize that some of our employees do their best work outside of the home.”
What they do: Publica powers a connected TV advertising platform with tools that enable ad serving and unified auctions.
What career development looks like: Employees are encouraged to join the company’s professional networking groups and organizations. “We have a ton of different employee resource groups and employee interest groups that post events and topics to talk about,” Celentano said.
How they communicate: Each week, leaders share updates and insights with the entire organization. Celentano explained that this initiative “shows that management trusts, values and respects employees at all levels, which is especially important when there are so many changes going on in the adtech world.”
How they work: Celentano said the company’s work-from-home policy lets team members work from any location, and noted that employees also have unlimited paid time off. She said these protocols “enable productivity to be at an all-time high while allowing employees to rest up and take the vacations they have always wanted to go on.”
