For those who enjoy working remotely, singling out their favorite element of the arrangement might not always be clear-cut. The comfort of one’s abode. An environment of potentially fewer distractions (at least, compared to a bustling office). No commute. The list can go on.
In connecting with professionals at a handful of local tech companies, one reason seems to win out: Flexibility. As Kristina Olney, senior director of people ops at Clari, said, “[Working remotely] allows us to make our schedules more malleable to the intersection of the business and our personal lives.”
The Sunnyvale, California-based organization is among companies like Aurora Solar, Doximity and Writer that are currently hiring and provide team members the opportunity to do their nine-to-five from beyond an office.
Importantly, a spread-out team means staying intentional at maintaining communication and unity.
“Our team culture is all about fostering a positive and supportive environment, and we are all driven to help each other reach our goals,” Danielle McGuire, head of people at Writer, said.
And while the team members with whom Built In San Francisco chatted echoed similar reasons for enjoying their remote work arrangements, they pointed to distinct, singular descriptors when it came down to summarizing their cultures (“empathetic” and “energetic,” among others). Learn more about the experiences straight from the team members below.
Aurora Solar — which announced a $200 million Series D earlier this year — offers a software platform for realizing solar projects.
How would you describe your team culture in a single word?
Aurora’s team culture is vibrant. We attract individuals from a variety of different disciplines, work experiences and backgrounds to create a passionate and diverse workforce that’s full of life. Despite being remote, you can feel the energy and enthusiasm this team has for the work we are doing in the world.
We attract individuals from a variety of different disciplines, work experiences and backgrounds to create a passionate and diverse workforce that’s full of life.”
One of my favorite times of the week is our Monday company all-hands meeting, where we come together to welcome new hires, get updates from teams, hear directly from our CEO, Chris Hopper, and give each other kudos. The positive energy and support for each other that is displayed during that hour is refreshing in its uniqueness. I always leave with a pep in my step (so to speak, as I’m sitting down) and feeling grateful to be part of this team.
How has your company built and evolved the culture to make everyone feel included when the team is fully remote?
This year our team has grown exceptionally fast. As our team becomes more distributed it’s vital to ensure that distance is not a hindrance to our ability to foster meaningful relationships with each other. Open communication and transparency are practices that we live by to ensure all Aurorans know what’s going on across the company and who to reach out to for more information or to collaborate on something. In addition, we make it a priority to consistently gather feedback. When our employees have suggestions, we are here to listen and take action.
What do you personally enjoy most about being a fully remote employee?
I enjoy being part of the family routines that bookend my days — getting ready together in the mornings and being able to pick my daughter up from school. These were the little things I missed when I had to rush out the door to beat the commuter traffic.
Clari is a revenue intelligence software that helps professionals with forecasting, pipeline management and other tasks.
How would you describe your team culture in a single word, and why would you choose that word?
Clari is a collaborative, values-based organization and we believe these values should grow from the bottom up — not the top down. A few years back, our executive team went off to write the company’s values. When they returned, our employees looked at what they’d written and knew they could do better. So they did. And to this day, these values guide how we innovate, collaborate, focus on customers, achieve our goals and inspire each other.
How has your company built and evolved the culture to make everyone feel included when the team is fully remote?
The guiding principle behind our values is our commitment to “achieve remarkable” — in the work we do, in the way we behave as an organization, and in the experience we deliver to each of our employees. We believe we are better together. Our culture of collaboration promotes an environment where every Clarian feels recognized, respected, and safe in the workplace. One of our values is “One with customers,” and we know we can serve them better when we involve as many different perspectives as possible.
The guiding principle behind our values is our commitment to ‘achieve remarkable.’”
We have more than nine employee resource groups that provide support, help in personal or career development and create a safe space where employees can bring their whole selves to the table. Our culture is made stronger by what makes you unique, and we hope you can join us and continue to make Clari a better place.
What do you personally enjoy most about being a fully remote employee?
Even though we work from the comfort of our home offices, we still feel as connected as ever.
We have been given the flexibility to get our work done from home and it allows us to make our schedules more malleable to the intersection of the business and our personal lives.
We stay connected through a variety of mediums, such as monthly all-hands meetings, weekly town halls, various Slack channels, employee intranet communications and virtual events. Clari invests in its people heavily and we continue to celebrate work-life balance.
With both remote and hybrid roles, Doximity offers an app through which doctors can connect with fellow professionals in the industry as well as patients.
How would you describe your team culture in a single word, and why would you choose that word?
Empathetic. As a people operations team, our roles revolve around supporting the organization and all its employees so they can thrive and be successful. To do that, we must approach our work and our interactions with active listening, understanding and respect. Only then can we have the diverse and varied perspective to help others be productive and feel supported.
How has your company built and evolved the culture to make everyone feel included when the team is fully remote?
For a company that is close to 1,000 employees, we surprisingly have a small-company feel. Creating opportunities for folks to connect virtually and in-person has been a core component of fostering collaborative relationships. We are big on having offsites. All teams participate in at least one offsite per year, with many attending up to four a year. The connections and the ideas that come from these events are invaluable.
Creating opportunities for folks to connect virtually and in-person has been a core component of fostering collaborative relationships.”
What do you personally enjoy most about being a fully remote employee?
The flexibility it offers. A lot of employees — including myself — have full plates outside of work. Being part of an organization that is fully remote gives me the ownership and autonomy to approach my day based on changing priorities. If one of my kids has a cold and stays home from school, I’m around to make sure they are OK. This, in turn, gives me peace of mind, which enables me to better focus on work.
Writer is an AI-powered copy creation tool. The company announced a $21 million Series A in 2021.
How would you describe your team culture in a single word, and why would you choose that word?
Energetic. We’re constantly sharing ideas and providing feedback to each other. Signing on every day feels like joining a continuous, inclusive conversation. There’s never a dull moment!
That said, our team is widely distributed so most of our communication is written and asynchronous. We have regular virtual social gatherings and everyone is encouraged to participate. We leverage technology to make sure everyone gets to express their thoughts and opinions. We also have bi-weekly all-hands meetings to discuss progress towards goals, the state of the business, and customer stories.
How has your company built and evolved the culture to make everyone feel included when the team is fully remote?
Our company culture is highly collaborative, which requires a high level of transparency. We have a number of events and practices that promote collaboration between all functions of the organization, such as sharing weekly updates from every function of the business. Once a quarter, we invite team members to an in-person sales summit to build relationships, craft our vision and messaging and set goals that fuel the product-led growth cycle.
We value open communication, honest feedback and the ability to work together to chase ambitious goals. We believe that by fostering an environment of collaboration, our team can come up with innovative solutions and push the boundaries of what is possible.
We value open communication, honest feedback and the ability to work together to chase ambitious goals.”
What do you personally enjoy most about being a fully remote employee?
As much as I consider myself a remote employee, I live in San Francisco where we have a spacious, centrally located office near Union Square. I get the best of both worlds and can choose to utilize our space when I want to get a change of scenery from home. While no one is required to work in-office, we love to use our space for quarterly team offsites, customer meet-and-greets and networking events.
There are so many benefits to being a fully remote employee, but the thing I enjoy most is the freedom and flexibility it provides. I can work from anywhere, so long as I can define and communicate my working hours with my team, and I don’t have to worry about commuting or limiting quality time spent with the hobbies and people I love.
