Are you more of a remote worker who likes to focus at home or someone who thrives in the office chatting with your colleagues? Maybe you are both, exclusively one, or maybe it depends on the day! There is no right or wrong answer to this, just personal preferences that you and your employer need to be aware of. Right?
At Dataiku, the team is made of a variety of people who enjoy different ways of working and the events of the last 16 months encouraged many of us to experience new things. Last December, we shared some insights on how Dataiku adjusted to working remotely across the globe. Today, we want to share the latest update, giving you a glimpse into what our new normal looks like. And, because we believe that the people who experienced this firsthand are the ones who should discuss it, we met with three Dataikers and asked them to share some thoughts about their working styles and habits — whether they are working fully remotely or coming to the office a few times a week — and how they have changed over time.
Young-Sang, Technical Support Engineer, Home-Based in Seoul, Korea
“I joined Dataiku in 2019 and, at that time, we didn’t really have any permanent offices in Asia so I had to work remotely. This was new to me but I immediately liked the fact that I did not have to commute to work. Before that, I used to drive two hours to go to work everyday — just imagine what you can do with an extra two hours! I started working out and now I am in much better shape.
The move for me was quite smooth: We have a lot of company-wide events such as Team Days and our annual offsite to meet with other Dataikers, so you always feel you are part of the company. My manager also always puts things in place to make sure we are all well connected with each other. Now we are a team of four in Korea so we try to meet on a regular basis to share a good meal together and are able to go to a WeWork whenever we want. I have the best of both worlds.''
Katherine, HR Business Partner, Office-Based in Denver, Co., U.S.
“I was initially based in New York but recently moved to Denver. I was ready for a change! The pandemic was so tough in New York and I wanted a little more space. I also went to college in Colorado so I have a group of friends out here. I figured if I didn’t like it I could move back in a year! Dataiku is very flexible and everyone has been very supportive of this move.
It is great to have an HR presence in the Denver office and I also get to meet employees who are visiting and having meetings here. I will also come to New York about once a quarter to visit the team and spend some time in person with them. I value the office culture and would not want to be 100% remote. I currently go to the office one or two days a week and plan to go two or three days a week in the future. It feels like the right balance to me.”
Joël, Director of Engineering, Mixing Work From Home in Bordeaux, France and Office Work in Paris, France
“When the first lockdown started in Paris, I suddenly craved more freedom, more sun, and a garden. Raising this topic with my manager and HR felt easy and I’m amazed by the amount of support I received to help me figure this out, especially as no one was really able to predict anything at that time. I moved to Bordeaux and I now try to come to the office in Paris at least once a week, depending on ongoing projects.
I believe that brainstorming in real life has no equivalent and I like to feel my colleagues' vibes! I also believe that social life is one of the greatest achievements of our company culture and something way too precious to give up on. This change does not feel permanent to me. In the coming years, I’ll probably consider moving back to Paris or to another major Dataiku office but for now this mix is what works best for me.”
Defining the Vision for Future Ways of Working
At Dataiku, helping each employee find the right balance between work and personal life has always been a priority and remote work was already very common for us before the health crisis. We consider remote collaboration the norm and all company processes are based on the assumption that day-to-day collaboration takes place remotely. We also ensure that our work organization is inclusive for each of our employees, regardless of their location or way of working. This said, we also care a lot about sharing in-person experiences together and believe that our offices are an essential part of our company culture.
As we’re currently designing a new policy clarifying our ways of working to adapt to this new normal, we do our best to tailor options to each team, function, and location providing Dataikers with the flexibility they need to thrive. We’ll make sure to tell you more about it very soon — stay tuned!