In the last ten years, remote work has exploded. Statistics indicate that approximately 43 percent of Americans spend a portion of their week working from home. Accordingly, more and more companies are making remote work and flexible schedules an option for their employees. Further accommodating this, companies are developing new and unique ways to keep employees engaged and involved with the company and its culture, no matter their remote status.
At DigitalOcean, the remote company culture has empowered employees like Engineering Manager Alexis Bruemmer to fulfill both their personal and professional aspirations. “Working remotely has allowed me to build a career in open source while living out a childhood dream of owning a horse farm,” she told Built In NYC.
Working remotely has allowed me to build a career [...] while living out a childhood dream of owning a horse farm."
Remote work also enables those like Bruemmer to engage with another important element of one’s personal life: their family. “Working remotely allows for flexibility as a parent balancing child needs with my work schedule,” she said.
Statistics indicate that parents, particularly of school-age children, have a greater interest in remote work. Carpooling, packing lunches and catching important tee-ball games may be hectic for someone on the traditional nine-to-five office grind but fit perfectly into the lifestyle of a remote worker.
Founded in 2011, DigitalOcean creates cloud computing software for some of the most innovative tech businesses in the world. Though headquartered in a stunning New York City office, the company also has offices in cities around the world, and even more employees working remotely from a variety of locales.
Yet, just because someone is on a flexible or remote schedule does not mean that they don’t enjoy the camaraderie and fun of a company culture. At DigitalOcean, the team (which has both on-site and remote employees) makes a point of remaining connected and involved in each other’s work and lives.
“DigitalOcean has a wonderful remote culture,” Bruemmer explained. The DigitalOcean team makes use of video conferencing, instant messaging, shared documents and more in order to create a seamless virtual workspace.
DigitalOcean has a wonderful remote culture."
What’s more, having fun is no exception. At DigitalOcean, important days are never forgotten no matter where you are on the map. “Holidays and milestones are always celebrated with delivered gifts, and local events are organized for remotes who live next to each other,” said Bruemmer. “Additionally, DigitalOcean supports team offsite gatherings to ensure quality and fun face-to-face time.”
DigitalOcean’s remote culture is no doubt setting a precedent for other companies. Some statistics anticipate that nearly half of all workers will do some form of remote work by the year 2020. While one can’t say for certain what the workforce will look like down the line, the rise of remote work indicates an important shift in our culture and opens a wealth of new doors for us as workers. As Bruemmer put it, “I have had the privilege of working with some of the smartest engineers around the world.”
