At Givebutter, we have always been (and will continue to be) a remote-first company. Our team of Butterslices works across different countries, time zones, and communities. That diversity is a strength. At the same time, we recognize that strong relationships, spontaneous collaboration, and shared experiences are an important part of building a trusting and collaborative culture… and ultimately, a great company.
Givebutter began scaling its employee growth in 2020, right at the beginning of the global pandemic. At the time, there was no choice but to design a team that could sustain, scale, and evolve as a remote-first company. We set out to hire quickly, wherever we could find exceptional talent, while encouraging a culture of documentation, over-communication, and proactive assertiveness: all qualities we believe are essential to thriving in a remote-first environment.
As pandemic fears subsided and the world began opening up again, the urge to get out of the house and reconnect with other humans grew stronger. The relationships that had been forged during intense moments of growth and learning at Givebutter began to feel distant.
Some employees eventually became alumni in search of environments with more in-person interaction. Others began asking for more regular offsites. Retrospectives from those offsites often centered around the same sentiment: “Wow, we got so much done being in the same room together… when can we do it again?”
This got us thinking.
Of course, there will always be Butterslices who prefer to work independently, and that’s the beauty of building a modern technology company. Work should be possible wherever you have access to a safe space and reliable internet. But we also recognize the unique level of collaboration, energy, and connection that can happen when people work side by side.
That’s where hubs come in.
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At Givebutter, we believe people do their best work when they feel connected to our Mission, Vision, and Values while also having the autonomy to design a work environment that works best for them.
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Butter Slices should have the flexibility to work where they do their best work while also having ample opportunities to build meaningful relationships with colleagues.
Whenever leadership can design processes or infrastructure that help foster those connections, we will. Sometimes that looks like impromptu coworking days. Other times it’s virtual team bonding events, intentional offsites, or simply making it easier for teammates in the same city to connect.
Hubs are cities where a meaningful concentration of Givebutter teammates live and work and where we know we can source talented new Butterslices. Our current hubs are: