Different cultures define our everyday lives, with company culture being just one of them. Adding different locations, countries, time zones, and personalities to this already complex situation can quickly turn things interesting.
Even though culture impacts us daily, it can still be hard to define, create or change. This, however, doesn’t always have to be the case. At Infinum, we have learned to build community across our cultures, welcoming new recruits as either ‘culture-fits’ or ‘culture-adds’.
Building on familiar foundations
Whether you’re building a house, a makeup look, or a company culture, good foundations are everything. They keep us stable and focused while making sure we’re headed in the same direction.
We define our foundations with a couple of values we live and work by: shape the future, challenge yourself, support others, forget your ego, and enjoy your work.
We don’t just leave these values on our screens. Instead, we continuously look for ways to bring them to life through everything we do, from our approach to work, relationships with each other, policies, and processes.
Our culture is reflected in the selection process with the team and HR, the onboarding program in HQ, our progression framework, career talks, and 1-on-1’s with Team Leads. It is also found in different benefits such as a travel and education budget, meetups and conferences with the community, Infinum Foundation, Showoff, Mustache Report, team meetings, team dinners, and team building, which all help us to stay in line with our values and strengthen our culture.
Differences create authenticity
With familiar foundations, differences are not just welcome but encouraged. This helps us express our personalities and create authentic workplaces. And with offices around the world, we’re definitely not lacking in the differences department.
The Zagreb office is our biggest one, so it’s a place where it’s really easy to find something to enjoy, such as Germknödel for Christmas, made from scratch by our Chief Client Officer, or PlayStation competitions throughout the year, running with the marathoners or ringing the virtual bell on Friday afternoons, which only means it’s time for drinks.
The Ljubljana office knows how to enjoy the fine things in life, so they make pancakes for every Mustache Report, celebrate new deals with rakija and sweeten Christmas with a chocolate fountain, wearing Christmas sweaters that they made themselves.
The Podgorica office knows how to have fun, whether it’s organizing team building on a boat, having a Suit-Up Friday or awarding a soft toy hammer to every colleague that passes the probationary period.
The Skopje office could possibly be our most athletic one: they attend different marathons, have a 3-year-long tennis rivalry, and also have a flair for esports.
Whilst the New York, Amsterdam, and London offices are smaller in size, they are definitely a close-knit bunch that spends time together at work events, in the office, or during after-work hours, and often join us in HQ.
The experience of having multiple offices in multiple countries shows us how different people can easily come together, work towards the same goals and create great things along the way.
Starting with the initial contact during the hiring process, we’re not only looking for ‘culture-fits’, but ‘culture-ads’. The people of Infinum don’t just fit in with our current culture, but continuously build on our foundations and expand it into so much more.
Including everyone
By now, it’s pretty obvious that when it comes to culture, the phrase “it takes a village” is ever so true. And don’t just think that it’s all up to the usual suspects such as HR or Management. It’s not just up to one person or group of people to create and maintain a culture. We all contribute to that dream workplace and to being the best ambassadors of our culture.
And the people of Infinum do just that. Whether we’re talking about newcomers that are introduced in our #newtube channel or seasoned professionals who have been with us for years, individual contributors who excel in their area or leaders who help others thrive, everyone does their utmost to make Infinum what it is today.
If all of this sounds interesting to you and you want to be a part of it, have a look at our Careers page and learn how you can join us!
