10 Culture Perks That Make Propeller the ‘Best Place to Work’
It’s a new year, but here at Propeller, the same close-knit culture that we’ve curated over the years remains strong. So strong, that we’re proud to announce that we were recently named one of Built In’s Best Places to Work in Colorado.
This award is designed to recognize top employers in Colorado, featuring those who go above and beyond for their people, measuring benefits, support, culture programs and initiatives. As a featured employer, we’ve joined the ranks among some of the biggest names in tech.
To celebrate the win, we want to dive into some of the cultural perks that put us on Built In’s radar. Here are the perks that make Propeller a standout, professional environment where our team can work, play, and grow:
1. Generous PTO packages
There’s no shortage of research available on the relationship between productivity and time off. Taking holidays gives your brain a chance to decompress and refocus, and when it’s when you’re focused that the magic happens.
According to the Economist, “holidays reduce stress. And in the long run, stress makes workers less likely to perform well. That means going away for at least a week.”
Sure, we have no shortage of meaningful work to power through, but burnout doesn’t serve anyone. As a company, we’re here for a marathon, not a sprint, and we actively evangelize that ideology at all company levels.
In the last two months of 2020 alone, the Propeller team took a cumulative 349 days off. That’s nearly a year of PTO taken in less than two months. This is something we actively encouraged our team to do. Why? Because we wanted to be ready to hit the ground running in 2021, and do that, it was critical that every single contributor blasted into the New Year, firing on all cylinders.
Here’s how it turned out: We returned to work, refreshed, ready to make this year our best yet.
2. Company stock options
We firmly believe that we’re on a rocketship and we know that it takes a high-impact team to keep the ship on course.
High-impact work is the product of ownership and the understanding of how your work influences real lives out in the wild. To make this as clear cut as possible, we offer stock options to every employee at Propeller, so everyone is (quite literally) an owner.
The liberty to own your role, your responsibilities, and your corner of the business not only gives you the opportunity to grow as a professional, but also to make your mark in the world.
Every piece of the puzzle (no matter how small) helps us move the needle a little bit each day, and we are committed to celebrating the individual contributors that help us do that.
3. Open office, open door policy
Yes, we’re working from several different continents, with team members distributed across the globe, but there’s one place that we all lean on to keep us connected: The Propeller office.
Here are a few of the perks that make the office a space you won’t mind occupying:
- Open office floor plan
- Intracompany committees
- Open door policy, all hours of the day
- Beer on tap for a little end-of-day fun
- Happy hours to unwind and connect
- Company-sponsored outings
- Kitchen stocked with snacks and goodies
An open office floor plan, with everyone working side-by-side in stride keeps any semblance of a conventional hierarchy at bay and the conversation fluid. Have something to say? Say it. Have an idea you want to pitch? Let’s hear it.
No matter your role, where you come from, or how you arrived at Propeller, you will be heard. Come as you are, with all your quirks and eccentricities, and let’s work together to accomplish something extraordinary.
4. Customer-centricity
There’s nothing we value more than customer feedback. It’s at the core of everything we do—the products we build, the way we support, how we sell and market. It’s our ‘north star’ to say the least.
If we create a company around a product that doesn’t improve the lives of its intended user, who’s going to remember it existed?
We’re in it for the long haul, and to keep our business healthy, we make sure we listen to our customers and action their voice thoughtfully. In fact, it’s one of the things we’re known for: Tools fit for purpose that really make a difference in the lives of earthwork professionals.
The way you do that? Welcome feedback from the awesome people you’re selling to, and have your own assumptions and preferences take a backseat to that feedback.
5. Firmly held values
When you’re bringing together people from all walks of life, it’s critically important to find common ground—this can be a shared value system or a shared sense of purpose, just a few unifying threads to maintain connection.
Here at Propeller, we have a set of commandments that we reference whenever we need to make a big decision, when we’re strategizing about where to go next, or start hiring for a new role.
Our values are a lens we look through to determine if our goals align with what’s best for Propeller. But they’re not just a guiding force, they’re a framework for holding each other accountable.
You can review our values by visiting our careers page here.
6. Dog-friendly to the max
“You sound like a perfectly consummate professional, but there’s something I need to ask you: How do you feel about dogs?”
It’s no secret: We love dogs. All dogs, all shapes and sizes. And because of our undying for canines, we want them around.
It’s not uncommon to find two to three dogs wandering around the office at any given time. Lots of pets and belly rubs have been had in the Propeller office. Even when we’re not in the office, we exchange pet updates back and forth in our #pawpeller Slack channel.
7. Competitive benefits package
Helping our team thrive both mentally and physically, in and outside of work is incredibly important to us, and we want to make sure they have all the proper resources available to them to maintain optimal health.
Whether it be dental benefits, wellness programs, mental health services, we’re here for it.
8. Radical candor
It’s pretty clear that we value external feedback, but we hold internal feedback in equal measure. In the startup world, things move fast, and you have to be judicious with your time. You’re constantly making mountains out of molehills and looking for opportunities to make resources stretch.
The way we stay economic (with both our bandwidth and our resources) is by giving and receiving radical candor. The day is too short to withhold feedback that could refine someone’s workflow, help avoid making the same mistake twice, or improve communications.
Too often, feedback is avoided out of the fear of making things uncomfortable. But, as lecturer, professor, and author, Brene Brown puts it, “sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.”
And here, we both acknowledge and reward the bravery required to be radically candid. We show up.
9. Meaningful moments
No matter if you’re someone who works to live or someone who lives to work, coming into the office (or logging onto your laptop) shouldn’t be a burden. It should be adding meaning to your life, not detracting.
After all, the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work in their lifetime. The least we can do is make those hours meaningful in some way. At Propeller, we’re dedicated to curating an environment where remarkable moments are always being made—moments that stick with you wherever you go, for many years to come.
It’s through a series of meaningful moments that we grow as people and professionals.
10. Good humans
Above everything, we’re good humans.
We’re good to one another, we help each other out, and we believe in impact over ego. If you want to be part of a team where you can be unapologetically you and be among people that make you the best version of yourself, Propeller is the place for you.
Your gender, age, religion, sex life, or skin color won’t make a difference here. If you’re smart and good at what you do, come as you are.