A casual scroll through any LinkedIn feed reveals that most people are changing jobs – a lot.

We’ve all seen them. Wedged between quick hacks from social media “gurus” and ads for industry webinars are countless “Congratulate Gerald on the new position!” posts. They’re great for keeping track of old colleagues and connections and seeing what everyone is up to over the years.

But if we dig a little deeper, we start to see a significant trend in the concept of careers: longevity at one company is rare. That’s why finding the right fit for employees and employers is so vital to everyone’s success. The dynamic has shifted to become a collaborative endeavor based on mutual growth.

Over the last 10 years, we’ve built an amazing team here at Wibbitz. A lot has changed since our humble beginnings. However, we’ve maintained some key concepts since our first day in business that have helped our company and team members thrive.

We sat down with a few members of Team Wibbitz to talk to them about their experiences working here. Here’s what they had to say!

Stronger Together

When it comes to building a company culture that fosters growth, a level playing field is paramount. From intern to longest tenured worker, it’s important for everyone to feel safe to speak their minds. We are stronger together.

Creating a space that encourages workers to speak freely, no matter their time at the company is an invaluable motivator for greatness. We spoke with Thiago Veloso who got his start at Wibbitz as an intern and moved on to become our Product Marketing Coordinator.

“When I first got here I said, ”Okay, I’m an intern, I’m not going to have any voice or anything like that.” But when I attended my first week of meetings, a lot of people asked me, “Hey, Thiago, what do you think about this? Or how do you think we can improve that?”

Thiago Veloso, Product Marketing Coordinator, Wibbitz

At Wibbitz, we want ideas. It doesn’t matter where or who they come from. We know that the best ideas will help us achieve our goals for our clients. That’s why our operations are designed to provide everyone involved with a platform to speak up and offer their insight on a project.

For Wibbitz, we ensure everyone has the opportunity to speak up and offer suggestions.

This goes beyond just lip service. It’s more than just appearing to listen to the ideas and opinions of all employees. When a good idea comes from an unexpected place, it’s important to act upon it, so that everyone can see that they are truly heard.

“I figured, ”Okay, that’s nice, they asked me my opinion,”” Thiago said, “But then I started to see my suggestions implemented and I couldn’t believe it. I was just an intern, and I was helping solve a problem in my first week.”

Seeing an opinion or suggestion be executed is just as important as being able to share it in a meeting. It will allow the next perfect solution to surface when needed.

Expect Extraordinary

Motivating employees to explore new ideas shouldn’t be limited to the betterment of company-wide goals. Instead, building professional skills which they can take with them into the future – no matter where it takes them – is critical for a healthy company culture.

At Wibbitz, we’ve designed our teams to promote professional development. We’ve removed the silos that limit traditional communication structures to promote participation. This core belief is felt strongly by Alex Weinberg, Product Design Lead here at Wibbitz. “It doesn’t matter what your actual position is, your ideas are heard and considered,” says Alex, “we all want to reach the goal of helping our customers.”

“I’ve been able to develop my skills as a designer working at Wibbitz. I’ve been able to do more data-driven work because we are a start-up, and everyone kind of touches everything. It’s allowed me to explore new ways of working more freely.”

Alex Weinberg, Product Design Lead, Wibbitz

Learning new professional skills and challenging workers to better themselves is invaluable to our company’s success. We love watching our team discover new passions and achieve their dreams. This openness to explore has kept many of our team members excited and committed since the beginning.

Keep it Simple

The tech world can be complex. But if we get caught up in the constant barrage of changes, deadlines, and meeting goals, we run the risk of losing sight of individuals. That’s why Wibbitz is focused on keeping it simple.

Jonathan Gescheit, R&D Team Lead at Wibbitz says, “There’s something to the people and vibe that we kept from our early days. That’s the main driving force for keeping me here for the last 7 years. There’s a lot of opportunity – even virtually – to develop yourself and others.”

By focusing on individual development, rather than just the company goals, we encourage our employees to grow and become better versions of themselves.

“Once you see how things work here, and how different it is to other places, you become an ambassador for this open type of culture. The standards are high, but it’s not intimidating, and you can learn a lot.”

Jonathan Gescheit, R&D Team Lead, Wibbitz

Allowing development to happen and not stifling the creativity of a team because of title or tenure creates trust. It actually encourages longevity and makes an employer worthy of commitment.

Be Sincere

Building a culture that keeps talent engaged isn’t just about getting work done. In fact, one of our main focuses is on keeping it light, fun and social. We strive to make everyone feel like they’ve found their community.

This openness and camaraderie is baked in, and can be felt as soon as you enter the doors of our office or join a Zoom meeting.

Adi Fayer, Junior Product Manager at Wibbitz shared the feeling she got from our team right from the start, “On the day of my interview, I could really sense there is this vibe in the office among the people,” said Adi.

“I’ve been to interviews for many other companies, and when I came to interview at Wibbitz [everyone] was asking questions. I even took the test right next to the team, right where they worked, and I just felt like I belonged there.”

Adi Fayer, Junior Product Manager, Wibbitz

This feeling of belonging is central to working at Wibbitz. We’ve spent years developing a culture of inclusion that makes everyone – no matter how long they’ve been here – feel like they are home.

Take Intelligent Risks

Pivoting and accepting changes in the business world is another crucial principle for Team Wibbitz.

Having a plan and a carefully designed system of operations to facilitate work is essential. But building in flexibility and elasticity is a necessary step in building a modern workplace. Limiting your team because of preconceived ideas of what work looks like is a sure-fire way to stifle their growth and convince them they need to look elsewhere.

For example, remote work has been an enormous challenge for many businesses. As the world of professional talent shifts to demanding more latitude in working from home, it has been difficult for companies to deliver. Their operations were predicated on a traditional workspace. Communication breaks down and work comes to a halt because they are not nimble.

Not for Wibbitz. Because our teams are empowered to make decisions and explore solutions on their own, the shift to remote work has been a breeze. In fact, we’ve found productivity increase because of a renewed focus on a better work-life balance.

This needs to come from the top down.

At Wibbitz, our CEO and Co-Founder Zohar Dayan believes in the power of technology to make work and life easier, “Regardless of the technologies that you decide to invest in, developing a work environment that empowers professional well-being is an ongoing process.The environment should be regularly attended to and improved upon by taking into consideration the individual needs of each person in the company.”

Developing a strategy to encourage personal well-being is another supreme tactic for differentiating from other employers. Focusing on the needs of each individual, whether they’re here for the long haul, or just passing through, is crucial.

Team building not ice breakers

One week or several decades, it doesn’t matter how long your employees have been there. They should all be treated with the same respect and attention as the next.

Adhering to these core tenets has helped Team Wibbitz develop a nimble, fun, and exciting environment that promotes curiosity and expertise.

Building real teams is more than just luncheons and icebreakers.

Don’t get us wrong. We all love a catered meal.

However, establishing a healthy company culture goes beyond filling stomachs and pockets. It goes deep into the hearts and minds of your employees – so that they can reach their full potential. We think we’ve done that here at Wibbitz and can’t wait to have you join our team!