CULTURE BOOK CULTURE BOOK What are you culturelooking at?
This little booklet is a collaborative project meant to properly present Netguru’s culture, values, and the story we’re creating together.
If you’re reading this, you’re part of this story. We want you to be as involved with everything that’s happening at Netguru as you want to be. The Culture Book can offer insights on what you can expect from us, and help you find a comfortable space for yourself in this fast-growing company. Most of all, we want you to feel welcome and excited about the work we do. CULTURE BOOK
1/2What’s in this Culture Book?
We’ve grown a lot in recent years, and we want our culture to reflect our development.
This book will help you navigate the inner workings of our company, by explaining the following: • Netguru’s core values • Our culture • The organisation and operation of our teams CULTURE BOOK
2/2What’s in this Culture Book?
We also want you to know more about us!
How we succeed at being remote-friendly, what our unique culture is like, what team-building events we organise, and what we do after hours. We want everyone working at Netguru or considering work here to understand our values, as we believe them to be key to our success. CULTURE BOOK
Founders’ Letter Welcome to Netguru,
In this Culture Book, we talk about the organisational culture of our company. But what does Netguru’s culture mean to us? We believe that culture is more than just free coffee, sandwiches in the office or playing foosball together over lunch break. These things matter, but culture goes far beyond them. For us, culture supports our vision: to help innovators and entrepreneurs shape the world through beautiful software. Culture provides the answers to questions such as: what should our cooperation look like? What values do we believe in? How do we build and maintain relationships? At Netguru, we believe in meritocracy and openness. We’re building an organisation in which good ideas trump the authority of a job title, length of experience or internal politics. Here, it’s safe to question the status quo. We’re building an environment where anyone can talk directly to anyone else, ask for help, and receive it. Regardless of position or seniority. We’re building a culture of ambitious people who want to reach the company’s goals and make their own professional dreams come true along the way. We’re building partnerships based on trust, freedom to act, and responsibility for one’s actions. At Netguru, you’ll encounter people who are full of purpose, who want to use their limited time on Earth wisely, be a part of something big, and be proud of their achievements. We are proud of the company we founded, glad that you are a part of it, and confident that you will enhance its culture. If you ever want to talk, find us on Slack under @kuba and @wiktor handle. We’re curious about your thoughts on working here. Wiktor Schmidt Kuba Filipowski Executive Chairman CSO CULTURE BOOK
Netguru’s Vision CULTURE BOOK A sustainable,change digital world where everyone can realize their full potential
When making any decision we ask ourselves what will bring us closer to realizing our vision.
We want to build an organization and a working environment we dreamed of so that we could work on projects we care about. We also want to be able to realize our own potential as well as the potential of our coworkers and the clients.
Everyone at Netguru can influence our work to make it truly world-changing. CULTURE BOOK
Netguru’s Strategy CULTURE BOOK
VisionTo achieve our vision, we focus on these four aspects in our work:
Mutual success Innovation one stop shop Beautiful software Customer excellence by business value delivery We want to be a well-oiled engine We want to provide clients with Quality of service doesn’t end with We build close relationships with of innovation, looking at each solutions that will delight their working technical solutions. clients, putting their success first. project from multiple sides. users and make a lasting We know how important impression. it is to focus on clients’ needs. CULTURE BOOK
Netguru - Who Are We? CULTURE BOOK
Netguru builds software for world changers, If anybody asks about your work, you can WhoNetguru - software that lets people do things differently. safely say that Netguru is a full-stack software Our employees have changed the way people consulting company. We design and develop Who are we? listen to music, learn languages, and rent digital products for top brands (e.g. IKEA, and bikes. Our team’s work has been featured Volkswagen). There’s more than 500 of us, in The Next Web, UXDX Conference, and working hard every day to bring real change Product Hunt. to the world. CULTURE BOOK
Netguru’s Core Values CULTURE BOOK
1°Exceed clients’ and colleagues’ 5°Build an inclusive, transparent and expectations socially responsible culture
2°Take ownership and question the 6° Be ambitious, grow yourself and the Netguru’s status quo in a constructive manner people around you
3°Be brave, curious and experiment. 7°Recognize excellence and Core Values Learn from all successes and failures engagement
4°Act in a way that makes all of us proud
We make sure our values reflect what the team thinks is important. We’ve asked them and they responded. CULTURE BOOK
Exceed clients’ and colleagues’ expectations
Never settle for good enough when you know you can and should do better. It isn’t about measuring your performance against that There are two great things about this value. of others - it’s about giving yourself permission to go the extra First of all, it urges us to understand the mile, to do work you can be proud of. It’s easy to get trapped “ expectations of our colleagues and clients. in corporate mediocrity, meeting but never exceeding standards, Once we know them, we can seek feeling unsatisfied with what we do. At Netguru, we want you to ‘overdeliver’ whenever possible. to set yourself free.
Marek Talarczyk CEO CULTURE BOOK
Take ownership and question the status quo What I like about Netguru is the fact that in a constructive manner the company asks for and actually listens to “ people’s feedback about the workplace. If there is something that needs to be changed, Trust your gut and your knowledge, even when it’s your team leader you can share the suggestion and be sure that or CEO you have to question. We are all people, fallible but trying it won’t get lost in the buzz. Not only can you our best. Netguru’s culture allows us to appreciate openness and suggest changes but also drive them on your constructive feedback. We want you to think for yourself and make own by implementing solutions that may make decisions for your projects and tasks. You’ll find that people will be Netguru an even better workplace and by happy to support you in striving to improve upon our methods and contributing to our culture. processes.
Ola Prejs Growth Manager CULTURE BOOK
Be brave, curious and experiment. Learn from all We need to remember that every groundbreaking invention was achieved after a long path of smaller and bigger failures. successes and failures There are many avenues that lead to success, but all of them “ have something in common: be patient, learn from your We believe that having the freedom to take risks and make mistakes mistakes, learn from the experience of others, and don’t be is extremely important in any work environment. That’s how we learn, afraid of exploring the unknown. and how we innovate - by trying out ideas and looking at our results. If you have a brilliant new solution, we want to hear about it and help you check if it works.
Marcin Szmigiel Senior RoR Developer & Team Kilo leader CULTURE BOOK
Act in a way that makes all of us proud At Netguru, we place great emphasis on how we communicate and what we do both as individuals and members of the team. “ What I love is that we always assume good intentions in all our This one is a bit more-company oriented. We are all in this together and everything you say and do, either internally or in a public forum, interactions and strive for the best in all our endeavors. The reflects on us. Consider our values and beliefs when you talk to clients initiatives that Netgurals take on and the way they approach or team members. We all deserve respect, and one way to make sure everyday challenges not only inspires me but, most of all, we get it is by holding ourselves accountable for our own actions. makes me proud to be part of such an amazing team.
Monika Mroczkowska Service Delivery Manager CULTURE BOOK
Build an inclusive, transparent and socially responsible culture From my perspective, Netguru is a workplace where the values that are important to you aren’t just talk. You can We believe that to build an organisation based on shared values, we “ see for yourself that they are a real, impactful part of the first need to recognise those who live by them. It’s important to us to company culture. Among those values are diversity, equality build a culture which will allow every member of Netguru’s team to and inclusion, and you can see that we come from a variety feel welcome and safe. Culture doesn’t happen by chance - we need of backgrounds, have different mindsets and motivations. to be proactive and work on it every day, taking full responsibility And that’s ok. More than that, it’s not seen as an obstacle, for the results. We want everyone to have a voice, and we want our but as a strength. activities as a company to be transparent. This is about accountability and responsibility, which we see as extremely important.
Anita Migacz Community & EB Specialist CULTURE BOOK
Be ambitious, grow yourself and the people around you
Having ambition and working towards career goals is a wonderful thing, and we want to fully support you on your path. But as you forge ahead, be mindful of the people around you and of how you can help each other. Growing together can be a beautiful adventure, and you might be surprised where it takes you. As a leader, you need to pay a lot of attention to your team as a whole and each team member as an individual. Netguru “ leaders, including myself, make sure to challenge their teams in a way that helps everyone grow.
Magda Wartowska Operations Manager CULTURE BOOK
Recognize excellence and engagement
What others think of you should never be your most important concern, but we all know the value of well-earned respect and constructive feedback. At Netguru, every team member is eager to show appreciation Validation and recognition are important - and it takes so little effort to tell “ and give recognition to the people who they collaborate with someone what a great job they’ve done. Try it. You’ll find that being kind whenever they do an awesome job. I believe it is thanks to the to others can make you happier, too - it’s the magic of the human brain. culture of continuous feedback and open communication – we all feel responsible for it. This is the seventh and final value from Netguru’s list. If you’d like, you can help us expand it, or explore it in more depth. Marta Stachowska- de Freitas Senior Recruitment Specialist & Team Leader CULTURE BOOK
We Care CULTURE BOOK
GrowWe want you to grow with us
There’s no better investment than investing in people.
That’s why we provide a personal growth budget to everyone on the team, and we’re more than happy to support team members who want to speak at conferences or take courses. We offer internal workshops and webinars, as well. CULTURE BOOK
We want you to havePower full power over your career
We cultivate a horizontal structure and the culture of constructive feedback at Netguru.
Team leaders hold regular face-to-face meetings with their teams and everyone can make impactful choices on how they want to shape their professional growth. We’re constantly working on improving our career paths. How we understand values CULTURE BOOK
Exceed clients’ and #1colleagues’ expectations
Exceeding clients’ and colleagues’ “ expectations means constantly challenging yourself and the people around you. That is the value that drives the pace of our self-development to a level I couldn’t have Piotr Nowicki imagined before joining Netguru. Project Manager CULTURE BOOK
Our Tech-Stack
How we understand values CULTURE BOOK
Take ownership and question the status quo #2in a constructive manner
At Netguru, we do not shy away from pointing out the issues and saying: “yes, that needs “ changing, we could do this better”. We believe in continuous improvement, and that is how Ania Dąbkowska we achieve it. Project Manager and Team Leader CULTURE BOOK
Our History CULTURE BOOK
Netguru’s offer is expanded with consulting services, including UX, Vorm becomes Netguru’s Team size exceeds 600 We are officially B Corp Netguru is founded design and DevOps first acquisition employees Certified! - - - - - 2008 2017 2017 2019 2020
2007 2012 2017 2018 2019 - - - - - Netguru’s founding Netguru chooses its main focus: Netguru Code College Netguru ventures into the A big change: we have fathers, Wiktor and building software solutions for launches world of digital transformation a new CEO Kuba meet for the first external partners time How we understand values CULTURE BOOK
Be brave, curious and experiment. Learn from #3all successes and failures
Throughout life, we’re taught to avoid making mistakes. But it’s mistakes that allow us “ to discover new things. If I hadn’t erred a thousand times in the past, I wouldn’t be where Adam Romański I am today. I can’t say whether I’m brave, but Senior Frontend Developer I’ve definitely stopped being afraid of my own and Team Leader mistakes. CULTURE BOOK
Where We Are CULTURE BOOK 01Poznań 02Warsaw
Where we are Offices 03Wrocław 04Gdańsk We offer all the office perks we could think of: we’re pet-friendly, we have sit to stand desks, and we like to provide healthy Cracow Białystok snacks in our offices. 05 06 The spaces we’ve created are friendly and comfortable, to repay the team for their hard work. We believe that this approach motivates the team and is a good way to show how much we trust them. 07Katowice 08Łódź CULTURE BOOK B MeantCorp to B Great
Netguru has been awarded the B We would like to use it as an invitation for Corporation™ certificate, which is granted other organizations to join us and drive the to organizations whose business activities global movement of using business as a have been verified in terms of their positive force for good. impact on society and the environment. We have joined the community of over With our day-to-day business, we want to 3,200 companies in the world that have commit to Sustainable Development Goals committed to developing a sustainable (9, 10, 11, 13) not only through building economic model. technology that empowers sustainable development and increases society’s This is a solid milestone and only the access to health, finance, education and beginning of our journey to fully deliver our culture. We also aim to spearhead digital vision of a sustainable, digital world where solutions for environmental protection and everyone can realize their full potential. foster an inclusive workplace culture, boost social participation of our people, and advocate it outside of Netguru. How we understand values CULTURE BOOK
Act in a way that #4makes all of us proud
The culture and values at Netguru aren’t only about what we do or achieve. Working on something good “ or even perfect should never overshadow how we go about doing it. It’s just as important that we treat each other with full respect, listen to and care about one another. This way, we’re not only proud of what Magda Nawrot we are going to produce, but also about the route Senior Payroll Specialist we’re taking to get it done. and Team Leader CULTURE BOOK EnvironmentYes we care We believe that everyone at Netguru can influence our work to make it truly world-changing. That is why we’re engaged in initiatives that make an impact.
Helping Pure Earth fight pollution We created a Report Pollution app for Pure Earth, an NGO that has been solving pollution problems in low- and middle-income countries for the last 20 years. Our app is designed to document and report polluted sites that users have direct contact with. Report Pollution aims to become a platform for underrepresented communities and help them inspire others to take action and raise awareness. Read more about the project here. CULTURE BOOK Environment
Netguru x Coalition for Rainforest Nations In December 2019, the Coalition launched REDD.plus, the first platform to provide a central registry and exchange of RRU credits. This is a milestone achievement in scaling up the fight to reduce carbon emissions, and we’re proud that our team has been instrumental in this initiative.
Inclusive design Inclusive design is design that is accessible and understandable by anyone. Last year, we launched a free set of 59 inclusive avatars. This was just one of our small steps towards creating inclusive digital products for diverse audiences. You can find more information here. CULTURE BOOK
How We Work CULTURE BOOK
WorkWe work the way we like and like our work
Work-life balance and empowerment at work matter.
We trust our team and are happy to offer them autonomy and the freedom to design their schedules. Our team members work from several offices in Poland and abroad, as well as remotely from anywhere they want. We love to see them travel around the world, learning new things and getting inspired. We believe they bring a lot of value back to the company. Like what you see? Find more on our Instagram How we understand values CULTURE BOOK
Build an inclusive, transparent and socially responsible culture #5
At Netguru you don’t really need to explain what socially responsible or sustainable stands for. People here expect “ the business to grow in a sustainable way: we are eager Karolina Długosz to engage in innovative projects for the benefit of others Sustainability Lead and the planet, and will make sure we follow our values and ethical principles. We can’t imagine that it could be any different and consequently foster an inclusive workplace culture and engage with local communities and NGOs. CULTURE BOOK
Meet The Team Martyna Joanna Maciej Martyna Piotr Bartosz Monica
Netguru’s teams are close-knit, friendly created the Humans of Netguru initiative StoriesMeet the team groups that want to make everyone feel - a series of personal stories shared by our welcome. Because we believe in providing colleagues, meant to inspire and empower a platform to our team members, and everyone that reads them. because we think their accounts are much more valuable than anything Netguru as a company has to say about itself, we’ve How we understand values CULTURE BOOK Be ambitious, grow yourself and the people around you #6
Don’t think twice if there’s an opportunity in front of “ you. Take it, learn whatever skills you need to do your best, and afterwards share your knowledge. There Dawid Woźniak is nothing worse than staying in your comfort zone Senior Product Designer all the time. Worst case scenario? You’ll learn a lot. & Team Leader Best case scenario? You’ll gain others’ respect. It’s a win win situation. CULTURE BOOK
Netguru After Hours CULTURE BOOK
Everyone likes company retreats, team dinners and Netguru... after hours gadgets, right? We’ve got those in spades! CULTURE BOOK
We organise regular team dinners to spend some time NetguruTeam dinners together in great company. CULTURE BOOK
If you enjoy spending time smashing buttons on a game NetguruBoard games and controller, rolling dice or playing an instrument, let us know! Most likely, some of your team members share singalots your interests and would be delighted if you joined them. CULTURE BOOK
Engage With Us! CULTURE BOOK
EngageEngage with us!
We’re present on Facebook (#HumansofNetguru & Where We Hang Out series ), Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, and we’re very diligent in updating our blog. You can also subscribe to one of our newsletters.
We’re proud of the fact that Netguru’s community is so friendly and robust. We’re all equals, and what we have to say matters. So talk to us :)to say matters. So talk to us :) CULTURE BOOK
JoinGet in touch! us
If you’re not part of the team yet, #joinnetguru!
You can find a lot of information on our careers page, and if you’d like to check out our projects and internal initiatives, you can check out our blog.
We make sure our recruitment process is as fast and transparent as possible,