Business
Shopify Exec: The 4 Secrets of Successful Digital-First Companies By Michael Merola WHAT IS WORK, REALLY? At its simplest, work involves exchanging time and effort for a paycheck. But is it really that balanced? For as long as we can remember, employees also committed to living within commuting distance of their office—which meant their work dictated where they lived, socialized, and laid roots. Multiple generations have been tethered to one place simply because of a corporate office lease. But a funny thing happened during COVID: the world realized that a centralized physical space isn’t actually a requirement to do impactful work. The concept of “office centricity” is over. Shopify (where I work as VP of employee experience) is now fully remote—a decision we made in May 2020. Many companies went remote during COVID. To them, this meant working from home while waiting for an ever-changing “return-to-office” date. But we asked ourselves, “what if we rebuilt our company to let employees physically center their lives around what they wanted, instead of our office leases? And how can we do this while maintaining a universal employee experience?” We chose to seize the opportunity, going all in on digital-first work. We steered clear of an opt-in model where employees can choose whether to work from home or the office, which can lead to an uneven playing field when it comes to opportunities and seats at the proverbial table. Because of these decisions, we are now Digital by Design. Here are four ingredients of a successful digitalfirst company.
in my home, like playing board games and helping with homework. Family is what fuels me, so this has fundamentally changed my life. This is the type of freedom that remote work unlocks: you can build your life around what fuels you. For some of my colleagues, time outside of their house or apartment is what fuels them. If your team is used to in-office perks like foosball tables and free beer, remote work can seem “blah” at first. But that’s only until they figure out that their life no longer revolves around their workplace, it revolves around them. There are still foosball tables available, but instead of in an office tower, they’re at your neighborhood pub. Amazing lunch options now come from your local deli or taqueria. Employees can choose where they live; how they schedule their time; how to design their ideal workspace—all the way down to the thermostat setting! To help with that ideal workspace, consider creating a spending account for each employee. We call ours the Lifestyle Spending Account, and it empowers our team to spend their budget on whatever they choose—acoustic panels for soundproofing their work area, a neighborhood gym membership, a meal delivery subscription… With this setup, your employees get to pick custom perks that work for their specific needs, rather than the one-size-fits-all office benefits. When you can choose your work environment, the option to travel becomes far more feasible. We launched a program called Destination90, where employees can move to and work from a different country for 90 days each year. It’s a chance to experience new perspectives, and stay energized and engaged which often leads to people doing their best work. This summer, my family and I are heading to Japan. There, we’ll be immersed in Japanese language and culture while spending time with our family that lives there, all while I continue to work. Some of my colleagues have ventured to Europe, South America—all over the world. This isn’t working “abroad,” this is simply working digital first.
PRIORITIZE FREEDOM AND FLEXIBILITY When I was commuting, the odds were 50/50 whether I’d make it home for dinner with my wife and daughters. Since working remotely, I’ve had meals with my family every day except for when CONTINUE TO VALUE IN-PERSON traveling. We’re creating new weekday traditions CONNECTIONS 20
March-April 2022
DAWN
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