You’re probably already familiar with WordPress.com, the uber popular content management system many bloggers and media companies use to run their blog. You may not know about Automattic, the web publishing company behind WordPress.com, responsible for strategic development of the software we all use. So what does Automattic do to foster the creativity that makes its product a success? For starters, it hires creative problem solvers and great communicators.
Automattic has 315 employees working across 36 countries but interestingly, it has no office. Well, it has a small space in San Francisco that’s used for meetings but in reality, all Automattic’s employees work from home or a local co-working spot. What’s that like, and is an office-less company right for you? We asked Automattic’s HR Lead Lori McLeese, for the inside scoop.
How does the office-less environment affect management teams?
Automattic is a flat organization and one of our goals is that everyone within the organization has access to information needed to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. Communication is the most important piece of the distributed working environment. With the wide array of digital communication tools available today, physical location is irrelevant to productivity. Using the tools mentioned above, everyone at Automattic is able to keep up on team communications and hold weekly video chats with team members.
Is it as easy to make decisions on group chat as it is in an in-person brainstorm meeting?
Automattic strongly encourages transparency, and through the use of P2s, full teams contribute to an idea or project, which results in a wide range of ideas and input from team members.
How does having a remote workforce let you hire and grow a global team and why is that important?
Hiring without the limitations of physical location allows Automattic to hire the best talent from around the world, while allowing Automatticians to live and work in a place that they want to be.
When hiring for a position at Automattic, how do you know who is a good work-at-home candidate? Is it right for everyone?
Remote work is not right for everyone. Automattic’s unique hiring process (outlined below) allows the company to get a snapshot of what a potential Automattician’s work entails while working from anywhere in the world. Two of the most important aspects we look for are self-starters and excellent communicators.
What is it like when you tell someone they don’t need to come into an office?
Many of our applicants have either worked from home previously and/or have been freelance consultants before joining Automattic, so working from home isn’t a substantial change in their working conditions. For others, they’re excited about the lack of commute and the flexibility that working from home affords. For people who haven’t worked from home before, feelings of isolation can occur. If that happens, we encourage Automatticians to check out local co-working spots to work with others a few times a week. Automattic provides a monthly stipend to Automatticians who take advantage of this.
How would you describe the company culture?
Automattic is a distributed company, with all of its employees working from all around the globe. The company has a physical office in San Francisco that a small number of Automatticians work from. The entire company meets once per year somewhere in the world for Automattic’s grand meetup and individual teams plan team meetups as well. Automattic promotes a transparent, cohesive and entrepreneurial environment by using blogs, aka P2s, to discuss projects and company information.
What’s unique about your hiring process?
Founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg explained the interview process in Harvard Business Review in April 2014 and said he personally reviews most of the résumés received, and about 85% of candidates are rejected immediately, for lack of relevant experience, lack of technical skills, or mistakes on the application. Candidates then have initial interviews, usually via online chat. Every hire, without exception, goes through a two- to six-week contract period, and is paid the standard rate of $25 an hour. The contract, or trial, period is done part-time while the candidate is working full-time. Candidates are doing real tasks along teams they would be working with if hired. Automattic has done trials since the very beginning. The goal of the trial is not to have candidates complete a set amount of work; it’s to make sure the relationship is a fit on both sides.
What qualities do you look for in a candidate?
We look for self-starters, those people who see a problem and don’t have to be told to fix it. We look for people who are excellent communicators, and thrive on learning. We look for people who are humble and receptive to feedback. We look for people who are passionate about making the web a better place.
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