Best workplace I've been inThe good thingsI think the best thing about this place is the company culture. Despite the remote setup where we don't see each other in an office, I feel that I am trusted to do my work, and that actually encourages me to work better and be focused, because I'm not stressing over pressure. Work-life balance is also respected, and from observation, I can see that leaves are respected, whether it's for an associate or a manager. Other than that, I feel that they mean it when they say they want open communication—there is a continuous effort to check on each other. For instance, our team has daily meetings to update each other, and at times this time is used to share tips, or share pain points in the process so potential improvements can be discussed.
The team I work with also established a weekly session to just talk about ourselves so we can get to know each other, and I think efforts like that work really well in a remote environment, since we don't see each other in the office. Other than that, because team members are eager to hear my thoughts on discussions, there is a positive sense of responsibility and stewardship that's instilled, as well as a sense of real teamwork. My managers are always looking for ways to help me improve, and it's encouraging to try new things and look for ways to help them back. I'm not sure how else to explain it other than that I feel the workplace relationships are pretty healthy. Even the partners, or who you might be able to say are at the top of the company hierarchy, position-wise, are present. They don't feel like vague figures you never meet because they do take the time to get to know everyone; they make the time to be with us weekly and even take part in mini-games prepared by members. Perhaps it's also important to point out here that the prevailing culture is to not have a hierarchy based on age or position, which makes it a bit easier to just communicate with each other. People are also willing to guide you for things you are new with, and collaboration is encouraged.
Some other things to point out is that you are trusted to do your work , and they pay attention to the needs of members. Laptop stands were distributed to prevent overheating, and keyboards and headphones to be distributed for people who need it for work.
The challengesThe biggest challenge for me is probably with the timekeeping. I get why it's needed so we can charge clients, but I guess it can be difficult having to box tasks in a certain timeframe, at times slightly pressuring to see yourself working longer than is budgeted too. Another would be that Filipino culture is still somewhat prevalent, including the not-so-good parts. Despite the importance placed on taking initiative, it can still be common to "voluntell" people into doing things. Fortunately, this happens mostly with non-work related things such as hosting meetings, or performances during meetups, so don't worry about it affecting the "actual work". It's just not something I personally like to see as a culture. There are also a few struggles with timeline differences with the client (since most are US-based), but nothing that can't be mitigated with communication, so far.