Rethinking Your Workforce Strategy: A Look at Culture in 2021

The past year has been a significant year of change across the globe, particularly in the workplace, as we have all had to adapt to the “new normal” and rethink our workforce strategies.

Although many companies approached the sudden shift to remote work as temporary, it’s becoming evident that there is no going “back to normal.” This is the new reality, and we need to make changes to the ways in which we lead, manage, hire and train, collaborate, communicate, and foster culture.

Despite the challenges and uncertainties presented by the pandemic, our team rose to the challenge in so many ways. In addition to our ongoing dedication to our customers and continuing our global growth, we placed the same effort on ensuring the health of our team during an incredibly challenging year. We are incredibly proud to share that Auth0 was recognized by Best Companies, Great Place to Work, and Built in Seattle for our company culture and leadership. Our placements are a true testament to our company values centered around culture, collaboration, and communication, especially amid the pandemic.

Culture has been a cornerstone for Auth0 since day one, and as a company passionately dedicated to our talented people and culture, we will continue to invest in every team member and our culture, ensuring that both flourish regardless of how large we grow.

This year, we will continue to prioritize our people-driven culture and how to take Auth0 to new heights by focusing on three key areas:

Team Health and Wellness

One of the most significant things the pandemic has reinforced is the importance of employee well-being and the most effective ways in which we can support it. The past year has highlighted the essential need for empathy and understanding in the workplace. Many of our employees were dealing with kids at home, being caregivers to family members, and/or were saddled with the added stress of everything the pandemic brought. With the number of hours spent at work each day, companies need to take responsibility for fostering healthier workplaces and ensuring that everyone can put boundaries in place to preserve their work-life balance.

Our emphasis on employee health and wellness is consistent with who we are and is critical to Auth0’s success. The past year has not been easy, and our team has supported each other in so many ways—from offering more flexible working schedules to designating the U.S. Thanksgiving week as a global company holiday for rest and recovery, our team is continuing to look for ways to improve team health and wellness.

The empathy our team has continued to develop during the pandemic will be carried through 2021 and beyond—and it is a perfect time to increase employee involvement in decisions that affect their workplace and how we can all be happier and more productive.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We have all learned a lot over the past year, specifically when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). In the past, it has been easy for companies to put together an employee resource group and move on—an employee resource group is helpful, but that is not the primary solution.

DE&I is a top priority for our team, and we are committed to giving everyone a voice and treating each other with equity. At Auth0, our DEI initiatives are shaped by the belief that there are value and power in hiring and nurturing teams of people from diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and human experiences. Our remote-centric culture gives our team the freedom to hire, inspire, and collaborate without geographic limitations, which naturally allows our team to hire talent from all backgrounds and skillsets.

Since Auth0’s inception, we have aimed to create a safe workplace and culture where every person can show up as their authentic self, speak their truth, learn, develop, and grow—at a global scale. And the strong groundswell of support from our employees—who are motivated and empowered to make a difference—is truly remarkable. We see mentoring and support networks created throughout the organization and a strong desire to jump right in and partner to bring awareness of the importance of our diversity.

Remote-centric Recruiting, Hiring, and Training Practices

The past year has been an excellent opportunity for our team to review everything we do from a cultural perspective. It is important to ask: do the values and purpose of your company still reflect the culture you want to reinforce? It is critical to be intentional about your workplace cultures and nurture them whether you are in person or not.

Communication, programs, and policies will need to reflect the remote nature of our workplaces. Looking at how we recruit and compensate is critical and will be components of how we build and reinforce our culture. Understanding how we can build better career opportunities in a remote workplace is key for the future of our workforces.

One of the most positive outcomes of the pandemic is the increase in workplace diversity due to remote work. Companies now have the opportunity to hire people who they may not have had access to in the past or tried to seek out. As a remote-centric company, we have seen the value in hiring for talent, not location. A remote workforce allows companies to source talent from anywhere without worrying about location and relocation, which naturally unleashes a pool of talent that otherwise would not be available and helps to create a more diverse workforce.

This will require heightened education and training for companies and hiring managers, awareness of unconscious biases, or even just pulling ourselves out of old hiring and leadership practices specific to traditional, in-office work practices.

We will continue to leverage learnings from the pandemic and take them into 2021 and beyond, with an innovative and forward-looking approach.

To learn more about our people-driven culture and opportunities to join our growing team, visit the Auth0 careers page.