Regardless of age and experience, developers always strive to improve their skills, learn new technologies and gain new experiences. Companies that hire programming experts should focus on creating a workplace and working conditions that support their development. In this article, I want to share 5 ideas and initiatives that helped us to create a growth-friendly environment for developers in Divante.
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1. We work using Open Source
You probably know the feeling when you spend tons of hours and days, working on a complex project for a client. You create a code, improve it, add new features. When the project is finalized, you can breathe a sigh of relief… However, the problem is that as much as you’re proud of your work, you can’t share the code due to it being proprietary software.
In Divante, we treat Open Source as one of our assets. Releasing Vue Storefront – our solution for progressive web apps, as Open Source, gave us the possibility to build a strong network around the product. Working on a new product or solution together is extremely beneficial not only for the company, but also for the developers. Thanks to working in Open Source, our developers not only support their teams and projects, but actively build their personal portfolio.
2. We work in Tribes
We used to work in traditional big teams (like software development teams) however, that didn’t work well for us. We needed a new structure built with smaller teams that would work closely together. We decided to try something new and that’s how we started to work in Tribes.
Dividing people into teams consisting of 10-15 members, with different knowledge backgrounds and experiences, turned out to be a great solution. It allowed people to share their knowledge within the team. Each tribe works around the same technology, has its own name, culture, knowledge sharing workshops and feedback sessions.
What makes tribes even more special are Tribe Masters who, in a way, figure as chairmen of each tribe. Their role goes beyond a typical Project Manager’s responsibilities, however evolved from it. Thanks to the flat structure, you as a developer, can easily talk to your Tribe Master directly, discuss your personal development within the tribe, talk about salary or your future career path. Grzegorz Bandurowski, our first Tribe Master, described his responsibilities as follows:
“My duties include tribe management, sales support, planning human resources for the projects in my tribe, and giving feedback to tribe members. I have the final say when it comes to who joins the tribe and what projects we are going to work on. This works like a small company within Divante. We work using our own working methods that best suit our projects. It is very effective and satisfying at the same time!”
One of the biggest advantages we managed to achieve was facilitating and speeding up the communication and decision making process.
3. We engage developers to participate in the decision-making processes
…from day 1. Once you first join Divante, we make sure your onboarding process goes as smoothly as possible. In your first 3 months, you get to talk to the HR representative and your mentor during short feedback sessions. Feedback sessions allow us to match your expectations with the reality in the company. We want you to feel good in our company and give you an opportunity to speak out should you feel the need.
Besides an annual feedback survey, we allow our employees to fill out short questionnaires before our All Employee meetings held every 3 months. Thanks to a dedicated segment, during the meeting, we have time to discuss ideas, feedback and problems that were raised in the questionnaire. Thanks to initiatives like that, we have air purifiers in each room, a testing stand, a bike stand in front of our building, and soon we’ll start our branded events – DivanTECH – letting external guests joins us and share knowledge and experience.
4. We let you manage your work time… and your workplace
It’s 8 o’clock in the morning on Tuesday, what do you do? Whether you’re still in bed or starting another hour of work – it’s up to you. We offer flexible hours, letting you decide when you want to start and finish your work day.
As much as we enjoy having all employees as close as possible – we do understand that relocation is not always an option. Currently 17% of our employees work remotely or partly remotely. Despite the distance, we do everything we can to be as close as possible with our remote employees, and company parties are not the only occasion to meet. ;) Depending on the project requirements, our remote employees join the team in our office for focus sessions.
5. We strive for continuous growth
… and not only as a company. ;) Due to rapid changes in the market and our mission to become the the top of mind e-commerce software house, we strive to become experts in what we do. By joining Divante, you’ll have a chance to work with the newest technologies and support projects for well-known brands, like SAP Hybris or Axel Johnson International.
We make sure you can not only improve your skills, but also gain new experiences and responsibilities. We always support our developers in their growth, organizing internal edu meetings, hackathons or Wro Open Source events that create the space to exchange knowledge.
Throughout our 10 years on the market, we’ve learnt (and are still learning) how to create a workplace that will allow constant development. If you’re looking for new challenges and are eager to learn, check our openings here.
Published June 6, 2019
