What forced us apart has brought us closer
Boardgame nights, team lunches, bourbon socials, impromptu crocodile dentist battles - before the pandemic, these activities were but a small section of the exciting culture and team-building events that were commonplace amongst Beam’s engineering teams. Though the move to a remote workplace has taken away the opportunity for us to engage in person, what it has not taken is our teams’ commitment to fun, engagement, and camaraderie. The transition from digital-first to remote-first has, for the most part, felt natural. This is in large part due to the connection of our teams to Beam’s culture.
Culture is huge in our organization. Solidly founded on our core values of GRITT (Growth — Resilience — Initiative — Tenacity — Team First), it extends out to every team and everything we do as Beamers. I can’t think of a truer test to a company’s value set than a pandemic. Here are some examples of where Beam’s values have been tested and thrived:
Team-first communication
Even before the Pandemic, I was struck by the transparency and timely communication at Beam. Leaders from the CEO down are candid and forth-coming with news and updates, even when they might still be ‘wet concrete’. Specifically, each Monday, we get to hear from members of the Senior Leadership Team in a podcast-style interview hosted by none other than “Fro”, Beam’s CEO Alex Frommeyer. This started as a way to keep Beamers up to date on the latest happenings within the organization. It has since evolved into an opportunity to peek behind the curtain at different facets of the organization. This level of personal engagement might be challenging in any other setting outside of being remote. The necessity for continued clear communication has ultimately led to new channels of exciting content and a personal look at the lives of leaders outside of our particular spheres.
Tenacious fun
Along with an emphasis on candid communication, both team and organization-wide events have been a big part of Beam’s culture. While we were still at the office you could expect regularly scheduled activities ranging from product demos with bourbon socials, to candle making classes, karaoke, and everything in between. One might think that a shift to a fully remote environment lacking the in-person connection we had enjoyed might put a damper on all that fun. In actuality, that camaraderie has carried over into the virtual space. Now instead of gathering around the picnic tables for a friendly (yet highly competitive) game of Nertz, we’ve taken to online games such as Codenames, Shellshocker, and a rather competitive game or two of Diplomacy. Yes, I’m looking at you, Germany.
From day one, the PeopleOps team has done an outstanding job keeping weekly social events and company updates available for Beamers. Each week there is something new and exciting. One week volunteers put on a rendition of ‘Beam Cribs’ featuring Beamers who were willing to virtually walk us through their homes. A different week the entire organization was entertained by the wing eating prowess of Fro and competitor Cole Gillespie (Chief Revenue Officer) in Beam’s take on Hot Ones. The contest was cheered on virtually by more than one hundred viewers as Cole valiantly pulled out the victory rewarding everyone with a box of treats delivered to their doorstep.
Beyond the company-wide events, our team, Mt. Brushmore, has implemented a system for setting aside time to connect on a personal level using what has been dubbed the ‘team shuffle’. The team gets shuffled into groups of three or four for an hour of non-work-related fun. It could be simply chatting about sports, families, or a particular event we are looking forward to most in a post-pandemic world. Setting aside this small amount of time each week during busy schedules has helped to strengthen friendships and create new ones.
Resiliency to shape up
During the transition to remote-first, everything has not always been a box of treats and bourbon. We have had to say goodbye to friends and colleagues, many of whom it felt like we had just gotten to know. These folks were a huge part of Beam’s success and seeing them go was hard. This was a harsh reminder that we are living in unprecedented times and there is no promise of a happy ending.
The other part of the transition for me that has been hard and yet incredibly rewarding is being able to be home full-time with my family. My wife and I have three young boys all under the age of eight and they can be quite a handful at times. Every time I walk out of my “new to me office: the former Lego room,” my sons are bright-eyed in hopes of a WWE wrestling session with dad or Roblox gamer time. Beam has been incredibly flexible and understanding of how both the transition and the pandemic have affected families. I can create a workday that allows for plenty of focus time and still accommodates supporting my family.
Beam’s culture
So what would I say to someone if they asked me to sum up the culture at Beam now that we’ve transitioned to remote-first? I would tell them that our culture is thriving. There have been hard times, but when you are part of a great team, you can overcome adversity, celebrate successes, and ultimately achieve something special.
