Wish Employees Share How They Thrive with Hybrid and Remote Work Options
As part of Wish’s flexible work plan, over 1,000 employees have the option to fully return to the office, work from home, or a hybrid of both. We spoke to six Wishians to talk about how they embrace a flexible working model and how remote employees are kept engaged and connected. Hear from Betsy Melo, Manager of Merchant Enablement; Michael Zhang, Senior Product Designer; Roman Sidorchuk, Data Scientist; Begum Chousein, Localization Strategy Manager; Yvonne Li, Product Manager; and, Yang Fan, Software Engineer II.
How do you leverage Wish’s flexible work policy, and how has it impacted your employee satisfaction?
Yvonne: Wish’s Flex Work plan provides employees with opportunities to better manage their daily activities outside of work. For example, I could go to the gym during less rush hour and run errands on the days I was working from home. Based on my daily schedule, I can choose to go to the office or work from home voluntarily. Our performance is evaluated by impact, not by the hours we spend at the office.
Yang: With Wish’s flexible work policy, I benefit from the advantages brought by both sides of work-from-home and office life. When I have a busy schedule with a lot of meetings, I have access to the meeting rooms and all the helpful tools (like our amazing touch screen TVs) provided in the office. And when I need to spend the day digging into some complex technical task, I sit comfortably in pajamas on my beanbag at home without all the hassle (especially the commute).
Begum: Thanks to Wish’s flexible work policy, on the days I choose to stay home, I am able to start my day by working out in the morning before I start my work day. Saving time on commuting helps me allocate time to other activities like going to the gym or doing yoga. I sometimes switch it up and practice playing the piano instead. Music has been a type of meditation for me since I was a kid, and it’s great to have the opportunity to practice during my workday.
What do you enjoy most about Wish’s flexible work policy?
Betsy: I love being at home or working from a coffee shop or library. Other perks include hanging out next to my wood stove during the winter, doing chores during breaks, running errands at lunchtime, and rarely having to wear shoes while I work. Working remotely, my daily routine is far less rushed, stressful, and rigid. Since I don’t have to commute, I also have more time to spend with my young daughter, which is very important to me.
Permanently flexible, remote work at Wish has also completely changed the way my family lives. In the Spring of this year, we sold our house in the suburbs and bought property near a small town. We’re currently in the process of building a home. If I had to commute to a major metropolitan area, we would never have been able to accomplish this dream.
On a fun note, working from home also allows me to volunteer for local animal rescues. Because I’m not gone for over 11 hours per day, I can foster shelter kittens, something I have always wanted to do.
Michael: I save a ton of time on the road and a lot of expenses for gas, parking, and housing. In terms of productivity, I literally can start work immediately once I finish my breakfast in the morning, which is my most productive time of the day. The beauty of remote working is that I can put my mind to work whenever I feel comfortable. Before COVID, a lot of vigor was spent on dressing and commuting, and I wasn’t able to spare any energy when I sparked ideas at night.
Another thing I would not be able to do without flexible work is to have family time. My wife and I are expecting our twin girls this October so there are tons of doctor visits and checkups I can go to with her. I’m confident I can be an excellent new father with all the information I heard directly from the doctor from being able to attend the appointments I would have had to miss without the flexible work policy.
Roman: I like that I have full flexibility with remote work so that I can travel when I need it and that I have flexibility with my plans which is essential at my current life stage. I can take an opportunity to do a spontaneous trip when I need it. This is important to me as I work remotely from Miami and enjoy traveling (I’ve visited 30+ countries and lived in 4) and my family lives abroad.
For those of you who embrace the hybrid model, what do you like most about going into the office?
Begum: I have a long list. The first reason is definitely Wish Wednesdays (all staff meetings). It is great to listen to our leaders talk about Wish and our goals in person every other week. Also, I like meeting my coworkers in the office and spending time with them in a relaxed atmosphere.
Also, once you are in the office you do not have to worry about where to order food or where to go grab a coffee. Everything is provided for us right there in the office thanks to our amazing Workplace Team. This makes it so much easier to focus on my work and be productive.
Last but not least, we have one of the best views in San Francisco. At the heart of the Financial District, we are able to enjoy 360-degree views of the city while we are working.
Yang: I have a whole list of things that motivate me to come into the office. For example, the provided lunch and snacks can save me time from prepping meals myself. The standing desk lets me fully obey my fitness watch when it tells me to stand up. And, the ping pong table plus the gaming console are bringing so much fun into our daily life with coworkers.
But the most important thing to me is the opportunity to meet and work with my colleagues in person. The collaboration and connection we build face-to-face is something the remote working style cannot replace.
Yvonne: As a product manager, casually talking to different teams and having inspiring conversations about existing problems is crucial. Working from the office helps me casually engage in discussions with other teams. It helps me look at the big picture and connect the dots for the problem I am trying to solve. It is always easier to build connections in person than through video calls, so I have enjoyed my time at the office a lot. Not even to mention, Wish has great office perks and free lunches three days a week.
Do you feel engaged as a remote employee? What are some ways you stay connected/build relationships with your team(s)?
Betsy: I’m more engaged working remotely at Wish than I was in my last office-based role, in part because of Wish’s welcoming, kind, and inclusive culture. To stay connected, I video chat regularly with colleagues, attend company-wide updates, and stay active in Slack channels. I have yet to feel bored or isolated and have a sense of connection and shared purpose with my global teammates.
Michael: Our design team has a cultural community and they organize a lot of fun activities for us. We also have weekly hangout sessions where we only talk about weekend plans and fun stories/movies. Those helped us to break the boundary of being just “coworkers.” I’ve also attended Wish Wednesdays occasionally so we can meet in real life. You can always have interesting findings when you see a teammate who doesn’t live close by, such as how tall they are or their quirky hobby.
Roman: I’m engaged with my immediate stakeholders and teammates via 1:1s and scheduled project meetings. I’m happy with that but I am also looking forward to having even more opportunities to connect with staff virtually and through occasional in-person gatherings.
What are some things you’ve been able to do through Wish’s flexible work policy that you would not be able to do without it?
Yang: On the professional side, I really enjoyed the in-person discussion, pair-programming session, and even the opportunities for a simple coffee chat provided by the office work style. These are much more efficient than Slack messages or video meetings when it comes to brainstorming and solving technical problems. And, it’s extremely helpful for me to develop interpersonal skills and extend my networks to other coworkers in the office.
On the personal side, I always utilize flexibility in my schedule to develop my hobbies. For example, on a weekday morning without meetings, I get to hit the local rock climbing gym (which is just 2 blocks away from our office) and have the empty bouldering walls all to myself.
Yvonne: I was hired as a Toronto employee, but I could visit the San Francisco office at my preference. It helped me build my connections with employees in global offices. Wish provides the option for employees to work in their preferred locations.
Begum: I am a big fan of our flexible working policy and I prefer the hybrid working model. I work from the office typically 3 days a week and 2 days from home. Some of the people I work with are located in different parts of the world, and the best part of having this flexibility is that I can schedule those meetings I have with them either early in the morning or later in the evening while I am at home. This way I can head over to the office for some quality focus time and be productive.
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