How successful careers are thriving thanks to Virtual First
Being able to control when, where, and how you work can be one of the most empowering experiences of your professional career. Since shifting to a Virtual First work model, we have seen Dropboxers flourish; growth, promotions, and work-life balance have all skyrocketed as people have taken control of their schedules and work environments like never before.
We asked Dropboxers to share a little about how they’ve found improved focus, empowerment, and success as a result of Virtual First. Here’s what they had to say.
“Virtual First has made me more effective in every way. I spend more time with my colleagues and reports and get to know them better because being in a home environment leads to more personal conversations. Not having to commute saves time and money and helps me spend more time with family. It also provided me with an opportunity to live in a location where I can take factors other than commute into consideration. Finally, I can customize my space exactly the way I want.
-Paul Antaki, Sr. Director, Software Engineering, San Francisco Bay Area
“Point blank, Virtual First allows me to have flexibility in creating my own schedule (something I have never had the luxury of doing in the past). I have been particularly impressed with Dropbox’s adoption of Core Collaboration Hours. The entire company is mindful when booking meetings during time frames that work for everyone, working async when needed, and most importantly, are respectful of other’s personal time. As a mother of two, I am able to prioritize the small moments with my children that I would not have the opportunity to do so if I were working in an office. Virtual First creates an ‘equal playing field’ in terms of career opportunities, advancement and colleague collaboration since the entire company is remote (no office politics — can I get an AMEN!). Not only am I saving money and time (and my own sanity) by not having to commute 3.5 hours a day, but I am able to work wherever I am most productive. For me, that’s my home office, living room couch, and/or back porch when I need to be heads down and focus on deep work. I truly cannot imagine going back to work in an office environment, and at this point in my life, that would be a deal-breaker for me. If there’s one silver lining to this pandemic, it is certainly the opportunity to work from home and spend more time with my family.”
-Lauren Korth, Sourcing Manager, Austin Texas Metropolitan Area
“Virtual First means fully embracing how I work best, turning to clear guidelines for how to best collaborate with my peers, and being enabled to provide my best work products.”
Crystal Traver, Technical Program Manager (Eng), Austin Texas Metropolitan Area
“Virtual First means being able to reach my career goals without compromising on my life and relationships. I can work when I feel most productive, and I can focus on family when they need me the most. I can travel and spend quality time with family without compromising my career goals and job responsibilities.”
Mana Sadeghi, Product Design, Irvine, California
“Commuting is a major waste of time, and quite staggering when you add up the hours across your career — even just one year’s worth of commuting can easily equal an entire month of your life! I’ve observed a very positive shift in company-wide culture where we have access to anyone in the company now since we’re all remote first. I’m based in a non-HQ location, and before the pandemic, this was not the case. I did not have equal access to people, and felt cut out, less than, and had fewer opportunities in general.”
Billy Sweeney, Product Designer, Seattle Washington Metropolitan Area
“I’ve been able to reclaim so much of my life. Virtual First has allowed me to focus on work more intently, and then after work, immediately get back to what I love.”
Mike Chiu, Brand Strategist, Ontario Canada
Virtual First might not mean much to you yet — but if you worked with us, it could mean everything. You can find open positions here.