It's Our Time: How We’re Shaping Workplace Flexibility
You see the word “flexible work environment” popping up increasingly on career sites and think pieces in the last few years. At Pricefx, we think of flexibility as more than just a trendy corporate term. It is a value that powers our team, clearing the path for innovation, productivity, and a harmonious work-life balance. We are firm believers that our workspace should shape itself around our team, rather than the other way around.
How do we put this belief into practice in our actual work? Look at a few of the areas in which our teammates say we are living a flexible working lifestyle.
Work Hours: Welcoming Flexibility
Our main working hours are typical of most business environments. However, we understand flexibility is especially helpful for teammates who juggle parenting duties while holding down their careers.
It is true that some of our teammates, like Support Engineers or Site Reliability Engineers, might have to be on standby on a rotational basis, but these are just a few exceptions to our flexibility norm. We offset this different working schedule by making sure they are fairly compensated for it and satisfied with their work.
Remote Work: Embracing the Freedom of Choice
Years later, we are still seeing how the Covid-19 pandemic flipped the traditional work environment. Thankfully, we’ve always been set up as a remote workforce even before 2020 and continue to not require employees to return to the office.
In the US and Australian markets, we're a remote-first workplace. Our Chicago office is open to any Pricefx employee in the area, either for individual work or team meetups. We have a similar setup in the EMEA region. While we have offices in the Czech Republic, we are all about giving our team the choice to work where they are most comfortable—at home, a coffee shop, a park, or the office, we want them to be responsible and independent in their roles.
All that said, we must admit it would be a shame to miss out on visiting our Prague or Chicago office sometimes. We host regular breakfasts/lunches, team meetings and gatherings, offer free snacks, and of course, our amazing colleagues are all part of what makes the office vibe so special.
Want to customize your workspace to make it more comfortable? Our team gets a monthly allowance to help set up their home offices, for tech essentials and other home office needs.
The only real limitation is that, for compliance (legal and tax) reasons, (except for short trips), our remote workers must be in the same country where they have their contract.
Social Life at Pricefx: Building a Strong Community
We know remote work can sometimes feel lonely, but we are focused on ensuring no one feels alone. We encourage our People Managers to hold weekly or biweekly 1:1 meetings with each of their teammates. And many teams meet virtually, sometimes up to four times a month, to collaborate or share updates. We are big advocates for keeping cameras on during these meetings because, let’s face it, seeing your teammates’ smiles can make all the difference.
In our internal communications, our Teams channels are always buzzing with updates. Our CEO, Ronak, regularly shares insights with the entire Pricefx team with his video series— affectionately named "Ronak’s Ramblings”—to help us stay transparent and authentic from the top down. We also hold a quarterly all-hands call to make sure everyone is on the same page.
As much as we value independence, we still enjoy meeting face-to-face and love getting our remote colleagues together at a local Pricefx office once or twice a year. In Australia, where we are fully remote, the team meets every two to three months in a shared workspace and gets some good bonding over team meals.
Our Prague office is known for its lively social atmosphere, frequently hosting open-to-all gatherings like Volleyball, morning yoga, BBQs, regular breakfast to welcome new joiners, and sharing our hobbies with other such as macaroon baking class lead by one of our colleagues. Not a bad way to finish off a workday!
Work-Life Balance: Doing It the Pricefx Way
We're believers in the revitalizing power of time off and are not fans of the type of culture where you are "always on" and tied to your job. We encourage open conversations about workload (and not just about the workload – we always love to hear our people’s opinion) and use tools like our Friday6 Survey to gauge what the real work-life balance is like at Pricefx.
We have also introduced a new initiative urging employees to take 15 days off between January 1 and September 30. The incentive? An extra vacation day for those who take the offer.
Our dedication to workplace flexibility speaks volumes about our trust in our people. We're committed to fostering a work environment where everyone feels valued, backed, and empowered to give their best, irrespective of where they are located.