Considering starting a software company? Wondering why big corporations are getting away with so much? What about my fellow young professionals: where ya at? Or developers looking for a way into the workforce? I know there are plenty of y’all out there who are already burnt out from corporate life, no? Well, while I can’t offer you a job, I can give you some insight into one of the several routes I’ve seen students and developers go. And if you stick around for the details about the perks of working at a flat org, it may just shift your focus.
A Flat Org
I’ve been working as a developer at Atomic for a bit over two years now. I can say in full confidence that in that time I have gotten more opportunities as well as professional and technical development than a lot of my peers – or even friends and family that have several years on me in corporate America.
Yes, Atomic Object is a software company, and while the tech industry can be brutal, I can honestly tell you that they don’t feel like most others. Now I’m not here to sell you on Atomic. I’m here to voice what so many companies, especially those in tech, have lost touch with.
Sooner or later, the corporate ladder that America has influenced and peer-pressured us to believe is the only climb to success will crack, because employers like Atomic are proving they can do better. Companies can flourish AND consider their employees in ways that show genuine care and investment. In fact, I’d argue that those two priorities are deeply intertwined rather than opposing. If you care about your employees (crazy concept), they care about what they’re doing and start to intrinsically believe in it. Thus the company, culture, and so much more start to feel the love back.
So why do I think I know what I’m talking about? Because I’ve already had a taste of this “best of both worlds” reality in my first “big-girl” job. And it’s important to voice because I have watched a lot of people in my life not get the same experience. In less than three years at AO, here are 3 qualities that have been massive perks in my experience as a Software Developer.
1. I work somewhere 100% employee-owned.
- Each quarter, all Atoms get an even split of the profits (revenue WE generated) that cycle.
- For those more invested, or who have grown over time in tenure, we can also literally invest in the company and get quarterly payouts depending on how much of the company we have decided to own. For example, I was offered an Employee Share Purchase Plan (ESPP) in under a year.
And with all of these technicalities, there’s a tangible output of the seeds they’re sowing with us. The longer we stick around, the more we believe in what Atomic is doing, and the more support we take part in. With such a cohesive cycle, they genuinely care! We are Atomic Object.
“Keeping ownership within the company, and held by Atoms who are actively working, is a critical part of achieving our Purpose, Vision, and Mission.” – the AO Manual
I also experience a commitment to supported bench-time as consultants. They showed elongated commitment during the variables of the COVID pandemic, and they’re extremely intentional about developing a sustainable culture. In fact, we have a 100-year goal, and we’re already 25 years down! “Think Long Term” is one of our core values.
2. We can wear many hats.
Some of the best things I’ve gotten to do here were never mentioned in a basic starting developer job description.
- My first year, a career event at a nearby college came up. And since we didn’t have an Accelerator Manager yet, everyone stepped up in different ways, and I got to go!
- I’ve also sat in on interviews for potential new Atoms or just gotten to be a part of meeting the candidates.
- I’m not just a Developer; I’m also a Consultant, and I got to start that part right away. I came in through the Accelerator Program, so I had mentorship, follow-up feedback, and one-on-ones from the start. And I was still a software developer at my core. Yet, I also got to do client-facing work on a project team like everybody else. I was giving demos to our clients on my first project.
- Some teams I’ve been on since have been smaller or less conventional. For those, I’ve gotten to be the point person and manage the client relationship on my own: the backlog, client expectations, scheduling.
Two-ish years in, that’s a lot of hats. And the same goes for professional development. We each get a yearly budget for it (tech events, hardware to test out at home, whatever you’re chasing), and I’ve gotten support for networking in my local area (YTPN) all the way to destination conferences (CascadiaJS).
3. In a similar vein, it’s low rules.
Atomic is flat, and you feel it in the day-to-day. There’s no vertical slicing where you take something to your manager, who takes it to their manager, who comes back three days later to tell you it’s a different department’s problem. It’s been such a blessing to bond with such a variety of coworkers and get to know our company’s leaders at a personal level.
- Raleigh is the newest of our offices, so especially when we first planted, I got to connect with our managing partners frequently. But all four offices have a similar feel of authenticity and accessibility.
- At quarterly parties, I sat and talked with our co-CEOs. I’d also meet up with tech leads who were here when the company was founded 25 years ago.
- On a hybrid team, I got the opportunity to coordinate a trip to stay in that area and work out of that office for a stretch.
- If I want feedback from someone, I peek at their calendar, book time, and ask. Same if I just want to grab lunch with someone I want to learn from. In fact, they support connection so much, we have a pair lunch perk.
Low Rules = Trust
Low rules also means we get asked into things that plenty of companies would decide upstairs. Like when Atomic rewrote its mission statement, they wanted every single Atom involved, so they ran listening tours to build it. If you ever bump into me, ask me about that process.
Day-to-day, it looks like trust. We have clear values, standards, and common practices (and an online manual), but we also have autonomy. For example, we’re in the office 60% of the time, and we’re trusted to coordinate that within our teams. It’s the same with planning PTO. Our leads expect us to manage it well and use our discretion, and we do. In fact, another one of our core values is literally “Own It”.
Low-rules can mean a lack of clarity. But at a company this value-centered, what it has meant for me is fewer constraints and more room to grow, which is a pretty great thing to have this early in the industry.
High Expectations
So yeah, corporations, catch the vibe. Or don’t, but that just makes companies like Atomic Object that much more special. And to my fellow industrians, if you are in the position to have the privilege of choice, I want you to feel empowered to keep high expectations. We shouldn’t have to sell our souls, or our personal lives, to become well-rounded, smart, successful contributors to our industry. The right place will not only reinforce that, but will proudly lead by example.