How We Work at C4E
We don’t. We play.
While describing C4E, I often say we’re a unique setup. This piece is an attempt to back that claim.
The risky part?
When this goes out, we may realise we’re not so unique after all. But, I don’t think that would be a bad place to be at. If you find yourself building your business on similar values, it’d be a shame for us to NOT chat. So, read ahead.
Today, each thing we do at C4E rests upon the common goal we share – building a life that allows us to chase our respective bliss. One that is not bound by traditional ways of living and working. One that’s defined by us.
What does that life look like? One way to define it would be a life where you have freedom of time, energy, and money.
You get to choose what to work on.
Where to work from.
How to work on it.
All of it while making money that supports your lifestyle.
Here’s a note we found that says a similar thing.
We don’t have the source of this one.
How do we do it? With some systems, non-negotiables, and “rules”
Freedom does come at a cost.
I mean, a job without login and logout hours sounds like a dream. I’ve had a lot of people tell us that one of the things they were intrigued by is the flexible work culture. But, this freedom comes at a cost. And that can look like –
Self-accountability. For this flexibility to work in our favour, we need to be a team that’s high on self-accountability.
And overcommunication. Because we’re a small, flexible, remote setup, the expectation to over-communicate is VERY high. Some people may find it difficult or unnecessary.
Hard work. It’s imperative that to the world outside, we come across as a bunch of people who work harder than anyone else and are exceptional at what we do. Now, being exceptional is subjective. But hard work as input is not. And that’s what I need to optimise for!
Here are some “rules”
1/ Undictated work timings & leaves
This one’s pretty self-explanatory.
You choose your work hours.
Some start their day at 5.45 am. Some at 9.55 am.
Just that all of us need to have some overlapping hours from 11 to 4. And more.
Same goes for leaves.
We don’t have pay cuts.
Or limited leaves.
a/ Each person is trusted to get their work done on time. There is no boss. You are accountable for what you do.
b/ The outcome of your work will never be defined by the number of hours you spend glued to your desk. It’s why we don’t have limited leaves. When you have a group of self-accountable people who are also taking responsibility of their work, you don’t need a strict leave policy in place.
2/ Use, don’t abuse
Some context: We don’t pay extravagant salaries. To be precise, we pay enough for people to build a decent life for themselves. Why do people still work with us? Because we ensure that no one is ever overworked. If there’s no startup salary, even the pressure is adjusted based on it. Ask anyone at C4E, and they will tell you the same!
But, that’s salaries.
However, there is one thing we are extravagant with. Pooled resources for the team – things like no-cap starbucks or flight tickets for when you want to hug your work bestie.
How do we keep track?
We don’t. That’s why – use, don’t abuse.
What do you use it for? And when?
Honestly, there’s no list. But the fundamental idea is to use money to get things that help you do more and better.
For instance, if you decide to work out of Starbucks, or meet a friend from C4E, it is all reimbursable. Why? Go back to the fundamental idea. Having this access gives you the option to step out if you’re feeling stuck, do good work, and meet interesting people. We wish for logistics to NEVER be a roadblock.
Often, we get asked, “Unlimited!? But how much is that?” And the answer REALLY is – use, don’t abuse.
P.S. If I’m ever confused or doubtful, here’s what I ask myself – is this spend helping me do better? It works.
As for specifics, we’re deliberately NOT putting a number to it. We want each person at C4E to consider it their own company. There’s no boss paying for your coffee. It’s you taking from your company.
3/ Async communication
As much as we love spending time with each other on calls (while playing the uke, eating from a bowl of colourful salad, hitting the weights) – we believe our work should happen async.
Why?
Freedom of time.
It gives everyone a chance to plan their day on their terms.
Of course, the nuance here is that when we work on client-facing projects (as a comms agency), our schedule is not entirely in our control. But, outside of that, we want to make it as flexible as possible. Allow for focus hours and all that.
After some experimentation, here’s what we’ve arrived at – all tactical + operational things happen async. And when we do sit down together, we have time and headspace for big-picture things.
We meet twice a week. 12 noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Here’s an example of what we discuss and what we don’t.
For one of my marketing projects, I will share an overview of the feedback we received from our client. How we handled that. Or, talk about a challenge we faced + the solution we’re thinking. But, I will not talk about one specific collateral and the design element that was not working out. It is not relevant for a big group. It is operational. And it can be async. Or, with necessary stakeholders only.
For our async operations, we use Google Workspace, Basecamp and Trello for some projects. You choose what your team works the best with.
Some in October, we also made the transition to a writing-first company, thanks to Matt Mochary’s ways. All our work updates are written before we meet each other. And we continue to rely on that method for more things as we go by.
Oh, a golden rule from The Great CEO Within, when you say it twice, write it down.
4/ Overcommunication
It is the thumb rule. First things first, we’re a remote setup. When there’s no proximity, it’s even more important to find ways to keep people in the loop.
More than tactical benefits, overcommunication allows space for freedom.
One of the biggest reasons why we’ve been able to grow as a non-hierarchical, flexible setup is because we overcommunicate. And leave no things to chance.
5/ When in doubt, choose reliability
If you ask us what’s one thing we stand for, we will say reliability. Among other values.
One of the promises we make to our clients is that we’ll do all that it takes to have their back. Quoting the C4E Promise that we make to our clients, “We would do WHATEVER it takes to ensure that you are happy. And we will NOT rest till you ask us to stop”.
That said, here’s the thing – in the past, we’ve also (politely) let go of clients and work where our team has not been treated respectfully. We have had the privilege to choose what we work on and who we work with.
I would also say that it is easier to attract the right kind of people when your values are in the right place.
6/ BYOD
We have a bring-your-own device policy.
We do have systems in place that allow you to take a loan and get a device. Ask SG if you want to. But, it’s mostly BYOD.
That was all. Here’s a quick summary.
1/ Your work timings and leaves are undictated.
2/ There are pooled resources for the team. Anything that helps you do more and better. The only “rule” – use, don’t abuse.
3/ All tactical + operational things happen async. Each person’s time is SUPER valuable. We want to save synced slots for the big-picture things.
4/ Thumb rule – overcommunication.
5/ When in doubt, choose reliability
6/ BYOD – bring your own device.
That’s about it.
Oh, what would you want to add to this? SG wrote this. What about you?