Invest in and take care of each other. This core value has shaped our culture and we are committed to keeping it in sight as we continue to grow.
NoRedInk knows that it takes more than just a feel-great mission and the right job description for people to thrive at work; it also takes feeling connected to your co-workers. We have grown to ~80 employees, but with nearly 50% of our team working remotely across the globe, we go the extra mile(s), literally and figuratively, to ensure that this important sense of team still flourishes. Last month we all went to the Chaminade in Santa Cruz for our fourth annual summer retreat.
The summer retreat gives NoRedInkers the opportunity to strengthen our connection with our mission, our vision, and each other. This year’s proved yet again that our eclectic group of personalities meshes beautifully and allows for each of us to be our authentic selves. In sum, we like each other; we really like each other!
Day 1:
After three days of working together in our San Francisco headquarters, we all boarded a bus and enjoyed a musical two-hour journey south, filled with guitar solos and plenty of group karaoke. We made it just in time to share dinner together overlooking a beautiful sunset….
… and had the rest of the evening to just hang out.
Day 2:
The official retreat began with a focus on NRI’s vision and mission. Jeff Scheur, our CEO, led with a presentation highlighting these and outlining this year’s wins (such as adding two new members to our leadership team, Steve and Chris), where we fell short, and what our focus will be in the next year.
The curriculum team then took over to lead us through a fun exercise that highlighted why teachers need a tool like ours. In small groups, we evaluated student writing samples using the rubrics from three national writing assessments and discussed how our scores compared to the official results. We then came back together as a company to talk about the challenges that standardized writing tests pose for students and teachers and how we can help students develop the skills they need to succeed. Even better, though, these are skills that can be applied across every kind of writing task students will face, so the value of our platform extends well beyond test day!
Though we packed a lot in, by mid-afternoon, the only thing left on our agenda was to relax and spend quality time together. NRI’ers could be found enjoying the lovely hikes along the property, intense volleyball games, and spontaneous karaoke during the evening’s Happy Hour. And as it turns out, we’re a group of friends that really does share a love for karaoke— though definitely not the same level of talent for it. While we have some stars, the fact that no would-be singer gets silenced in this crowd is arguably the strongest proof of all that we truly support each other.
Day 3:
Our last day focused on the theme of trust. Although we think this is a strength of ours, the workshop provided a valuable reminder that there is no blanket definition of the key behaviors needed to build trust between colleagues. Learning our different perspectives on the tenets of trust allows us to tailor our actions to what is most meaningful to each other on an individual basis. The mindful mentality that we collectively share is part of what makes NoRedInk a uniquely great company to work for, and this workshop gave us the opportunity to take it another step further.
Last but not least, we took lots of fun team photos!
Post-analysis:
Being a company that believes in continuous improvement, we asked our team for their feedback on the retreat. Here’s what NRI’ers had to say about what they most enjoyed about it:
“Getting to meet all the people I have seen only online, and those I don’t regularly work with. This is because I was so impressed with how talented these people are! I feel honored to be part of this team, and challenged and motivated to live up to our standards.” (Kelly)
“Team time! Having the discussions about trust and team norms was really, really helpful considering half of our team is new.” (Paige)
“Spending time with lovely coworkers in a beautiful setting, chatting with a variety of individuals in the hot tub, on the grass, at each meal! I loved small group conversations that brought out details and nuances between teams and departments in ways we hadn’t previously discussed.” (Danielle)
“It’s just so nice that we truly value and make space for connecting with our coworkers.” (Marc)
“Spending time with people I normally only see on video (or not at all). It’s also always great to see a ton of new faces, get to talking to those people, and realize that we haven’t compromised on hiring and they’re all folks who are going to embody our core values.” (Alexander)
Our winter retreat now has an especially high bar to live up to, but then again, our team has never been one to shy away from a challenge. 95 days to go, but who’s counting?
There’s room for a few more people though; we’re hiring! Check out our current openings here.