At Web Summit 2022, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rohan Patel, the Senior Vice President of Engineering at Builder.ai. We delved into the startup’s unique techniques for cultivating a culture that extends beyond the traditional workplace and encountered the difficulties of working remotely. Rohan is determined to make application development accessible to non-coders by granting them more power.
Create a mobile onboarding solution
As Builder.ai continues to experience rapid expansion, the company is actively seeking to enlarge their workforce. Previously, face-to-face training sessions were held in London, Delhi, and Los Angeles to familiarise new team members with the business operations, which was quite effective. Nevertheless, in light of recent remote work trends, it has become increasingly difficult to quickly integrate new employees into the busy work environment.
According to Rohan, Builder.ai’s success can be largely attributed to their overhauled onboarding process, which comprises a series of courses geared towards equipping new employees with the necessary skills to make valuable contributions to the organization. This training program is intended to familiarise them with the company’s culture and operations. Rohan emphasises the significance of distinct documentation, repetition, and transparency for effective communication.
Work culture frequently involves accommodating individuals’ non-working hours
In the early days of the pandemic, Rohan remembers how the team strove to maintain the uplifting ambience of their office. By setting up game nights and other online team-building activities, they tried to reproduce the after-work socialising experience.
It didn’t take long for Builder.ai to recognise that its employees valued the ability to switch off from work outside their regular hours. Although they enjoyed each other’s company in person, Rohan recalls that their Zoom interactions felt less casual and spontaneous. As a consequence, Builder.ai resolved to give teams the freedom to devise their own norms for interacting with each other. This way, Builder.ai can honour the preferences of its team members while maintaining a genuine company culture.
