In May, our entire team experimented with a 4-day workweek. The intention of this experiment was to help us all manage the stress and changes to routine caused by living through a global pandemic. We initially rolled out the 4-day work week experiment for only one month, with the main goal of reducing teammates’ stress.…
As April comes to a close, and we look ahead to another month where our global team is living in various forms of lockdown and isolation, I decided that for the month of May, Buffer will operate under a 4-day workweek (at full pay) across the whole 89-person team. We’re in a period of time…
Many companies have a regular All Hands meeting. Generally, this is a company-wide gathering for all employees (‘all hands on deck’) to hear from the organization’s leaders and discuss the state of the company. At Buffer, the All Hands meeting is a key element of our communication and culture. As we grow, there’s an increased…
“When spring comes, snow melts first at the periphery, because that is where it is most exposed”Andy Grove This quote comes from Andy Grove, Intel’s former CEO, and which I was reminded of in the most recent book I finished reading, Seeing Around Corners by Rita McGrath. The idea is that snow melts first from…
In 2015, we made Buffer’s most significant acquisition and acquired Respondly, which became Reply, our solution to help businesses deliver fast and responsive customer support on social media. We originally acquired it intending to diversify Buffer’s core product offerings. While it served that purpose, it has become clear over time that Reply is better suited…
I wish I could tell you that I have always been an environmental warrior. But my story is a more common one. I’ve always done my best to care for the environment. I cycle, walk or take public transport as much as I can. I use my refillable water bottle and tote bags to avoid…
Ever since a global pandemic exploded the ranks of remote workers in a matter of a few weeks, folks have been turning to longtime remote companies like Buffer for answers. We wish we had them. Buffer has been fully remote for almost 10 years, but this is not normal remote working. We know remote, and…
As an always-evolving company, Buffer has shared a lot of our successes and failures along the way — and we view each of these ups and downs as chances to learn and grow. One area we’ve experimented with deeply in the past year has been onboarding – how we bring new teammates on board. In…
For the past few years, we’ve been on a journey to make sure our Buffer swag – the branded merchandise that goes out to teammates, customers and the world – reflects our Buffer values. Branded merchandise has a vast footprint on the environment — in terms of production, shipping, employment practices, and distribution — so…
Before I worked in a remote team, I was a freelancer and never needed to collaborate with teams very much. The way I used my calendar back then was pretty basic; maybe a birthday here and there. But when I joined Buffer in 2015 that suddenly changed. The more I grew as an engineer and…