Finding a balance between work and life is crucial to maintaining your mental and physical health, but it’s not always easy. Fortunately, there are a number of Boston tech companies that foster an environment of flexibility and understanding. We talked to employees at three companies with unique cultures that make it possible to excel in both work and life.
Fintech company Intralinks has offices all over the world, and despite the numerous locations, its culture is still extremely collaborative. Architect Marco Vinicio Aguilar Soto described what it’s like to work there — and exactly how it differs from his colorful past.
How is your company culture here different from what you’ve experienced at previous companies?
I used to work on a Chiquita banana plantation and compared to Chiquita, Intralinks has more flexibility with time off, more AC use when it’s hot out and less poisonous spiders.
Joking aside, the way I would describe the culture of Intralinks is innovative and collaborative. We encourage innovation across the company, and we want to hear about different solutions and applications of our tech. I have been at the edge of technology and worked with teams from some of the larger companies leading the AI industry. I constantly meet with startups and plan proof of concepts with them to try to integrate our company with other innovators in the field.
Intralinks’ culture of collaboration means I don't have to come up with all the ideas by myself.”
Why is that important for someone in your role?
I’m the tech lead for the innovation teams, so I get to play with different ideas, concepts and tech constantly. I have the opportunity to work with teams from all over the world tackling our customers’ needs firsthand, and I even get to visit our global offices in Sydney, Hong Kong, London, Bucharest, Brazil, New York and Paris. I have presented at different universities, sharing knowledge I have acquired in the industry with students starting their careers. Intralinks’ culture of collaboration means I don't have to come up with all the ideas by myself.
Fintech and payment company Salary Finance promotes a culture of trust and comfort — two qualities that are necessary for most roles, but especially a creative field like marketing. Evanna Payen, Marketing Manager, explained why that’s so important.
How is your company culture here different from what you’ve experienced at previous companies?
The environment here is friendly and supportive. We’re always encouraged to try new things and express our ideas. The work hours are flexible, so no one is monitoring when you arrive or leave. The leadership team trusts us to show up and get our work done. This also encourages a positive and manageable work-life balance.
There’s a lot of trial-and-error with marketing, so it’s important to feel comfortable enough to try new things.”
Why is that important for someone in your role?
As a marketing professional, I need to be able to take risks and be creative. There’s a lot of trial-and-error with marketing, so it’s important to feel comfortable enough to try new things.
Marketing tech platform Alyce’s culture is centered on collaboration and balance. Daniel Rodriguez, head of revenue, explained how this environment has helped him become a better worker, father and husband.
How is your company culture here different from what you’ve experienced at previous companies?
The culture at Alyce is the most collaborative, upbeat and positive environment I've ever worked in. I believe it all stems from our four stated values, which we interview for and reward within the company: Give first and consistently, seize the present, unwrap the possibility and be crafty. There's also this funny little thing we do to celebrate wins: We collectively snap our fingers. It's a little thing, but it's the softest-sounding loud round of applause you can imagine and leaves a lot of smiles on faces.
The culture at Alyce is the most collaborative, upbeat and positive environment I've ever worked in.”
Why is that important for someone in your role?
The values that we have are fundamentally about being selfless, paying it forward and putting your ego aside. In many ways, I feel like this culture isn't just a feel-good story, but it's good for my soul and impacts other parts of my life as a father, husband, friend and member of my community.
While Alyce is a professional environment, it's also meant to be a place where you aren't expected to be someone you’re not — we really celebrate the fact that we're all just people at the end of the day. That's refreshing and feels really comfortable. People understand if I have to move a meeting because I need to drop my kids off at school.
