No matter the distance, DraftKings team members are finding new ways to connect, collaborate, and support each other — proving that great teamwork knows no borders.
Just ask Lilia Tsvetkova.
“I believe it sharpens our focus,” the software engineering manager explained. “Those few hours we share each day become incredibly productive.”
While some may find it distracting to work across multiple time zones, Tsvetkova considers it an advantage. She and her peers at digital sports entertainment and gaming company DraftKings have mastered the art of cross-continental collaboration, and while they do encounter challenges, they always find a way to stay in sync.
“Time management and small compromises go a long way,” Tsvetkova said.
It’s not just the productivity that makes being on a global team so enjoyable. Tsvetkova also cherishes the cultural enrichment that is gained and is always proud to showcase the traditions and sites of her home country, Bulgaria, where she currently resides, along with the majority of her team.
These small moments of connection impact team members across the company, including Lead Analyst Griffin Reilly, who is now eager to schedule a trip to Bulgaria after hearing about its beauty from his colleagues who live there. He shared that, while he and most of his teammates live in Boston, he’s often connecting with employees around the world through the company’s Slack channels. Whether he’s chatting about Indian cooking with a colleague in Dublin or getting restaurant recommendations from a teammate in Las Vegas, Reilly feels he has ample opportunities to get to know his peers, regardless of where they live.
At DraftKings, global teamwork isn’t merely embraced — it’s championed as a key to its success. With the right tools, practices, and opportunities, the company offers a “dynamic and authentic” workplace in which everyone can deliver their best work and expand their perspective in the process.
Working Together Across Continents
There are many elements that go into building a tight-knit global team, but for Senior Software Engineer Christine Kim, the greatest among them is communication.
“Since we’re a very distributed team, anything that facilitates communication and rapport is the most important for us,” she said.
Kim and her teammates update each other throughout the day using their team Slack channel and participate in daily syncs. She noted that it’s also helpful when she and her peers update their Slack statuses with appropriate emojis and descriptions, as it easily lets others know if they’re available. Based in New York City, Kim works with teammates across North America and beyond, which is why scheduling meetings isn’t always straightforward. Nevertheless, she believes that the coordination required actually brings her and her peers closer together.
“Not only are we regularly putting ourselves in our teammates’ shoes, but we’re actively making efforts to communicate,” Kim said.
“Not only are we regularly putting ourselves in our teammates’ shoes, but we’re actively making efforts to communicate.”
On Tsvetkova’s team, both Slack and Zoom play a key role in daily communication. The tools drive the success of team meetings, one-on-ones, retrospectives and ad-hoc daily collaboration.
Nevertheless, Tsvetkova added, the true key to global collaboration lies not in the tools team members use but in the culture they foster.
“But beyond the tech, what truly empowers us is the environment we create around it,” she said. “I prioritize building a friendly, trusting atmosphere where people feel safe to speak up and genuinely feel like part of a team.”
Tips For Staying Connected Across Time Zones
- Tsvetkova: “Make sure everyone feels like part of the team, no matter where they’re located. When someone’s working from the other side of the world, it’s easy for them to feel disconnected unless you’re intentional about keeping them informed and involved. Prioritize transparency, share context, and keep communication flowing. Whenever possible, create opportunities to bring people together, whether that’s through live meetings, remote work trips, or off-sites. And lastly, always operate with the mindset that we’re all different. What works best for you might not be the most effective approach for someone else, and that’s exactly what makes global collaboration so rich.”
- Reilly: “Leverage the wonderful suite of technology that is available, particularly with the greater advent of remote work, to be as inclusive as ever of coworkers from around the globe. There is always a way to incorporate people in separate locations to make them feel equally as included in work and socialization as an in-person team member, and our modern suite of technology is a great assist in that.”
Building Bonds Across Borders
When DraftKings’ team members step away from their desks, the sense of camaraderie doesn’t fade — it gets stronger.
That’s because the company prioritizes both virtual and in-person opportunities for connection, such as team offsites like the one Tsvetkova and her peers took part in at a ski resort in Bulgaria.
“It brought us even closer and strengthened our collaboration in a truly memorable way,” she said.
DraftKings prioritizes in-person connection so much that it offers new employees the opportunity to meet in Boston, Massachusetts, or Sofia, Bulgaria, through its new onboarding program, DK Immersion. This program allows new team members to connect and meet other teammates in person. Previous in-person events have included the NFL’s annual kickoff celebration and key product launch gatherings, offering employees memorable ways to connect beyond the screen.
“These in-person opportunities not only boost collaboration but also create lasting bonds across borders,” Tsvetkova said.
“These in-person opportunities not only boost collaboration but also create lasting bonds across borders.”
When team members aren’t gathered together in person, they find other ways to cultivate camaraderie. Kim said that her team started a “Hawaiian Shirt Friday” tradition for their weekly syncs, which has since taken on other variations, such as “Show Us Your Favorite Cup” or “Share Something You’ve Learned Recently.” Other quirky traditions include a fun activity everyone takes part in during retrospectives, where they rate fast food restaurants and vote for their favorite vegetables.
“It’s a great way to build rapport with your remote team members, since it’s difficult for silly moments like those to happen organically in a distributed setting,” Kim said.
Reilly added that his team makes an effort to schedule engaging virtual events. Previously, the team hosted a Family Feud game and a GeoGuessr tournament, both of which enabled remote and in-office team members to take part in some friendly competition.
The company’s business resource groups also play a key role in uniting team members. Reilly said he recently had the chance to travel to the Render conference in Atlanta with a few of his fellow BRG members, where they discussed the future of the company in the “Silicon South” and got to know more about each other through this conference.
Having team members spread across continents is no hindrance to collaboration or connection at DraftKings. No matter where someone is located, everyone finds a way to come together to achieve business goals, celebrate each other’s wins, and shape an exciting future for the company.
“It’s rare to find a work environment where that kind of global diversity is not only embraced but encouraged, and it’s given me so much, both professionally and personally,” Tsvetkova said.
