The values that define us

In every company there is a culture that defines the way they think, act and create. Having a strong culture makes it possible to create a collaborative and innovative environment. OceanoBe has always put high emphasis on curating a culture that is inclusive, that allows flexibility, and that is based on shared values. We believe that our values are the ones that allow us to withstand the hard times and, more importantly, allow us to have the freedom to be innovative and creative in our own space. 

As you probably might have noticed we talk much about our values. Whether it's a blog post, interview, or event presentation, we will make sure to point them out. Why?! Well, because we believe in them and we know that they are our strong foundation. Since the beginning of this company, we knew how important it is to build something that has meaning and gives the team purpose. Our values are just that a lighthouse for everything we do and plan.

2019 was the first year we initiated an open discussion about our values and started what will become our tradition. Here is the blog post that presents OceanoBe’s values and process at the time. When we say tradition we mean it. And this year we started off with a quick review of our values. We wanted to know if things have changed and to what degree? Are we still on the right track or do we need to adjust our course of action? Here is what we learned.

The journey of discovery

The process of reevaluating our values this time was pretty straightforward. We announced that “it is time” and the people couldn't have agreed more. We sent out a list of comprehensive options for our team and each of them had to express what were the 4 core values that they adhere to. And they quickly jumped right into it. 

OceanoBe Core Values 

These are the main values that stand out from a list of close to 60 value propositions. An important note here is that four values were by far the most selected and marked as significant for our team. We made a statement on our company page if you want to see what exactly they stand for, just follow https://oceanobe.com/our-company. 

What has changed

Since our first company value definition, a value that gained more attention is flexibility. Here is an interesting fact. Since its inception, OceanoBe has been a hybrid approach company. Our team worked from home or from the office and there were no restrictions. We did not consider as many office hours, each person had the freedom to choose. Also, we always put an emphasis on being flexible on our projects and allowing the freedom of choice and of ideas and communication. But then again that was not a core value for us. It was more a concept of cultural behavior but not necessarily something that defined us. 

What changed? Well, the pandemic of course made the switch of the century. First, it was the WFH due to the lockdown. Now we see how many companies adhere to a hybrid working environment. This is mostly because the great resignation era has pushed the boundaries of most organizations to reconsider the work approach they had before the pandemic hit. What we learned here is that flexibility is starting to be in high demand and understandably so. And this doesn’t just apply to where you want to work…

Although there is this slight shift in our values structure this hasn’t been a course of disruption. As pointed out we already had flexibility incorporated into our way of working and being as a company, we just started putting more emphasis on it. For us the transition was very organic, we had already the infrastructure and internal culture for a flexible work environment. In terms of leadership, we just had to reassure everyone that we are here for them in any way they needed. We quickly adapted in order to make faster decisions and to allow each individual to find the right direction for him. Because OceanoBe was built on a flexible structure and mentality having flexibility become a more central core value for us means only that some priorities can change and we with them. 

Following our values 

We must emphasize the fact that our values are only as good as we keep to them. And we can, in all honesty, say that we did make good on our promise. We strive to do our best in making our pillar values stand out each and every day. Our focus has always been on creating a space that has a shared purpose and a culture that is allowing people to express themselves, have the freedom to innovate, allow us to grow, strive for excellence, and have the flexibility and freedom to change. 

Having our values reevaluated is such a great way to stop and assess our priorities and the way we see things. We believe that values are like a compass for you, no matter where you are they will always point north and in times of great uncertainty they will always show you where you need to go. In the words of Adam Grant:

“Meaningful work isn’t about impressing others. It’s about expressing your values.”

With that being said we invite you to discover our culture, values, and our great team. And if you want to join us here is a list of career opportunities.  

#TimetobeFlexible.