On our job site or on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter you will find many reasons to work for LEAN-Coders. But what are the reasons against it?
We dare to take the step and do anti-advertising for ourselves... or against us - however you see it.
Why? Because the team structure is extremely important to us. And if your and our values, ideas, and working methods do not match, it is an unpleasant situation - for no one.
I want to try to produce as little "hidden marketing blah blah" as possible, and instead be as clear, open, and reflective as possible. Enjoy!
#1 Our "Company DNA" Doesn't Fit You
This is the most important point for us: We love diversity, but we are rigorous in a few areas when it comes to how we work. Our "DNA" consists of the fundamental values of our collaboration, and besides decency and respect for one another, and other things that are so self-evident that I don't want to mention them here, it mainly includes the following 2 points:
- Extreme Transparency We live transparency through and through. All employees know all the financial figures of the company, everyone knows what all colleagues earn, including CEO, CTO, etc. That sounds great, but you need to be clear about one thing: If you are a team lead with us, all your team members can also find out your salary. We make no compromises here, because extreme transparency also has extreme advantages. It prevents all gossip and envy debates from the start. Moreover, issues like salary gaps are thus circumvented. We would like this kind of transparency to become the standard in the economy, but there are things we cannot influence...
- Freedom = Creativeness Within the legal possibilities, we live the greatest possible freedom in designing work tools, operating systems, workplace (remote first), and working hours (business hours). At first glance, that sounds cool, but you need to be aware that this also has disadvantages. Because despite the remote-first approach, teamwork is extremely important to us, and as a lonesome rider, you will not be happy with us. We actively exchange ideas in chats, meet for quarterly events, for joint sports, and of course also casually in our office locations. We are convinced that as much freedom in work design as possible fosters creativity. And creativity is one of the most important resources in a business field where every single project is unique and requires individual approaches.
#2 We are still small
We are (still) not a multinational megacorporation, which has various consequences. For example, we actually have "flat hierarchies," which means we are very quick in decision-making processes. On the other hand, this also intrinsically means fewer "promotion opportunities."
Of course, our developers go through the classic development stages (Junior -> Senior) and can optionally switch to topics like software architecture, project management, or technical sales, or develop as they wish in these fields. However, if you want to "work your way up" in the traditional sense, you are definitely better off in a large corporation.
#3 Sometimes It Gets Chaotic
We are agile, dynamic, and fast. Sometimes too fast. Sometimes we do things for which we have not yet created and established perfect structures and processes. Sometimes it gets a bit chaotic. If you are a process-driven, precise person, and want to change the world for the better, we look forward to you - to sometimes just bring a bit of order back into the place!
#4 Fail Fast, Learn Fast!
Did I mention that we sometimes rush forward too quickly? Trying new things without knowing how well they actually work?
This is perfect if you are a creative mind, like trying out new technologies, and want to make an impact. This fits perfectly with us - as long as you are also able to reflect afterwards on how well the experiment went and what can be improved in the future.
But if you prefer to stick to tried-and-true methods (which is of course also a valid approach), and want to "only" apply what you have learned in the next few years, LEAN-Coders may not be the perfect workplace for you.
#5 We Live and Demand: LEAN
LEAN is more than just a buzzword for our company name or some marketing pitch. LEAN is what sets us apart from our competitors. That sounds nice at first, but it also has practical implications for you:
If you work with us, you will learn the theory and practice of LEAN in the medium term. We proactively challenge ourselves and optimize our processes, our offerings, and our source code.
We won't leave you alone in this. We have plenty of training materials around LEAN, a collection of "LEAN cases" with examples from practice, and workshops/retrospectives where you can actively participate in shaping how we continuously improve ourselves, our software projects, and the entire company through the LEAN approach.
For this, you need to be willing to learn something about LEAN. But above all, you need to be ready to adjust your mindset to LEAN: There is always something to optimize!
Oh, and: Clean Code is mandatory! And never check in source code that cannot be built! And linting will not be skipped! And ...
#6 Responsibility and Ownership: Empower People!
With us, you are not a small cog in the big machinery. We live by the principle: Empower people!
This means that as soon as you are no longer in "junior status," you will receive more and more responsibility in the projects. Anything is possible - up to complete project management. We take your wishes and goals into account.
We promise you: It will never be boring with us. It will be challenging, exciting, and extremely rewarding. But if you prefer to hide behind the monitor and take it easy - we are definitely not the right fit for that.
#7 Gaming in the Office
We take our work very seriously and really dive into it. Now and then, however, you need to clear your head, and that can be done with us depending on personal preference with coffee, CrossFit, an after-work beer at the nearby Irish pub, or with video games.
Yes, we game - remotely and in the office. Mainly Mario Kart, Among Us, and StarCraft. We are open to suggestions. Of course, we take our colleagues into account and do not scream wildly around. In the office, you should also be able to work concentrated :-)
We stand by the fact that we organize our working hours as we like best. Therefore, there is no regulation on when gaming is allowed. It is free for all. And that will remain so. If you don't like gaming, that's perfectly fine. But let your colleagues have their fun. Envy has no place here. And we don't find it "unprofessional" either. If that bothers you, you are in the wrong place.
Are you already put off?
If not, check out our job site now and get in touch with us - at the only software company you have ever read about why you should not apply to them :-)
