The COVID-19 global pandemic forced us to experiment with how and where we work in an extensive way and many struggled with this transition. But the experience was definitely eye-opening on many levels. While some realized that they were not made for school teaching or Zoom happy hours, others explored new ways to balance their lives between work and personal activities.
Dataiku engineers make no exception to this. And because Dataiku's company culture is very much based on collaboration and favors bottom-up approaches, we listened to them and ultimately decided to offer them a wide range of new exciting opportunities — including the ability to work from Reunion Island, a dreamy French territory located in the Indian Ocean.
Some video footage of Reunion Island from lucky Dataiker Cécile
Talent First, Location Last
When scaling our engineering team, we want to ensure our hiring philosophy remains the same. We aim at hiring engineers who are able to adapt to our ever-evolving data science and AI space and never get tired of learning new things. So, when it comes to choosing between two candidates in this highly competitive talent market, our decisions are never made upon location. In 2021, 54% of the software engineers we hired, signed a fully remote contract with us. We’re convinced that diverse teams build better products. Our features are now co-developed from Dubai, Nuremberg, Nice, or Barcelona and our team is made up of around 13 nationalities.
Work-Life Balance Is Not One Size Fits All
And while remote work is part of our new normal, it’s not the only option. What work-life balance entails is different to each one of us. Dataikers can now opt-in for the working mode that suits them best:
- Office - In the office four or more days a week
- Flex - In the office two to three days a week
- Super Flex - In the office two to three days a month
- Remote - Only attends special events in the office
We also introduced a new “Work From Anywhere” policy to allow each Dataiker, regardless of their chosen type of work, to work from anywhere they choose up to four weeks per year (within a +3/-3 time zone from their home base).
From the Bay Area to Reunion Island
But there’s more to the story. Who said San Francisco is the only place to be for engineers? Reunion Island is on its way to becoming one of the world's digital hubs and has a lot to offer to digital talent in need of outdoor space and nature: Roughly 42% of the overseas territory's surface are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Dataiku is proud to expand its footprint in the Indian Ocean, offering both its current and future engineers the opportunity to grow their career and enjoy their personal life while contributing to the growth of the island. Wondering what it’s like in real life? Ask the 10 Dataikers who work from our La Réunion hub already — and join them!
I feel grateful to be able to work with colleagues from all over the world on such challenging technical topics while still enjoying picnics on the beach and volcano hikes with my family and friends in my free time.
It’s the best of both worlds for me.”Emmanuel, Junior Software Engineer
