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I have worked in different places, with different people and different technologies. They all have something in common: they bored me. This is the reason why I left those jobs. All of them, except for one: Wolox.

So… what exactly is this startup doing that is different and makes me want to stay? Big companies like Google or Facebook have set the trend of creating relaxation areas with ping-pong and free snacks. But that’s not enough or even necessary to build an awesome company culture.

I decided to make a list because, well, who doesn’t love lists…? It highlights the key elements Wolox has and were missing in my previous jobs:

A great social environment. Technical improvement and contribution. Respect and privacy.

I’ll describe why these elements changed me and made me think differently about work. I’ll use real life experiences and give a brief conclusion, so bear with me on this, it’s going to be a long but fun ride!

Social environment

Do developers dream of esoteric code?

We might act like robots, we might talk like robots, we might even look like robots. But guess what? We are not robots. We are humans. Believe it or not. Shocking, isn’t it?

I would like to avoid the classic stereotype portrayed in movies and TV shows but we all know that some traits of these geek characters are present in ourselves and our colleagues. Some are extremely introverted, can be brutally honest, are deeply involved in video-games or puzzles and others simply enjoy spending a little bit too much time on their computers.

Creating social bonds between leaders and peers are the basics of a good working environment. This has never been an easy task for me. Believe me, I was a difficult case. For a long time I avoided all kind of outside-work-social-bonding activities because, for me, my work was just that: my job.

At Wolox they persistently invited me to social events until it reached the point where I couldn’t resist any more. I had to attend, even if I really didn’t want to. When I did, I realized it wasn’t that bad actually. Later on, I started to enjoy those activities and now I even encourage them!

Those activities are common in all companies. But the difference was in how much I was encouraged to participate at Wolox. I always wanted to be left alone. At other companies, with one or two refusals, it was enough for everyone to know that I shouldn’t be asked again. It made sense. Basically, all I wanted to do was my job, nothing more, nothing less. “Something more” can make a huge difference, for example, this post wouldn’t exist otherwise.