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While many tech companies are pulling employees back to headquarters with strict RTO policies or backpedaling on DEI initiatives, Fluency holds true to our people-first values. For us, putting our people at the center of our organization is not just a trendy HR concept or a recruitment headline—it’s the foundation of our success.
Our “life first, then work” approach has helped us build a thriving company that embodies trust, compassion, and support from the ground up. Here’s what it truly means to build a people-first organization in tech and why this philosophy is the key to growth in any industry.
Five ways that Fluency cultivates a people-first organization
Company cultures do not rise up organically. A company’s culture needs to be exemplified by leadership, nurtured by each employee, discussed during the interview process, and instilled during the early days of a new hire’s onboarding experience.
At Fluency, we’ve made deliberate decisions to prioritize our people and their well-being, even as we expand our remote-first company across 22 states. Here’s an inside look at how we do it:
1. Our remote-first philosophy emphasizes connection
We’ve deliberately chosen to be a remote company because we don’t want to put geographic borders on where we find the best people. Being remote gives us the flexibility to hire the best talent across the country.
Still, we make a conscious effort to maintain and promote companywide connections. For example, the entire company meets virtually every day (cameras on!) for a full organization sync. This time is reserved to review each department’s work from the past week, report progress on big goals, or discuss current or upcoming projects.
However, it’s also a time to laugh, share milestones in our personal lives, and learn about each other. Employees have hosted sessions about cultural traditions, meaningful experiences, and even giveaways for participating in our health and wellness program. Even on the days we only meet for 15 minutes, whether in our company meeting or an employee-hosted meditation session, seeing each other’s faces daily keeps us connected and aligned.
Once people join Fluency, it’s not just about collaboration: it’s about community. Physical distance becomes less relevant when we bond through shared goals, mutual respect, and plenty of camera-on face time.
2. Own your time with flexible CTO
Every team member is unique. We honor this individuality through personalized support.
One-size-fits-all policies don’t drive our overall approach. Instead, we adapt to ensure things work best for each individual. Different employees have different needs because they all have different lives.
For example, team members can use their time off however they want. Some employees want to use their time off to watch their child perform in a school play. Others may want time off for religious or cultural observances. Our role as the employer is to reassure them that they can fully unplug, as well as support each team member in areas that matter most to them.
This careful attention to individual needs helps employees feel valued and creates a sense of belonging, which lies at the foundation of our workplace culture.
3. Win, learn, and grow as a team
At Fluency, we celebrate everything positive that happens at our company. We celebrate the wins of our peers because they are wins for our organization: even the smallest actions move our company forward. That positive energy benefits everyone and reinforces a culture of collaboration and support.
Whether it’s landing a major client or congratulating an engineer on a successful feature launch, we acknowledge the work that’s building forward momentum for our company. We acknowledge each other for greatness because we are all great.
It’s not about how we celebrate. It’s about the fact that we take the time to celebrate, sincerely and consistently, and showcase that we are truly excited for one another. Every win—whether professional or personal—belongs to the entire Fluency team. This culture of shared success fosters gratitude, motivation, and pride in the work we do every day.
We also take the time to share learnings and areas we can improve. Discussing these things as a team reinforces an environment of psychological safety. We like to win, grow, and evolve together.
4. We focus on building a deeply collaborative environment
Collaboration is hardwired into our culture.
That doesn’t mean you’re constantly in “working session” meetings. At Fluency, collaboration means valuing one another’s contributions and stepping up when help is needed.
For example, if someone needs to take a day off, their teammates step in without hesitation. We also collaborate on projects every day. For instance, our Client Services team contributes to the workload for training materials, including writing or editing help center articles. As a lean team, this level of collaboration enables us to move forward faster.
Respectful and open communication is at the core of our collaborative approach. This mindset starts at the top, with our C-Suite leadership continuously providing transparency into the company’s inner workings. This transparency helps our teams feel part of the company’s collective because they can understand how their individual contributions impact what’s happening at the highest level.
We also encourage employees to share their ideas and feedback, no matter how out-of-the-box they might seem. We give employees multiple platforms to share their feedback: anonymous workplace surveys, manager 1-on-1 meetings, or our daily companywide meeting, to name a few.
5. Proactive onboarding and ongoing professional development
Our onboarding process ensures that every new hire is vocally welcomed, feels confident in contributing, and is aligned with our values from day one.
New employees meet with our leadership team in their first week. This breaks down barriers and lays the groundwork for an immediate connection to the company.
Further, we invest in each employee’s personal growth. Every team member has opportunities to hone their skills, learn cross-functional strategies, and even improve themselves outside of the workplace through our health and wellness program. Whether it’s a bi-weekly meditation session or the chance to obtain new certifications, we want our team members to grow, thrive, and feel pride in their work.
The real business impact of a people-first culture
Does Fluency’s people-first approach pay off? Absolutely.
By focusing on employees’ well-being and respecting their individuality, we’ve built a positive work environment that also drives incredible results.
Here’s some proof:
- High employee engagement: Fluency maintains an 85% employee engagement rate—far above the 70% average in the technology sector.
- Expansion of remote workforce: Fluency’s team works in 22 different states, highlighting that quality work and an engaged workforce can exist virtually.
- Over 1 billion in ad spend managed every year: Our growing list of clients place trust in our team and solutions every day to help them run their business. This is the ultimate validation.
Our continued success shows that when you take care of your people, your people take care of your business. That’s the power of a people-first organization.Creating a workplace that transcends “culture” At Fluency, “culture” is more than just perks or policies. We’ve intentionally built an environment where people feel safe enough to innovate, confident enough to contribute, and respected enough to be themselves. Fluency has become the type of workplace we wish more companies would aspire to be: one where collaboration truly thrives, diversity is honored, and compassion fuels innovation. We’re proud of what we’ve created and we’re not done yet. Our people-first approach is more than just a philosophy. It’s how we’re shaping the future of work. If you’re a digital advertising engineer or professional looking for your next career move, we want to hear from you. Together, we can shape the future of advertising and what it means to be part of a thriving workplace.
