What Company Culture Looks Like at Emergent Software, Five Years In

I got home from Minneapolis after Emergent Connect and was immediately covered in a pile of my animals, which was honestly the perfect way to end the week.

After a few days of taking selfies, catching up, giving hugs, learning from people, making plans, giving sick high fives, eating delicious snacks, and spending time with coworkers I usually only see on a screen, I came home tired, happy, and very grateful.

This was Emergent Software’s fifth Emergent Connect. Our first Connect was much smaller, with only 17 people. This year, over 130 of us came together in Minneapolis.

A lot has changed in the past few years. But the spirit of the company still feels remarkably similar to what I remember from those early days. People genuinely care about each other, everyone has a place here, and there’s still that same sense that we’re building something special together.

Making a Remote Company Feel Connected

I live in Connecticut, so most of my time with coworkers happens through Teams calls, chats, and email. There’s a lot that gets lost in translation when you’re on a call or over email, so getting to look everyone in the eyes and have face-to-face conversations makes a huge difference.

At Connect, I got to hug, shake hands with, or high five just about everyone in the company. We’re all just people in a room having a good time and enjoying being together, and there’s something about that that puts everyone on the same level.

I can’t stress how much of a difference it makes getting that face time as a fully remote employee. My face still hurt from smiling so hard by the time I got home.

That sense of connection isn’t limited to Connect. Emergent hires great people. You can reach out to literally anyone in the company, and they’ll gladly carve out time to help you.

You won’t have to look far to find someone that cares. We all care.

It’s so unique. It’s unlike any place I’ve ever worked before.

Making Appreciation Feel Personal

One of the moments that stuck with me most from this year’s Connect actually started with something we already do internally.

We have a system for recognizing peers called Kudos. We use an online tool where you can shout someone out for doing good work, being good to work with, or just highlight moments in our day-to-day that you’re grateful for.

During Connect, one of our engineering managers had a breakout with his team where he encouraged everyone to handwrite kudos for coworkers across the company and give them to those people in person.

I received two, and let me tell you, both made me actively cry.

Having someone say to your face that they appreciate you is a feeling unlike any other. I felt so valued and seen.

Everyone I’ve talked to who received in-person kudos said the same thing. One of my coworkers even pinged me afterward to say she was framing hers.

It feels awesome being appreciated generally, but this was a next-level experience.

Five Years at Emergent

This year’s Connect was also a big one for me personally because I hit five years at Emergent.

During the anniversary recognition, Chris spoke about some of the things I’ve contributed over those five years, and I am not exaggerating when I say that I’ve never felt more seen, validated, or appreciated than I did during his speech.

I think everyone here finds little ways to go above and beyond. It’s so impactful having a C-suite leader notice those things and list them off one by one.

There are days where our jobs can be hard, frustrating, thankless, and sometimes just plain boring. But on balance, every “meh” day is worth it because I like who I’m surrounded by, and I know that the relationships I’ve forged here will be lasting ones.

This is such a special group of people, and work doesn’t always feel like work when I’m doing it with them.

Giving People Room to Shape the Company

Two of our values are really close to my heart: Professionalism with Personality and Empowering a Great Workplace.

Emergent gives people the space and freedom to be themselves and to help build and shape the company.

We’re all part of the success story here, whether you’ve been here since we were only 17 people strong or whether you just got hired. Everyone’s ideas and feedback are encouraged and supported.

That matters more and more as the company grows.

Emergent is obviously different than it was when Connect had 17 people, and that’s a good thing. But growth doesn’t have to mean that people stop feeling heard or stop feeling like they have a hand in what comes next.

Getting to Be My Weird Self

If someone asks why I’ve stayed at Emergent for five years, that’s the easiest question by far: I’m here for the people.

We’re a company filled with funny, down-to-earth, kind, helpful, super intelligent people. I can’t say enough about their character and caliber.

Emergent lets me be my weird self, and it’s rare at any job to feel like you’ve found your niche and like you belong. I feel supported and accepted here, even when I’m being super weird and playing pranks on the CEO.

That’s what Professionalism with Personality means to me. I get to be myself, and I get to work with people I genuinely like and respect.

The Parts I’ll Remember

Of course, some of my favorite moments from Connect had nothing to do with breakout sessions or company discussions.

I laughed until my abs hurt at 1 a.m. over a pretzel. I rocked out to jazz music up in the clouds, I got way too excited over Italian food. There were selfies, happy hours, team dinners, hugs, high fives, and plenty of snacks.

We closed out the trip with a small crew having lunch at the airport, eating Mexican food and listening to the full studio cut of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.

10/10.

Those moments may not be the first things people think of when they hear “company culture,” but I think they belong in the conversation.

To me, culture is how people treat each other. It’s whether you feel appreciated, whether your ideas matter, whether you can ask for help, and whether you can show up as yourself and know you belong.

Five years in, that’s still what stands out most to me about Emergent Software.