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The return-to-office war wages on, as disgruntled employees head back to work and are being greeted with a host of logistical and interpersonal challenges. But one technology company chose to go against the grain by keeping—and expanding—the distributed model of work they implemented during the pandemic.
“For us, it was never a thing [where] we will think about return to office one day when things get normal,” Avani Prabhakar, chief people officer at Atlassian, tells Fortune.
A fully distributed work model had been in the works even prior to 2020, but efforts ramped up when lockdowns forced employees to work from home. In an effort to utilize a data-driven approach to work, Atlassian introduced a “Team Anywhere” within its people department, which included the Teamwork Lab, a group of behavioral scientists conducting research to solve problems and innovate how work gets done for both clients and the company itself.
There are four key components to the company’s remote-first model: asynchronous communication, in which teams favor written communication for collaboration, “open by default,” meaning that written materials should be available to all, connection, and time zone awareness.
It looks like the company’s gamble on remote work has paid off: Atlassian’s workforce has tripled in size during the four and a half years that its flexible work policy has been in place, and the number of candidates who apply for open roles has more than doubled, according to the company.
Employee satisfaction is intrinsically connected to the “Team Anywhere” approach, 91% of employees say that flexibility is an important reason they stay at the company.
You can read more about Atlassian’s WFH policy here.
Sara Braun
sara.braun@fortune.com
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
China matched President Trump’s tariffs on the country with a 34% levy on the U.S., and also barred certain companies from doing business there. New York Times
In an effort to shrink the costs of government projects, consulting firm Deloitte is laying off U.S. consultants. Wall Street Journal
This millennial is working three remote jobs and has little to no loyalty to their employers, figuring the companies could do layoffs at any time. Business Insider
Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
A bitter ingredient. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol was already concerned about rising costs, but Trump’s new tariffs pose another major hurdle for the coffee giant. —Lila Maclellan
Unconventional starts. Before every meeting, Vimeo CEO Philip Moyer requires all employees to share a recent customer story. —Preston Fore
Labor activism. Following recent walkouts lawmakers in Oregon and Washington are thinking about whether striking workers should receive unemployment benefits. —Martha Bellisle, Claire Rush, and The Associated Press
