We’re proud to announce that BenchSci is officially a remote-first company. Now, all of our team members have the freedom to work in the environment that suits them best. We arrived at this decision after thorough consultation with our team and because we know it’s the right thing to do. We’re confident this move will benefit us all—both professionally and personally—as we begin an exciting new chapter of our journey. Here’s a bit about why we’ve made this move and what the future of work looks like at BenchSci.
We’ve proven we can be successful while working remotely
We’re no strangers to working remotely—we’ve already been doing it for the past year and a half due to the global pandemic. While this wasn’t something we (or anyone) planned for, our entire team has demonstrated their tenacity and adaptability throughout. We have continued to increase our impact on life-saving biomedical research and progress toward our vision of helping scientists get novel medicine to patients 50% faster by 2025.
We want to empower our team to work and live where they thrive
We know everyone’s different—celebrating those differences is a big part of our culture. While some may draw energy from working in a group, others may sometimes find it draining. While some might love city life, others may find more joy in the countryside, the rainforest, or as a wandering nomad. Going remote-first gives our team members the freedom to work and live where they are happiest. We believe that doing so will only make us stronger and more successful as individuals and as a business.
“We’re going through a time where more and more people—myself included—are exploring what it means to be a global citizen, and remote-first companies are a major contributor to this movement. I now have the option to spend time with my family in the U.S. or the U.A.E., reconnect in person with friends scattered all over the world, and achieve my ideal version of work-life harmony. The possibilities that arise from not being limited by geographic boundaries excite me to no end!”
– Hassan Muhammad, Business Operations Manager
We will maintain our innovative new office at 25 York Street in Toronto for team members to use as much or as little as they like (following all COVID-related public health guidance). We’ve dubbed this space the BenchSci Commons, alluding to the “commons” of political economics—the cultural and natural resources we all share. This resource will facilitate collaboration, connection, and productivity for team members who still want to work in an office environment, either part- or full-time.
We’re committed to increasing the accessibility of our roles
As a company committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, operating remote-first ensures all roles at BenchSci are accessible to those with disabilities, caregiving responsibilities, or other considerations. It’s important to us that everyone interested in a role at BenchSci is given a fair chance, regardless of their life circumstances. Also, to ensure equity, salaries will not be dependent on location. Even if a team member wishes to relocate somewhere with a lower cost of living, they are free to do so without affecting their salary.
We want to encourage a culture of trust and transparency
One of our core values is transparency, and we work hard to incorporate it into every aspect of our business. Part of that is being transparent with each other and, on the other side of the coin, trusting each other to be transparent. We believe that by trusting our team members we show them the respect they deserve as professionals. And we’ve found, by providing flexibility and independence, as well as resources and support as needed, our team is able to achieve its highest level of success.
“As a remote employee based in a city away from our headquarters, I feel more included knowing that the whole company is remote-first. I love many things about working remotely—lack of commute, increased focus time, flexible work hours—and I appreciate the trust BenchSci puts in its team to work effectively. The company has put in a lot of effort to make the remote experience awesome—virtual social events, fun Slack channels, UberEats vouchers, mailed out swag—and I’m looking forward to homecoming get-togethers in the near future!”
– Gabriela Jurca, Full Stack Engineer
We need to find the best people to accomplish our mission
Our mission is to exponentially increase the speed and quality of life-saving research; to be successful in this challenging endeavor, we need to attract the right people to expand our amazing team. We seek talented, dedicated, and passionate individuals who want to make their mark on the world. Going remote-first allows us to open up our roles to a much broader talent pool, which will help us hire people who will make the most impact while also maintaining our hypergrowth trajectory.
“I’m excited that BenchSci is a remote-first organization because it shows such a progressive approach to the changes we have experienced in a pandemic. We have been very successful remotely, and working for a company that celebrates that is incredible. We have also become a truly global organization, and being able to attract the right talent regardless of location is empowering as a department head.”
– Mike Egan, VP of Customer Success
Our remote-first employee experience will include quarterly homecomings for the entire team to come together to collaborate and connect (again following all COVID-related public health guidance and with travel expenses covered by the company). We will also provide a budget for home office improvement and have revised our core hours to incorporate common time zones.
We’re embracing new technologies to help us on this journey
We’re also exploring new ways to build on our success in a remote environment. For example, we provided each of our team members with an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset to facilitate remote collaboration, innovation, and team-building—and also to recognize the unrelenting pace of work at a hypergrowth startup and provide our team with an outlet to decompress and unwind. You can read more about it in Toronto Life.
It’s an exciting time to be at BenchSci, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds. Read our remote-first policy here, and visit our Careers site for more on why you’ll love working at BenchSci.