Over the last two years, we have interviewed 2,000+ Future of Work Pioneers who have shared their insights into new work paradigms. Today we feature Rolando Gonzaga as part of our series. Enjoy!
Rolando Gonzaga is the Global Head of Executive Recruiting at Binance.US, the fastest growing and most integrated digital asset marketplace in the United States.
Over the past year, Rolando has been responsible for building the entire leadership team for the incoming CEO and continuing to drive growth throughout the current economic downturn. He brings over 15 years of experience of building high-functioning executive teams around the world, most recently in the crypto industry, which he sees as the future of tech and finance.
What were the top three challenges you faced when Covid-19 began in 2020?
- Work from home with a family without an office set up
- Lack of exercise (gym closure)
- Adapting to being away from my team. Productivity was lagging.
How has the return to work been for you and your organization thus far? Have you landed on a policy?
Binance.US is a remote-first company with no plans of returning to an office. We do have some shared office space in select cities (NYC, DC) to accommodate important in-person meetings and we are building a tech hub in Vancouver, but that’s just to migrate international talent to North America.
At this point, being a remote-first company has been more of a selling point with candidates than anything else.
What are the top three most influential decisions you’ve made over the past two years in managing teams and culture?
- Despite being remote, I have encouraged teams to meet in person as frequently as possible and it has greatly improved team culture and productivity.
- As much as too many meetings can be counterproductive, I have encouraged more frequent check-ins. Being remote can leave some people feeling isolated and where in-person meetings aren’t possible, seeing a friendly face on a more frequent basis can improve morale and productivity.
- More swag! Who doesn’t love more swag, especially if it’s on theme with working from home like mugs, sweaters, blankets, etc.
What is your current workplace strategy, and how did you determine it?
"Seeing how productive the company became when forced to work remotely, we decided to be a remote-first company with no plans of returning to a physical location."
We’re continuing to see a trend of pricey office spaces being dumped in favor of remote setups.
Do you have teams within your organization that have different space, cultural, or organizational needs? If so, can you provide insight into how you anticipate or are currently managing that?
Our engineering and product leadership have a strong preference for an in-person set up, hence our Vancouver office that we’re scaling at the moment. Because we are product and tech driven company, the boost in productivity is critical to our ability to stay nimble in a very competitive landscape.
How much flexibility do you plan on, or are you currently giving employees regarding where, when, and how they work?
"There is no clocking in and out here. It’s all about output."
It doesn’t matter if you’re in Hawaii or Dubai, working 9-5 or 3-9. If you’re meeting expectations and are a functioning participant to the team, then you can really work however suits your needs.
What does the purpose and vision for an ‘office’ look like from your perspective in the next five years?
The same as it does right now. For 90% of the company, it will be and remain 100% remote, with regular offsites to get teams to spend time together. The remaining 10% will work from a centralized hub, currently being in Vancouver.
What is one tip you’d give to your peers, or have you learned from your peers?
Take scheduled time every day to step away from your laptop and go for a walk or engage in some other activity. It’s easy to get stuck in front of your screen when you don’t have a co-worker to pull you out for lunch or the usual commute.
Can you share one prediction for the Future of Work that you’d strongly bet on?
I’m biased, but I do see blockchain technology weave itself into every fabric of life, whether that’s banking & finance, healthcare, supply chain or voting.