As is normal, a multitude of questions were playing on my mind as I had decided to take the plunge into the startup ecosystem.
After multiple rounds of stimulating interviews and a lot of deliberation, Meesho and I had chosen each other for this journey. I had known that Meesho was growing at a tremendous pace, had cracked a market which the industry did not even think existed and that it had some amazing leaders.
3 overpowering feelings during the initial — Nervous, Excited, and Awed.
I wondered whether I would be able to contribute positively to the team, whether it would all be unstructured randomness and I would get fluttered, whether my life would become better or worse than my previous job ? These questions inside my head contributed to the ‘Nervous’ but everything that I saw around myself contributed to the ‘Excited’ and ‘Awed’.
Everyone was supportive, helpful, as excited as the first day of their job, full of energy and solving huge scale problems with a wide smile on their faces.
It hasn’t been long for me here (considering the pace of everything however, feel like a veteran), but Meesho has been an absolute joy of a workplace. Everyone is aligned with the values/mantras of the company which are not just words for an office wall but the breath and soul of everything we do. There are well thought out structural interventions to help each employee deliver their best and I straightaway felt like I was welcomed here. Within a few weeks, I felt part of the team which has set out on a mission - “Democratise internet commerce for everyone”.
Apart from the popular ‘Work from anywhere’ model (Not WFH, but WFA) which gives you the flexibility to work from wherever you feel you can contribute the most (can be an office in your city, can be the HQ in Bangalore, can be your home, can be the hills), there are multiple other mindful interventions, which I didn't even know I wanted in a job:
- Zero WhatsApp for work related communication and only use of Slack, hence complete separation of personal and professional space
- Super high transparency and direct connect to founders and leaders for everyone (We have a weekly all hands and AMA joined and answered by Vidit and Sanjeev)
- BHAGs as a way of working - starting with crazy big goals upfront and working backwards from there to make them happen, forcing everyone to challenge the industry status quo and heavily prioritize heavy hitting actions rather than incremental improvements
- ‘Kudos’ culture where employee achievements (and even failures - when calculated risks were taken) aren’t just assumed to be expected and moved on, but celebrated and acknowledged
As is one of the important aspects of culture here - “Question everything. Just because everyone is doing something, doesn't mean it is right”. Meesho has not only met every expectation I had from a job, but has helped me understand new parameters which one should look for in a job. And all this because it keeps its “employees first” and dares to ask questions which some choose to ignore.
If you want to come work in such a great workplace and have the same priorities like I do, why not check out our openings?
