Company culture is hugely important. It defines our ability to be comfortable, work well as teams, and generally learn and thrive. At SurveyMonkey, we’ve really invested in it. We’ve been selected as one of Fortune’s best places to work on multiple lists, including the 150 best small-to-medium businesses and the best places to work in the Bay Area.
But lots of companies will tell you about their great culture. We thought it might be better to let the people with real feet on the ground—our employees—do the talking.
In honor of our 20th anniversary, we sent a survey to our Troop and asked them to share exactly what they love about coming in to work every day. People were overwhelmingly responsive, and a few key trends came up in their answers.
Here’s what’s great about working at SurveyMonkey, in the words of our very own.
Thinking about joining the Troop?
Check out our careers page to learn more.
Our emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion resonates with employees’ values
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are core values here at SurveyMonkey. We recently announced plans to balance our hiring of underrepresented groups, setting 1 year and 5 year goals for the percentage of women/non-conforming and underrepresented ethnic groups in our workforce.
We also support employee resource groups (ERGs), create free resources for companies that want to start DEI programs, bring in guest speakers, and donate to organizations that are working to make a positive impact in DEI-related areas.
DEI isn’t just important to us at an organization level, our individual employees are equally passionate—and that came across in our survey.
“One of my favorite memories at SurveyMonkey was working with other Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion employee resource groups in San Mateo and presenting our ideas to the executive board. It was a great way to really share our passion and collaborate on an initiative we all care about.”
-Danni Olson, Portland
“My favorite thing about working at SurveyMonkey is that the company truly lives by its values. It makes for a fun, inclusive, inspiring work environment where everyone feels comfortable bringing their own perspectives, opinions, ideas, and whole self to work.”
-Nichole Vine, Ottawa
“I am so proud that SurveyMonkey is not just all talk, but we actually do things make a positive impact on the tech world. I'll never forget when Becky shared how we'll be extending our benefits to our third-party staff, and the cleaning crew spoke about how important it was for them. Moments like that makes me so proud to work for SurveyMonkey.”
-Jasmine Rosen, San Mateo
Our Troop knows the value of work/life balance and appreciates our emphasis on well-being
One of our company values is “prioritize health”, and we take that to heart. From expansive healthcare benefits to parental leave and fertility benefits to catered meals and fitness perks, we work hard to give employees a lifestyle that’s fulfilling and sustainable.
As it turns out, many of our employees had thoughts about the benefits and lifestyle at SurveyMonkey—some a little more niche than others.
“The characteristic about SurveyMonkey that made the biggest impression on me actually happened before I was hired, during the interview process. I spoke to and emailed with quite a few SurveyMonkey employees while being interviewed and while deciding whether or not to accept my offer. Not a single SurveyMonkey employee responded to me outside of work hours. Doesn't sound like much, does it? But it demonstrated to me way more than words ever could the work-life balance that SurveyMonkey provides its employees. This, more than anything else, convinced me that SurveyMonkey was a place worth working for.”
-Dave Isaacs, Ottawa
“I love being able to work with a smart team, with interesting customers, and I love being able to balance my work and my family life.”
-Tim Gravelle, Toronto
“What’s not to love? We laugh all day long. We have pizza. I’m surrounded by smart people.”
-Sandra Gharib, San Mateo
“I love being part of a company that values my work, allows me to learn and grow, and allows me to be accountable. As a side note, I LOVE having music in the bathrooms.”
-Gabriela Hernandez, San Mateo
Our work challenges and inspires us—and that’s important to us
But prioritizing a balanced lifestyle doesn’t mean that SurveyMonkey employees don’t work hard. We do—and we enjoy it. One of questions that we asked in our survey was about people’s roles and responsibilities. Here are the words respondent’s used to describe their jobs.
And here are some words with a little more context.
“Our product is always improving and adapting. That means our team is always adjusting to change and training ourselves on how to improve—and we also pass along that growth mentality to our customers, especially when we’re working with beta versions of products and features. I appreciate that every day is unlike the past, and that we’re encouraged to ask questions inherent to everything we do.”
-Erika Perley, Ottawa
“SurveyMonkey has a thoughtful and strategic point of view on feedback. Whether you're giving feedback, or gathering it, the company has taught me a lot about the value of opinions.”
-Sarah Sharifi, San Mateo
“I love working at SurveyMonkey because I have the opportunity every day to contribute, grow my career, and see the impact that my work has on the business. I'm fortunate that I get to meet or interact with almost every new employee that comes through our doors. Their excitement and energy is a weekly reminder of how amazing our company really is, and it fuels my spirit for making this the best place to work.”
-Sarah Young, Portland
“My favorite part of working at SurveyMonkey’s Usabilla is that I can practice a bunch of languages—we have 20+ nationalities here! :)”
-Gabriel Caruso, Amsterdam
“I am empowered to build features that I am passionate about and with the support of my manager.”
-Deanna Scott, Ottawa
We value leadership and transparency
John F. Kennedy said that “leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” With a company culture so centered around curiosity, learning, and growth, good leadership is important. And according to our employees, our current team is doing something right.
“My favourite thing about working at SurveyMonkey is the openness and genuine care I see from our leadership team. It's fantastic to know you can share your options and ideas and know that they'll be heard.”
-Niall Byrne, Dublin
“Our CEO's presence is fantastic. He may show up in a Cookie Monster costume at a Halloween party or he might pop downstairs to ask about how certain deals are progressing through the pipeline, but his presence is always invigorating because it draws the best out of everyone.”
-Andrew Boli, San Mateo
“I loved when the full horizon team came to the Dublin office and the Troop Town Hall was broadcast from our tiny kitchen. There was such a deep feeling of love and positive vibes in the office. Being able to sit down with people we usually see on the TV screens was priceless.”
-Sharon Foley, Dublin
“Coming from an industry with a lot of hierarchy, SurveyMonkey was really a breath of fresh air. People here are really open to meeting whoever and excited to hear new ideas no matter where it comes from. The ingrained curiosity is what makes coming here such an exciting and dynamic experience.”
-Alex Wu, New York
And above all else—people
Far and away, the number one thing that people love about this company is each other. Teams, managers, cross-functional partners. We have nothing but affection and respect for the people we work with each day.
“My favorite thing about working at SurveyMonkey is the team, and the customers, that I get to work with everyday! (I know—it’s cheesy, but it’s true). I learn so much from my team and they are always there for support. The customers make my job interesting and enjoyable because they give me a first-hand look at how SurveyMonkey is being used! Getting real time feedback about the product and how it has influenced a customer is always rewarding. All of these people make me look forward to coming to work each day!”
-Emily Day, Ottawa
“I love how enthusiastic the whole team is and how contagious it is. It's a place where you really want to come to work.”
-Donna Learned, remote
“My team is inclusive, close-knit, and fun.”
-Deepti Agrawal, San Francisco
“Here’s how I’d describe our culture in three words: curiosity in flight.”
-Sasha Klezovich, Seattle
For a myriad of reasons, our people love being part of the Troop. If you think you might too, check out our careers page.
