Core

We won’t compromise on these values for anyone. Ever.

The software we create works tirelessly to improve complex schedules in order to meet objectives.  Just like our product, we are always looking for ways to improve: professionally, personally, and operationally.  Our improvement goals ensure that we’re all focused on growth, and they can be anything from improving our personal networks, enhancing our product, learning a new programming language, and everything in between. We just don’t believe in standing still.

Helping people achieve their best is about challenging them to go beyond their perceived limits, and supporting them every step of the way.

Examples:

Always working on something new; sharing knowledge within the team; reading books; listening to podcasts; pushing each other to raise the bar; stepping outside our comfort zone; never stopping at “that’ll do”; nurturing growth mindsets.

Great teams make significant and meaningful impacts – they’re great because their value is worth more than the sum of their parts, and people don’t limit themselves to their job description. If you want to work with us (as part of the team or a customer), be prepared to roll-up your sleeves and get stuck in.

Examples:

No artificial harmony; open and honest dialogue; no “us vs. them” internally or externally; ask for help; listen to all points of view; respect everyone; hold each other to account; focus on results; no need to start feedback with “no offence, but…”

What’s behind the shiny GUIs and clever algorithms is what really matters: the people giving their all to make our company and our customers successful.  This involves loads of hard work, so we actively support a healthy relationship between personal and professional lives.

Examples:

Regular one-on-one meetings; quarterly company retrospectives; company-wide contributions to objectives and key results; support for professional and personal development; flexibility around your life commitments; taking regular time off work.

We provide a desk, chair, and laptop. You won’t find a fence to sit on. You’ll always get your chance to speak, and we’ll expect you to exercise that right. In Australia voting is compulsory – Dayshape is like that, but with fewer koalas.

Examples:

Everyone is called upon to share their thoughts; quieter people are supported in getting their voices heard; we don’t shirk difficult or challenging questions; you’ll never hear “just because” as an answer to a question; constructive criticism is welcomed.

Permission to play

These are our minimum acceptable standards. If you don’t have them, it’s just not going to work.

It’s simple: respect your colleagues, respect your clients, respect differences, respect other opinions, respect new ideas, respect people’s time, respect yourself.  All we’re asking… is for a little respect.

We support some of the biggest professional services firms in the world, and with big clients comes big responsibility.  Think about the impact of your actions, and treat all data and property as if it were your own.

Turn your hand to whatever needs to be done, take on tasks outside of your job description, make a sacrifice for the greater good, learn new things to plug our skills gaps, clean the floor, empty the bin!  We’re all about T-shaped people.

We’re not looking for Edinburgh Fringe’s next breakthrough act (although that would be awesome!), but if you can’t laugh at yourself, Dayshape isn’t the place for you.

Aspirational

We’re working hard to make these values part of our everyday lives.

Would you behave differently if you were held equally accountable for a result that wasn’t your decision?  Extreme accountability means you take on responsibility for a course of action, regardless of your level of input.  If you know about something, you can affect the outcome.

You don’t blame external factors (people or events) if something doesn’t turn out as you’d hoped.  Instead, you look inwardly to figure out what you can do (or could have done) to change the outcome.

Current and aspirational examples:

Introspective reflection; taking ownership; no “teflon shoulders”; highlighting potential problems that you spot, even if they are not your responsibility; not blaming others; seeking to affect the outcome of an event before it transpires; asking yourself “what could I have done differently to achieve a better outcome?”

We don’t shy away from repeating ourselves.  We’re busy all the time, and recognise that it’s easy to miss something.  Over-communication is the foundation of a cohesive team, and strong communication = message sent + message received.  Roger that.  Over.

Current and aspirational examples:

Seeking clarification of instructions received; confirming understanding of instructions; probing for validation if a disconnect is suspected; sharing info with a teammate even if you think they know already; create agendas and clear target outcomes for every meeting.

We believe that workplaces should be as open and transparent as possible.  Within reasonable legal and personal bounds, nothing is off-limits at Dayshape.  If you don’t know something or are curious about anything, just ask!  This works throughout the organisation: up, down, left, right, and every direction in between.

We hold Buffer’s “default to transparency” value in high regard, and we’re just getting started.  We’ll share everything, as we said, but eventually it will all be out there to view and find yourself.

Current and aspirational examples:

Everything is accessible internally, including business plans, KPIs, sales figures, product roadmap, and company financials.

For people to contribute towards the success of the business, they have to know what we’re doing, where we’re going, and why.  It’s much easier to take responsibility and to make decisions when you understand the mission.  If you are asked to do something, both you and the person asking should know why.

Linked to over-communication, we really want to get better at proactively communicating the bigger picture.  Sometimes we know exactly where we’re going, sometimes we’re figuring it out, and we strive to get plenty of input to ensure we’re all heading in the right direction.

Current and aspirational examples:

Start with why; exec team regularly communicate the strategy and any updates; don’t do anything without context, seek unique viewpoints from people outside of a particular team; set out a clear plan of where we’re going.

Accidental

Some things we do aren’t by design, and there are pros and cons to that.

It’s great because we retain an underdog mentality and pragmatic approach to our work.  We focus and commit fully on what needs to be done and we deliver.

It’s bad because we can slip into the trap of focusing on the short-term without considering the long-term goals and the big picture.

It’s great because we have an informal working environment.

It’s bad because we definitely could be more organised at times, ironically, given we’re a scheduling company!

It’s great because at Dayshape you leave your ego at the door.  Our work speaks for itself, we don’t try to be boastful or outdo each other.

It’s bad because it can hold us back from promoting our company, raising our profile, and celebrating our successes.

Come grow with us

We’re an award-winning enterprise software company headquartered in Edinburgh with a growing global presence throughout the UK and in the US.

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We’re not just snappy values writers

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