{"id":30460,"date":"2025-06-16T13:57:33","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T13:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/?p=30460"},"modified":"2025-11-17T16:40:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:40:22","slug":"how-deel-built-a-world-class-culture-with-zero-office-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/anz\/blog\/how-deel-built-a-world-class-culture-with-zero-office-space\/","title":{"rendered":"How Deel Built a World-Class Culture with Zero Office Space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Glassdoor\u2019s \u201cBest Place to Work.\u201d 6,000+ people across 119 countries. No office. How does a company like Deel<\/a> actually pull that off and still move at hypergrowth speed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this week\u2019s episode of What the FTE?<\/em>, Certn\u2019s Head of People & Culture, Melissa Marcelissen, sat down with Alice Burks<\/a>, Director of People Success at Deel, for a behind-the-scenes look at how to make remote work actually work. The conversation covers hiring, burnout, Slack chaos, and the not-so-obvious perks (and pains) of a remote-first culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what I\u2019m taking away from the conversation, and what I think HR leaders can steal, stress-test, or straight-up copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big Idea #1: Hybrid Isn’t a Middle Ground\u2014It’s a Minefield<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Hybrid often gets sold as the best of both worlds, but it can end up as lose-lose. You end up pleasing no one rather than pleasing everyone.”<\/em> \u2014 Alice Burks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many companies try to balance remote and in-office with a \u201cchoose-your-own-adventure\u201d approach, Deel skips the mess and leans fully remote. As Melissa and Alice discuss, Deel began as an organization to support remote and globally-distributed work, so their choice to have a fully remote workforce is an obvious example of \u201cpracticing what you preach.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite its flexibility, hybrid work creates a two-tier system, according to Alice. Some teams have access to hallway conversations and coffee chats decisions. Others don\u2019t. This concern for disparities between in-office and remote employees echoes is what\u2019s been written in articles since many orgs transitioned from pandemic-era remote work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Alice, some leaders are concerned that those physically present may have more opportunities for spontaneous interactions, networking, and visibility with management, potentially leading to preferential treatment, promotions, and a sense of inclusion. Conversely, remote workers might feel isolated, overlooked, or less engaged, fostering a divide within the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deel\u2019s remote-first model flattens that hierarchy. \u201cThere\u2019s simplicity in designing for one experience,\u201d <\/em>Alice explains. Everyone, from S\u00e3o Paulo to Singapore, starts on the same footing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having said that, like Certn, Deel brings its leadership group together for in-person retreats centred around strategic planning, for example. Maya covers this in Return to Office: What HR Leaders Should Consider<\/a> if you want to read more about how leaders are curating intentional in-person experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big Idea #2: Slack Is the Office. Make It Work Like One.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Deel, Slack isn\u2019t a chat tool, it\u2019s their workplace. This means setting real rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alice explains they\u2019ve built two onboarding courses just for Slack:<\/p>\n\n\n\n