Personal growth

Contents

1. Hiring process
2. Onboarding, Coaching & Follow Up
3. Career path
4. Remote working
5. Personal tech budget & benefits
6. Investment Time: open source, reading, e-learning
7. Life balancing: free-paid time
8. Leave days, vacation days
9. Parting ways

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Hiring process

Our hiring process is open to all and is guided by our commitment to inclusivity, transparency, and fairness. But, we take this process seriously and to achieve this, we have established the following five steps:

1. Application Submission: We welcome applications from all candidates and encourage them to submit their CV or application through our website, social media channels, or job boards.

2. Screening call: After reviewing applications, we conduct an initial screening call to assess the candidate’s interest, experience, and qualifications.

3. Tech interview: Candidates who pass the screening will be invited to a technical interview. In some cases, we may conduct the technical interview during the screening call. This interview is designed to evaluate the candidate’s technical skills and experience.

4. Tech test: Passed the previous interviews, we’ll ask candidates to complete a technical test to further evaluate their abilities. We will provide clear instructions and guidelines for completing the test and offer support and assistance as needed.

5. Job Offer: Finally, we will extend an offer with perks and benefits to join our team.

Throughout the process, we strive to provide clear and transparent communication to all candidates, and we are committed to ensuring that all applicants receive fair and equitable treatment. We value diversity and inclusion and believe that our team’s strength comes from its diverse perspectives and experiences.

Onboarding, Coaching & Follow Up

Our onboarding process ensures that new team members are equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to succeed. We familiarize them with our working methods and technologies, as well as share our vision and growth objectives, to create a foundation of shared commitment to driving the company forward. During the onboarding process, we ensure that all essential information is thoroughly explained to new team members, leaving no room for confusion or uncertainty.

At our company, we understand that our team members are our most valuable asset. That’s why we’re committed to providing ongoing coaching and support to promote their personal and professional growth. We believe that when our team members are thriving, our company thrives as well.

Our commitment to our team members goes beyond their professional growth. We also recognize the importance of work-life balance and mental health. We also encourage our team members to take ownership of their professional development by setting goals and working with their managers to create a plan to achieve them.

Career path

Volcanic Minds offers three main career paths: marketing and design, IT development, and administration and sales.

For the marketing and design area, there are two career paths: operatives and team leaders. Operatives work on specific projects, while team leaders manage a team of operatives. Each team could be assigned to specific clients or work on multiple projects simultaneously.

The IT development area is divided into sub-teams, each with a pool of frontend, backend, and quality developers and a team leader. The teams could work on specific projects, internal core projects, or multiple projects simultaneously.

The administration and sales area is divided into two sub-areas. The administrative sub-area handles all administrative work within the company, while the sales area has a 2-level structure with a team of salesmen and a team leader. Each team could be assigned to an industry, specific partners, or enterprise-level clients.

Each of the three main areas is led by one of the founders who acts as a strategy planner.

Overall, there are opportunities for growth within each career path, with the possibility of moving up from an operative to a team leader position, or from a team leader to a higher management position within the company.

As a small to mid-sized company, we recognize that career growth may not always follow a vertical path with clear promotions and titles. Instead, we believe in providing our employees with opportunities to take on additional responsibilities and expand their skill sets, which can lead to new and exciting career paths.

We encourage our employees to take on new challenges and seek out opportunities for growth within the company. By demonstrating a strong work ethic, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to the company’s values and goals, employees can earn the trust and respect of the board and the company’s founders.

Remote working

Volcanic Minds operates as a fully remote organization, which means that all of its employees work from home or any other location they choose. This approach has been adopted by the company because it believes in the importance of trust and efficiency in the workplace.

Volcanic Minds requires its employees to operate within a specific time zone range. Specifically, they ask that their employees work from within a time zone that is either one hour ahead or one hour behind the company’s official time zone. This requirement ensures that employees are available for team collaboration and meetings during standard business hours, while also allowing for flexibility in work schedules.

By trusting its employees to work independently, the company has been able to create a flexible work environment that allows its team members to balance their personal and professional lives in a way that suits them best. This has resulted in increased job satisfaction, improved work-life balance, and higher productivity levels.

Despite being a fully remote company, Volcanic Minds recognizes that there may be occasions where face-to-face meetings and social activities are necessary. As such, the company is open to the possibility of organizing in-person meetings and social events in the future. This could include things like team building activities, training sessions, and company-wide celebrations.

In conclusion, Volcanic Minds is a forward-thinking company that recognizes the benefits of remote work. By fostering a culture of trust and efficiency, the company has created a dynamic and flexible work environment that allows its employees to thrive. While the company may consider introducing in-person meetings and events in the future, this decision will be made collaboratively and with the best interests of its employees in mind.

Personal tech budget & benefits

At Volcanic Minds, we understand that technology is an integral part of our daily lives and work. To ensure that our employees have the necessary tools to perform their roles effectively, we provide a personal tech budget and benefit program.

Under this program, senior employees (those who have been with us for at least two years) are allocated a budget to purchase technology devices, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets. The budget is renewed every two years and is based on specific technology requirements. For newer employees, we provide all necessary tools, such as a laptop and software.

In addition, our employees also receive the following benefits:

• Working arrangements: We understand that work-life balance is essential. Therefore, we offer our employees the flexibility to work remotely, as well as a free-paid time plan to support their work-life balance.

• Software and app subscriptions: We provide access to a range of professional software and app subscriptions to help our employees improve their productivity and work efficiently.

• Professional development opportunities: We encourage our employees to improve their technology skills by offering tech events, training programs and workshops.

• Food vouchers: We also offer food vouchers to our employees, allowing them to enjoy a meal at a variety of restaurants or cafes. This benefit promotes convenience and flexibility in their daily routines.

In this way, we aim to create a supportive work environment that enables our employees to perform their roles effectively, while also promoting their personal and professional growth.

Investment Time: open source, reading, e-learning

At Volcanic Minds, we recognize the importance of investing time in personal and professional development. We encourage our team members to dedicate a portion of their workweek (about 16 hours per month) to activities that contribute to their growth and well-being.

This includes exploring open-source resources and contributing to the community (and we have some awesome open-source projects too), reading books and articles that deepen their knowledge and perspective, engaging in physical activities to boost their health and energy, and participating in e-learning opportunities that expand their skills and expertise.

By investing time in these areas, our team members are able to bring their best selves to work, and contribute to our mission of driving innovation and excellence in our industry. We believe that by prioritizing personal growth and well-being, we can build a more resilient and successful team, and drive positive impact for our clients and stakeholders.

Life balancing: free-paid time

We believe in balancing work and personal life by offering employees a mix of free and paid time off. This approach promotes a healthy work-life balance, leading to improved job satisfaction, better mental health, and increased productivity.

To support this balance, we’ve established the following days for recharging batteries:

• Birthdate: an extra paid day off.
• Mental health day: two paid days off, usable in spring or autumn.
• San Giovanni (patron saint of Turin): June 24th, a paid day off.
• Flexible days: up to three unpaid days off for personal development, cultural activities, or volunteering.

However, we ask that employees plan these days with their manager in advance to avoid issues with customers, partners, or colleagues.

Leave days, vacation days

Company vacation days are an important aspect of employee benefits that are designed to help employees achieve a healthy work-life balance. The law in many countries mandates a minimum number of days of paid leave per year, which employees are entitled to. At our company, we adhere to these legal requirements and ensure that our employees receive their entitled leave days.

However, we also understand that employees have different needs and preferences when it comes to taking time off from work. Therefore, we don’t have mandatory vacation days during specific times of the year, such as a summer shutdown or a winter break. Instead, we encourage our employees to plan their time off in advance and work with their direct managers to ensure that the business needs are taken into account.

Transparency and flexibility are key principles that we follow when it comes to company vacation days. We encourage our employees to discuss their needs and preferences with their direct managers, and we work together to find solutions that meet both personal and business needs. We believe that this approach helps to create a positive work environment, where employees feel supported and valued.

Parting ways

Parting ways is a difficult decision, but sometimes it is necessary. At Volcanic Minds, we strive to create a positive work environment where all employees feel valued and appreciated. However, there may be times when it is necessary to part ways. In such cases, it is important to have open and honest conversations to explore possible solutions. If parting ways is ultimately the best option, it should be handled professionally and empathetically, ensuring that the departing employee is treated with respect and dignity. Before all, talk with your manager and be transparent and honest.

Resignation is a form of parting ways that may occur in a business. When an employee decides to resign, it is important to handle the process professionally and with respect for their decision. We encourage open communication during the resignation process to understand the reasons behind the employee’s decision and to provide support as needed. We also ensure that the departing employee’s transition is as smooth as possible by providing assistance with knowledge transfer, conducting exit interviews to gather feedback, and maintaining positive relationships for potential future collaborations. We ensure that the departing employee provides adequate notice, as required by our company policy and legal requirements.

Termination is the most serious form of parting ways that may occur in a business. While we strive to create a positive work environment and provide opportunities for employee growth and development. In rare cases, termination may be necessary due to serious misconduct, poor performance, or violation of company policies. When termination becomes necessary, it should be handled with professionalism, empathy, sensitivity, and fairness. We ensure that all termination decisions are made based on valid reasons and consistent with our company policies and legal requirements. We take the termination process seriously. We maintain a positive and respectful relationship with employees, even after they leave the company, and wish them well on their future endeavors.