2021 at ValueFirst

We started the year afresh with resolutions to eat better, exercise more, live healthier, work harder, etc., all the while thinking that the pandemic is a thing of the past. We were all sure we had left COVID behind and could shift back from the ‘new normal’ to the ‘normal’ we had been accustomed to. Come April, things began to look down; the second wave hit us in a way we could have never anticipated. Coping with these tough times, we learned a lot, both at a personal and professional level.?

Businesses too struggled. While others adapted better, like fish to water, organizations that were still apprehensive of going digital no longer had a choice. This is where companies like ValueFirst were able to step in and help their clients not only adopt new technologies but also engage more productively with their customers.?

Internally too, the year has been a period of intense learnings, which brought to the fore the intangible culture and values of ValueFirst, and what makes this organization a great place to work.??

Finding Joy in Tough Times?

The hardship of the pandemic taught us the importance of pushing oneself and stepping out of one’s comfort zone as?Saina Fatima discovered: “I allowed myself to speak out…I said yes to opportunities even though it meant stepping out of my comfort zone. ValueFirst helped me in changing my role from Marketing to Pre-Sales, which turned out to be a professionally elating experience and gave me a chance to work with some of the best minds of the country.”

“The rule is simple. Even in the midst of chaos, there’s an open door for new opportunities and self-growth,” she says.?

Are Leaders Born?

For many, leadership is not something that comes naturally. It requires a great deal of patience, maturity, and equanimity. While this experience can be exhilarating for some, others find it easier to just be in the backroom.?

For Jayesh Mathur, exemplary leadership in the organization was a great motivator: “I got to be a manager this year. 2021 was a tough one for the world and of course for me too. In spite of the challenges,??I was able to work to my potential and deliver decent results. It is when one sees good leadership that one learns to be a good leader.??When your seniors lead from the front, back you in your bad times, and believe in you, pandemics like these don't even matter. You wake up fresh every day and deliver results.”

Teamwork & Collaboration

Digamber highlights the importance of teamwork. “Here we learned how to work well with a team. Everyone's dependent on everyone; we have to work together. He urges: “Always be helpful and good-natured.”

“Managing my team is easy here because they are honest in their work and I believe that a happy team is a key to honest work,” adds Suraj.

The pandemic brought with it the concept of working remotely, something many of us was alien to. We were all so used to going to the office, interacting regularly, eating lunch together, solving problems on the go, and just walking up to a colleague’s desk for help or advice. This changed almost overnight. Working remotely, one sometimes forgets to collaborate, to work together.?

Jayesh recalls how he felt lost in the first few months of the work from home but quickly had to up his game to work in collaboration with other teams since that is what a major part of his role was.?

Pooja Patar loves the work environment at ValueFirst. “Happy, fun, and a good workplace. Now I see why some people here are for like 10 - 11 years! You never feel like changing or leaving,” she says.

People First

Digamber strongly believes that a good company would be one that takes care of the employees in every way. “ValueFirst is??one such company as employees feel motivated with recognitions like the king of the month, king of the quarter, and employee of the year,??and factors that are important for employee satisfaction - flexible time, work from home, cab facility, holidays facility including maternity, paternity and marriage leave.” He also highlights that other intangibles are equally important e.g. monthly and festive occasion beer and biryani party, team-wise quarterly budget for spending, and the annual town hall where you get to know everything about the company.

For Pooja, ‘it has felt like a second home with the team and the company’. “Everyone here has the same shared vision of spreading smiles, be it celebrating a birthday or an achievement. That’s the culture of ValueFirst which makes every employee feel important every single day,” she says.?

Puja Singh feels that everybody is warm and welcoming. “You have full freedom and flexibility to take risks that can nurture your talent and even encourage you to achieve your goals. In short, ValueFirst truly values its?people first, which is why it’s a core people’s company,” she shares.

Care, Compassion, and Value

For Jyoti, 2021??made her realize the importance of cohesion and compassion with family friends, colleagues, and even with acquaintances.

She found solace and comfort and a sense of caring in her colleagues. She found them supportive during the year, which uplifted her mood. “This nurturing environment at work helped me in my personal life as well to manage a happy life with my dear and near ones,” she shares.

For Manu Shrivastava,?relocating to India and?joining ValueFirst after being a part of the?great resignation wave has ‘been a bliss’. “Each and every action was taken by the management was silently shouting inclusiveness, and family-like culture…, everyone in my team and in the senior management put an effort in making me feel comfortable,” he says.??

Work-Life Balance

Often called a mirage, work-life balance is a reality at ValueFirst as Manu discovered: “Since joining I have learned how mixing professional and personal life in the right amount could make an amazing cocktail. It has given me the benefit of getting freedom in doing things the way I want.”?

A huge advocate of work-life balance and not working on weekends, Manu found that he could take time from work on a weekday to attend to personal stuff, and still not sweat thinking about what would the boss think about his productivity.?

A Learning Workplace

Among the attributes of a great workplace is encouraging and nurturing learning. This is what Shivani values the most. “I have developed personally and professionally. The organization gives you a perfect platform to learn and grow. ValueFirst encourages employees and lets them broaden their professional horizons. My learning curve has seen an upward trend,” she says.?

Udit Kumar echoes her thoughts: “ValueFirst culture and values have not helped transform me into a better professional but also a more creative and collaborative person outside my workspace.”

"Although I only started my journey at ValueFirst less than three months ago, I feel like I've been part of the organization for a while now. People I have only interacted with virtually have come forward and helped when I found myself struggling. Often times, I found myself apologizing when I didn't know something, this came naturally to me. I was told by colleagues that they didn't know this either, when they had just joined. The office is not a place I dread going to on a Monday morning but a place I look forward to spending my day." added Diksha Varma.

Looking Ahead

As we look at the year ahead, these values will hold us in good stead and help us emerge stronger as individuals, and as an even more valued workplace. A workplace that cares, values and nurtures.

Here’s to a more joyful 2022!

Editor: Diksha Varma

P.S.: Above from the Pre-Sales & Marketing teams at ValueFirst, a Twilio company.