The datarockers’ codex – company core values
Tags: culture, watercooler
Published: 2021-05-19 15:03:20

In 2014, our founders wrote a codex for everyone who wanted to join the datarockets’ team, so that the candidates could check if they shared the same [core values](https://datarockets.com/blog/company/datarockets-codex-core-values/) as ours. Since then, we have transformed our processes a lot, but this document still stays relevant as it presents our company principles and culture.

The original version was written in Russian and now we decided to make it accessible for everyone by translating it into English. If you know Russian, we highly recommend you to read the [original text](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DojRoGnl-J0Ku0B9tjK_-HUMbKQDPoueoYr645dYA-4/edit) from 2014 :).

## Intro from the founders

The goal of datarockets is to bring ideas into life, delve into client’s businesses and contribute to their development. Our personal goal is to gather a cohesive team that will turn the company into an intellectual hub, which will result in both money and pleasure. Besides, we love sharing our knowledge with other people and bringing value to the whole industry. 

We have an individual attitude and an approach to everyone: we put a piece of our heart, invest our time and money and make sure that each datarocker comes to our company for a good reason. 

We value honesty, self-development, and professionalism. We believe that it will help us to attract like-minded people. Thus, when hiring a new datarocker, we first look at their attitude rather than knowledge. Having said that, there are no random people at datarockets.

## Creation

Datarockers tend to find a healthy and productive way to express themselves. As a company, we create a safe space for it.

Self-expression is an essential part of everyone’s life. When people don’t express themselves, they repress the important parts of who they are and cause themselves considerable struggle and lasting mental and emotional pain ([source](https://rrtampa.com/therapy/need-self-expression)). 

Therefore, every datarocker:
* chooses the path of creation,
* cares about personal mental state,
* is driven by curiosity,
* has the desire to invent things,
* gets the pleasure from finding elegant and brilliant solutions to complex problems,
* and loves adding values to anything he or she does.

## Responsibility

Datarockers are responsible for everything that happens in both personal life and at work. They do not try to limit their responsibility and do not seek excuses. 

Datarockers always pick up the phone and do not hide from problems and stressful meetings. They don’t disappear at the most critical moment — even if they make mistakes, they tell the truth and offer solutions to resolve the problem.

Usually, people are forced to work at the office and monitored by managers behind their backs. However, at datarockets, the traditional micromanagement does not exist. In our company, we have processes that help set up the routine, but flexible schedule and remote work are not for everyone. Datarockers decide on their own how much and how to work, where to live, and when to rest.

## Money

Datarockers don’t always work for money, even though they understand that the quality of their lives depends on money. They consider their time as capital and invest it wisely.

Additionally, datarockers never talk about personal salary and the company’s remuneration. Any relationship of datarockets with clients is confidential information, and remuneration is not a subject of public negotiations.

## Personal development

Datarockers are ambitious life-long learners. They read books, listen to podcasts, and keep up with what’s new in the IT world. You can meet a datarocker at the conference, and later — with a glass of beer at the after-party. Our teammates share their experience in [articles](https://datarockets.com/blog), contribute to [open source](https://github.com/datarockets/), organize and speak at [conferences & meetups](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXylrdLh4cnA6mY_YgFOT1DKmH1xqINbm) for engineers.

Datarockers do not stick to one framework or library; they are willing to adopt other technologies. Frontend developers at datarockets understand how the backend works and can make some changes themselves. Backend developers can lay out or move a block on a page without having to ask the frontend team. Datarockers understand the fundamental programming concepts, which helps them quickly master any new technologies.

## Professionalism

Every single datarocker is a conscientious person. They do their job as best as possible, never sacrifice quality nor hesitate to speak out their own opinions. Achieving the result is professional responsibility, and datarockers know the right path to it.

The quality of work does not depend on a personal relationship or feelings towards a client or a project. A datarocker understands that the best product is a workable product that is launched on time. Striving for perfectionism doesn’t justify missing deadlines.

Datarockers are team players who understand that by working together, they can maximize their productivity and efficiency. They respect the opinions of their colleagues and help datarockets’ newbies to understand the industry.

Datarockers always move up their career ladder. As soon as datarockers start feeling self-sufficient and can teach others, they delegate tasks and take over new responsibilities to benefit the team and clients.

There are no boring tasks for datarockers. We develop products for various businesses, from finance and logistics to nightclubs and bars. Even when solving trivial tasks, we automate the routine, try new approaches and create useful tools. We never know in advance what knowledge will be helpful in the future. In our business, knowledge about the whole world is always important.

Datarockers constantly look for different ways of improving themselves and optimizing time to complete their tasks.

## Relationships with clients

Datarockers always remember that they are providing a service. When making decisions, the client’s benefits and their product are always our top priority. In the eyes of our clients, datarockets is not a faceless team of developers hidden behind the manager. When a client chooses our services, they expect to work with us as a single team. 

Human relationships are built on expectations, therefore, we understand that high expectations can turn into disappointments. It is better to underpromise and overdeliver rather than overpromise but then fail to deliver the tasks on time.

The datarockets team always ensures confidentiality and respects the client’s privacy and their business decisions. We delve into the client’s business, put ourselves in the client’s shoes, and suggest the best possible solutions in any given situation.

## Reputation and attitude towards datarockets

Datarockers are tactful and self-aware of their reputation. Not only do they always speak about their colleagues and clients with honor, they never criticize or disrespect the previous companies they have worked at either, despite any grievances.

A professional who has become an entrepreneur does not entice customers and employees if the other side has not taken the initiative. Instead, an ex-datarocker would rather train new employees and find clients — it is a matter of reputation and honor.

At datarockets, we always recognize and value people, as well as their achievements. We motivate them to speak at conferences and write articles to share their experience with other fellows from the tech community. Experienced datarockers train the team, gain authority and recognition among colleagues.

***

If these thoughts are appealing to you and you want to learn more about datarockets’ culture, check out our [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/datarockets/) page. It’s about fun, pets, remote work within a multinational team, and programming, of course 😉