Does Maplewave Really Walk the Corporate Culture Talk? A Newbie’s Investigation

Is working for Maplewave as fun and flexible as advertised?  

Our brand-new HR hire, Bailey, recently shared a blog about her interviews with staff and how they really feel about Maplewave’s culture.  

She’s graciously allowed us to re-blog the article here. Enjoy!

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During my interview with Maplewave, the word “fun” came up several times as the VP of Human Resources described the job and culture at Maplewave. “Fun” was not a word I normally associated with work, so I was suspicious.  

I moved to next steps in the hiring process - an informal (virtual) coffee meeting - and the word “fun” came up again. I took note, but still, I had my reservations. Was this normal interviewer rhetoric? A sales pitch to entice me until I signed on the dotted line? Could Maplewave truly walk the corporate culture walk.... or was it all just talk?

I am writing this blog, so I obviously signed on the dotted line. I am..... drum roll please.... on day seven with Maplewave! Yes, day seven. I am new. Very, very new.  

As part of my orientation, I was asked to interview five current employees as to why they chose Maplewave; what keeps them here, and what makes it (dare I say) fun?  

I was given an org chart, and a website full of employee pictures and job titles and picked my five people at random. I landed on a Software Developer, Senior Software Developer, Plan Management Analyst, Solutions Analyst, and the CEO. I scheduled the interviews, and this is what I learned.

Maplewave truly has a great corporate culture. Sure, everyone said, “I love my team and the people are great,” which I expected, but I also learned tangible, concrete examples of Maplewave living its values - fun, passion, teamwork, integrity, flexible, and community – even when working remotely.  

Exhibit A: several people I interviewed mentioned they love the summer party Maplewave hosts each year; however, it was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. In lieu of the party, the company assembled a cooler bag full of summer goodies (locally sourced craft beers, BBQ sauces, and snacks, and summer games like frisbee). It was thoughtful and was hand delivered door to door. A package was also shipped to Maplewave employees in South Africa and the UK.  

Fun was an easy category for people to talk about: a companywide mini putt challenge throughout the office; funny awards at the Christmas party; morning (virtual) games throughout the month of December; and a Scavenger Hunt when everyone was working from home.  

In the seven days I’ve been at Maplewave, I’ve participated in MaplePets with a picture of my extremely adorable cat. I didn’t win the draw, but the final slideshow of entries showed me a little bit more about my co-workers and their fur babies. I also signed up to receive seeds for the Green Thumb Challenge, and to participate in a meditation day and our company-wide Earth Challenge.  

Another aspect of corporate culture that filtered through many conversations was flexibility. A software developer in Dartmouth told me his partner accepted a job outside of Halifax, and Maplewave accommodated his request to work remotely when they decided to move (before remote work was a thing). Another developer told me he was able to transition to part-time because he had a young family that required more from him. Maplewave values family and met him where he was. His kids are now grown, and he is back in a full-time capacity. People also appreciate the “comfort casual” dress-code, 35-hour work week, and flexible start and end times.

People also spoke about integrity and family values during my investigation. Company values were Maplewave’s north star during the pandemic. When on the other side of this tumultuous time, the leadership team wanted to look back with pride knowing that family was at the center of their decisions. People kept their jobs at Maplewave. Managers also watched if people went silent on communication channels. It was an incredibly stressful time, and this indicated that someone needed support.  

My investigation into why Maplewave is a fantastic place to work is multidimensional, but strong threads ran throughout:

• People are treated like adults but can be silly and weird too.
• The culture is fun but there isn’t the pressure to participate if it isn’t your thing.
• Employees are given a lot of responsibility and autonomy and are also well supported.
• The tech is interesting and spans the globe.
• People like wearing hoodies to work.

The piece of evidence that best sums up this investigation was the response when asked, “How do you describe Maplewave to friends and family”? Their response was short and to the point:

“This is the best job I’ve ever had. Period.”