Values

Set the tone of your company culture

This can also be found on our website:

mode.com/values⁠

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We Don't Work Alone

At Mode, we work for people. We build software that's meant to be used, not technology to be admired. We work hard for our coworkers sitting next to us and for our customers around the world. In everything we do, we strive to put the people we do it for first. Product improvements, support tickets, interviews, messages to colleagues—these aren't faceless tasks, but actions with a person on the other end. We want to be kind to them, accept their opinions and differences, and welcome what we can learn from them.

What we build, as a product and a company, isn't our success alone. We benefit from the hard work and sacrifice of others building technology, of those who clean our offices and deliver our packages, and of our friends and neighbors. We're humble and grateful for the opportunity that we have.

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A Balanced Responsibility

People rely on Mode to do their jobs, and we take reliability seriously.

Taking our jobs seriously doesn't mean we have to take ourselves too seriously. Even in serious pursuits, there's room for puns and parody Twitter accounts; for flipped chairs and wheel spins; for Taco Bell challenges and toasted coconut cashews with a luscious vanilla layer. We may even say these are serious pursuits. Everyone who works at Mode should feel comfortable prioritizing serious pursuits outside the office, too: finding balance between work life and personal life is important.

Nevertheless, we also recognize that what's fun for some people isn't fun for everyone. A good culture is one that's comfortable, welcoming, and evolving, not one that's required or imposed.

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Fight Our Own Biases

We live in a biased world. For many people, the game isn't fair—their boards have a lot more chutes and a lot fewer ladders than our own. Not only should we not forget these disadvantages, but we also should be comfortable acknowledging the privileges we've been afforded.

But we can help make things better, even in small ways. We fight for inclusion, and refuse to forget others simply for being different. We can't ignore how small things—pronouns, stock images, team outings, and meeting agendas—can perpetuate and enforce our biases. Because we won't see all of our own blindspots, we want to remember to learn how we can better from others.

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Honest Words, Kindly Delivered

We, like many organizations today, believe in open and transparent communication. Nobody should ever wonder about their progress or the progress of the business—honest questions deserve honest answers.

Transparency and honesty, however, aren't excuses to be unkind. Transparency isn't an end to itself, but is a means to building trust and fostering communication. Cruelty can erode trust and sever connections just as quickly as closed doors.

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We know that this list is incomplete and imperfect. But importantly, we don't want to create a perfect document, but a document that encourages reflection and change. We aren't represented by these words, but by the actions that rise from them.

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We Don't Work Alone

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A Balanced Responsibility

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Fight Our Own Biases

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Honest Words, Kindly Delivered

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