Culture guide

This story comes from the fact that in 2006, when the General partnership Red & Blue was founded by two freelancers, Petteri had a blue-background portfolio site, and Reeta had a red one. The name for the new company became, almost automatically, Red & Blue, which we decided to write in lowercase and combined, following the marketing trend of 2006. The reason for combining the words is also that it forces the reader to read the name twice, leaving a lasting impression of the URL.

Redandblue’s most common client is a communications manager. Sometimes, the client may be a marketing manager or, in the case of smaller companies, the CEO. Occasionally, we also work with product or IT managers.

Most of the web services we create are communication-heavy and serve as marketing, recruitment, and communication channels for our clients. For e-commerce sites, they may even represent the company’s primary business channel. Since the web service or store we develop is a tool our clients use daily, it’s crucial that we make it as user-friendly as possible, especially from a content management perspective.

The people at Redandblue are curious, ambitious, and eager-to-learn experts with diverse cultural, educational, and social backgrounds. Our mission is to create the best possible working environment for all R&B team members, allowing them to thrive as their authentic selves.

Movement clubs

At Redandblue, anyone can start a club focused on some form of physical activity. The only requirement is that more than one team member participates. Each movement club is allowed to use up to one hour of work time per week. The monthly cost for an individual club can be up to €300, but in exceptional cases, a larger budget can be requested with a well-justified reason.

Case: Badminton
We conducted a wellness survey at Redandblue using the Officevibe app to explore ways the company could support staff in staying active. One of the key suggestions from the survey was a desire to play badminton weekly as a team. Redandblue’s Web Developer Jukka booked a court at Merihaka Sports Hall and announced it on Slack. The badminton club has since attracted 4–8 participants each week.

Case: Corporate marathon relay
Redandblue designer Lotta wanted the company to participate in a corporate marathon relay. Lotta signed Redandblue up for the competition, gathered participants, created a dedicated Slack channel for the event, and designed a custom running apparel collection for the participants.

Case: Yoga
A Redandblue designer had heard about a yoga instructor who offers classes for companies. The designer arranged for the instructor to hold a weekly yoga session at the Redandblue office. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the yoga sessions were conducted remotely. The company also purchased yoga mats and water bottles for its employees.

User-centricity

Empathy also serves as a fundamental principle of user-centric design philosophy. The best digital services can only be created by understanding both the end user and the client. In our projects, we advance user-centric design by conducting user testing and interviews, analysing data, and designing intuitively usable services, including from the administrative side.

Case example:
A support ticket arrives requesting a change of phone number in the footer of the client’s website. Instead of just updating the number in the code, we create an editable field in the footer that the client can update themselves in the future.

Shared knowledge

To ensure that information does not become siloed or remain with just one person, Redandblue team members are encouraged to share what they have learned. For example, insights from seminar days should be shared with the entire company through blog posts, social media updates, or presentations at team or monthly meetings. The format is not as important as the fact that all information is shared.

Redandblue is primarily a consultancy firm. We collectively possess a wealth of knowledge that we can also share outside the company, and we encourage our experts to create content related to their areas of expertise for Redandblue’s various channels. You can write a blog post, create a video, or share your knowledge in Redandblue’s design loves tech webinars. Sharing knowledge and teaching others beyond the company boundaries is a factor that influences salary development at Redandblue.

Idea guarantee

At Redandblue, we value individual ideas and initiative. Team members can share their ideas directly with steering group members, post them on the steering group’s board, or submit them anonymously through the OfficeVibe application. To ensure all suggestions and ideas are heard and addressed, we provide a one-month idea guarantee. This means that each new idea is reviewed during the monthly steering group meeting, and the proposer is informed of the outcome. This could involve advancing the idea, rejecting it, or putting it on hold.

Case: Centralized support team
Development is a meticulous task, and developers prefer not to be disturbed during their workday. However, the customer support team frequently receives questions requiring developers’ expertise. After several years of various experiments, we decided to establish a dedicated support team at the request of the staff, so developers working on projects are not interrupted during their productive flow.

Case: Monthly development day
Especially on the tech side, there is a strong desire to actively develop Redandblue’s own theme and tools. Tech Lead Jukka presented a proposal to the management team for a model where internal development would be allocated one day per week. The proposal was approved by the management team and was expanded to become a standard practice for the entire company from that point forward.

Open salary model

At Redandblue, experts are viewed as equals, meaning that everyone performing the same work receives the same salary. A shared salary level chart encourages development to the next level and taking on responsibility. Salary bands are ranges, as various factors influence the level of expertise. Salary ranges are visible in recruitment ads and are communicated during job interviews.

Accessible management

The Redandblue management team meets monthly. While there are regular members, the meetings are also open to anyone interested. The meeting schedule is communicated in advance. One person from outside the regular team can participate at a time. Participation requires the attendee to take on any tasks discussed in the management team if needed. The agenda, memos, and decisions of the management team are continuously accessible to all staff. Anyone can add new suggestions to the agenda.

Case: WordCamp seminar
Web Developer Jukka discovered an interesting seminar that supports his and his team’s expertise. Jukka presented the idea at the dev team’s weekly meeting and invited other developers to join. CTO Antti decided to participate. The developers booked their own tickets and flights. During the conference, they made social media posts for Redandblue and presented the training outcomes at the monthly meeting.

Teams

At redandblue, the team takes precedence over the individual. Teams are responsible for project execution and make work-related decisions collaboratively. Teams also develop client relationships together.

If there are differing opinions within a team, issues can be resolved by voting if necessary. The key is to make decisions and communicate them both internally and externally.

Redandblue has established certain processes and tools. Since we provide customised solutions to our clients and want to remain agile, it may sometimes be reasonable to deviate from the standard process, regular working hours, or use new tools. If a team decides to try a new operational model, it must serve the client, benefit the team, and be economically viable. The team, under the leadership of the project manager, is responsible for implementing and communicating any deviations from standard procedures or tools.

If teams wish to organise their own wellness or project-phase-related activities, such as a project kick-off, Redandblue will approve up to €300 per event for these purposes. Teams decide the appropriate number of activities per project, month, or year.

Appreciation and celebration

Did a colleague do a great job, help out in a tough spot, or listen to your troubles at the right moment? While expressing thanks in person is always best, redandblue also offers other ways to acknowledge your coworkers. The OfficeVibe work wellness app provides digital Good Vibes card templates that you can use to send appreciation. It’s worth sending these whenever you remember – they can really brighten someone’s day. Additionally, we have a #kiitos (#thanks) channel on Slack where you can post spontaneous thanks to larger groups. If you have a creative idea for how you’d like to thank a colleague, implement it today.

We do not have a specific birthday calendar or other channel to track Redandblue employees’ special dates. However, if you know that a colleague has a birthday, name day, a tough day, or a new baby in the family, feel free to buy a cake or a bottle of champagne and organise a small celebration. The barrier is low, so you can arrange celebrations for any reason as often as needed. The responsibility for celebrating is shared by everyone!

Redandblue gear

You can recognize a Redandblue employee on the street by their attire, which will feature at least one piece of clothing with the round Redandblue logo. Our collection includes caps, beanies, sportswear, tote bags, shorts, hoodies, and fisherman hats. New items are introduced each season. If you want, you can dress entirely in Redandblue gear! We also welcome new suggestions for company merchandise. However, these items are produced only as needed and should be designed to be so attractive that they last a long time. Occasionally, you can also order Redandblue branded products from our online store at kauppa.redandblue.fi.

Careful listening to the client during proposal and concept phase
It’s crucial that we do things for the right reasons. If a client requests a specific functionality, it’s important to understand its purpose for the users of the service or the project’s goals. When the vision and purpose of the project are clear from the beginning, there will be fewer misunderstandings towards the end of the project.

Dedicated teams for clients
To ensure that information is well-managed and clients are familiar, Redandblue assigns dedicated development teams to specific clients. These teams are responsible for the design, implementation, and ongoing development of the services. The team may hold weekly meetings with the client or otherwise regularly review the status of the account. Understanding the overall picture of the account helps in proactively suggesting new solutions to the client.

Controllet implementation
Projects usually proceed smoothly until the client begins inputting content. Especially with larger services, there are many details to remember, which are outlined in the project template. However, these details can be difficult for the client to understand or require additional clarification, such as domains and server-related issues with forms. Key to maintaining client satisfaction at this stage is thorough testing, an intuitive administration interface, understandable user training, adequate support during the content input phase, and a release meeting where all aspects related to the launch are reviewed together with the client.

Genuine teamwork
Good teamwork is fostered by regular meetings and continuous communication. Developer teams should hold daily stand-ups, brief meetings to review the tasks from the previous and upcoming days. The goal is to achieve a genuine understanding of what others are working on in the project, rather than just assigning tasks among team members.

No one left behind
Good teamwork is further supported by regular meetings and ongoing communication. Developer teams should hold daily stand-ups, brief meetings to discuss the tasks from the previous and upcoming days. The aim is to achieve a true understanding of each other’s roles in the project, not merely task delegation.

Meetings
Teams can organise team days and gather at the office on specific weekdays if desired, to catch up on matters beyond work. Budget for team days can be inquired from HR, with purchases under €300 being made independently.

Mentorship model
Redandblue currently does not have a structured mentorship model, but teams are assembled to include experts with varying levels of experience. This facilitates the transfer of knowledge within the company and helps junior team members gain confidence in their work. In the future, a more systematic mentorship model could be developed. If you want to take on the development of Redandblue’s mentorship program as your project, that would be excellent.

Be part of the community
Building a community is a collective responsibility. We contribute to our community through our interactions, conversations, and daily work. It is our shared duty to foster an open, safe, accepting, and meaningful work environment. Ideally, colleagues become friends.

Organise activities
At redandblue, we traditionally host events like Christmas parties and summer gatherings. However, teams are encouraged to organise their own activities as well. Good occasions for celebration include project launches, acquiring new clients, or team members’ birthdays. Additionally, all Redandblue employees can start their own Movement clubs for physical activities.