Redbrick leaders insist on work-life balance

If there’s one thing that defines the culture at Redbrick Technologies, it’s the attention paid to work-life balance, says Marco Pimentel, chief marketing officer of the Victoria-based software and technology services company.

“We’re living in nature’s playground, and people come here because they want to disconnect and get outside,” says Pimentel, an avid fly fisher. “And when they come back to work, they feel great.”

Pimentel says it’s also about leading by example, as both he and CEO Tobyn Sowden prioritize spending time with their young families. “You often won’t find us at the office after 4 p.m., and we close for holidays and extra-long weekends in the summer,” he says. “If the executive team does that, everybody can.”

Over its 10-year history, Redbrick has expanded from a startup with an innovative software marketing platform to a parent organization with a portfolio of digital companies, including Leadpages, a marketing-focused, no-code website builder; Rebase, a browser development company; Assembly, a digital publishing business; and Shift, a desktop productivity app that manages multiple apps, inboxes and work-flows, and newly acquired Delivra, a leader in email and marketing automation.

“As we grew, we developed products and turned them into companies,” says Pimentel. “We have shared services, so Redbrick has executive, HR, culture, finance and creative teams, and the companies have their own CEOs and technology, product, customer success and marketing teams.”

Redbrick also prioritizes leadership development, offering career advancement programs and a professional development allowance to enable employees to take courses and attend conferences. “We’re always looking to hire up,” says Pimentel. “Four of our CEOs started as employees and advanced within the organization.”

Three of the CEOs are female, and Redbrick has partnered with the University of Victoria on a program to advance women of diversity in engineering and computer science. “We’re excited about that,” says Pimentel. “It makes sense, and it’s great that the person we’re working with is one of our former co-op students.”

When the pandemic hit, transitioning to working remotely was challenging. “It was a big adjustment, because we have a really friendly, in-person culture,” says Isla Swanwick, Redbrick’s people operations coordinator. “We always had the option to work from home, but everybody came in every day. So it was a shakeup for our culture, and we had to adapt.”

Redbrick had also just finished building a new office. But it launched engagement initiatives like virtual coffee meetings, Zoom yoga sessions and photo scavenger hunts, and extended its flexible work schedule. “Everybody’s life was turned upside down, and we have a lot of parents with kids at home,” Swanwick says. “Having the flexibility to work different hours has been crucial.”

“It was important to have an open dialogue and respect that some work from home comfortably while others might have a two-year-old and need a break,” says Pimentel. “We’re looking at adding more meeting rooms, quiet spaces and dividers to the new building to make people feel comfortable when they come in.” They’re also offering a $500 credit to encourage employees to buy bikes and ride to work.

“The biggest thing is our managers being really open with employees and vice versa,” says Swanwick. “At Redbrick, we try to understand their personal and professional lives and support both aspects. That’s a huge part of our culture, and I think it makes our employees really happy.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers winners, published April 5, 2022 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.