The Frappe Way
Excellence
Don’t forget to be awesome (DFTBA). We have to be good at what we do and objectively get better. Excellence comes from constantly questioning our work till we find satisfaction in it and others find delight. It means our work (software, services, communication) is thoughtful and of high-quality and usually exceeds expectations.
Freedom
We believe that individual freedom makes for the most fulfilling journeys. Everyone should be free to work the way they want, and where collaboration is required, it will be with consent. For decisions that impact a lot of people, we will use democratic or sociocratic principles to come to those decisions, keeping in mind that the compromise on individual freedoms is as little as possible.
Authenticity
We should try and keep things as honest and true as possible. Be conscious in all our decisions so they are simple and minimal and honest, whether it is design, software architecture, business model, workplace rules, travel plans etc. This value summarizes various ideas like sustainability, simplicity, originality, honesty, minimalism, thrift, conscious consumption.
Read about our vision
Updated April 15, 2023
How Frappe works
A lot of thought goes into how Frappe wants to work, right down to our physical office space. There are no cubicles, just open area with high ceiling and neutral earthy shades to encourage big thinking without much distraction. There are meeting rooms for team catchups and pods or video calls so that others don’t get disturbed.
Lunch is prepared at office everyday and a small open pantry often becomes a spot for spontaneous conversations. You leave your footwear at the door, a small simple ritual that helps switch into a more relaxed mode to begin working. With walls you can write on, the space is designed for collaboration and calm focus. It’s the first cue that things work differently here.
Let’s dive further into how things work at Frappe.
Intrinsic motivation
There are no handed down JDs or KPIs, since there are no managers. Meaningful work happens when personal goals and professional work are not in conflict. A lot of the discussions start with:
How are you feeling?
How much of your work do you actually enjoy?
What kind of work energizes you?
How do you see yourself in 10 years?
What work would you do even if you are not paid for it?
When people are encouraged to reflect on what drives them, they start working with intention. Motivation is intrinsic and work, thoughtful. Everyone creates their own SOP at the start of the year. They decide their own work, their pay and later in the year their hours and their leaves. It is like a commitment to yourself by yourself. It creates a system of self governance, transparency and accountability.
Self reflections
Quarterly reflections on these SOPs keep things honest. People look at what they did or did not, how they felt and whether they stayed true to their direction. Teammates and mentors share perspective and guidance, but the responsibility stays with the individual.
I was required to unlearn several things and learn the way Frappe operates. I was fascinated by Frappe’s flat structure, democracy and transparency, but having worked in a few conventional organisations in the past, initially it was a bit challenging to get accustomed to it.
Pushkar Joshi (Read the entire post)
Unanimous decision making
Any major decision starts with a written proposal on Gameplan (Frappe’s internal discussion forum). It gets debated, questioned and improved by anyone who cares on the forum as well as on Tuesday Frappe wide meetings. Then it goes to a team vote. One person, one vote. And the result decides how it goes further. It is not the fastest way to decide, sometimes discussions go on for weeks but it makes the decision thoughtful and fair.
Radical transparency
Salaries, financials, feedback - everything is visible to everyone and Frappe has grown comfortable and smarter with decisions due to it. You can’t have a true democracy without open information.
With time, this openness extends beyond data. We start understanding and connecting better with each other.
Beyond work
Apart from regular work rhythms, the team naturally drifts into quick walks after lunch where people discuss politics/technology/life in general/books/TV shows or sometimes work too.
Frappe Refresh, the yearly offsites spark longer conversations that help new joinees understand the culture more closely and often end up pushing everyone to think with more depth.
I enjoyed the discussions on social capital, accountability, and engineering at the offsite. Social capital is something everyone measures subconsciously but is never openly talked about. Also, it’s strange how you don’t actively try to build it but it’s just an outcome of most of the things you do. The engineering session ended with me ranting about not having good docs and other practices (reviews, testing). During offsites, I am always in awe of how well people can articulate their thoughts. That’s something I need to get better at.
Rucha Mahabal (Read the entire post)
Friday evening sometimes take us to a historic place or a music or art event in Mumbai and festival celebrations bring new energy, that help people connect beyond tasks and roles. These moments open up new conversations and make the team members feel a little closer than ever.
Frappe aspires to be a place where people feel at “home” and are able to explore their full potential, feel safe, make great friends, and have a fulfilling journey.
