The GAWK Open-Sky Workplace Policy

Life Is Bigger Than the Office

At GAWK, we believe something very simple:

Life does not happen inside four walls.

Our offices are important. Our technology is important. Our meetings, projects, customers, and responsibilities are important.

But our people are more important.

And people need more than a desk and a computer.

• People need sunlight.

• People need fresh air.

• People need conversations.

• People need movement.

• People need unexpected experiences.

• People need other human beings.

• People need opportunities to discover something they didn't know existed.

That is why GAWK embraces an Open-Sky Workplace Philosophy.

You Are More Than Your Job

We don't want you to spend your entire life thinking about work.

We want you to have a life.

We want you to experience the world around you, because we believe that a richer life can also create a richer mind.

The people you meet, the places you visit, the conversations you have, the things you observe, and the experiences you collect all become part of who you are.

And who you are eventually becomes part of what you bring to GAWK.

• Your ideas.

• Your creativity.

• Your intuition.

• Your understanding of people.

• Your ability to solve problems.

• Your ability to see something differently.

We want all of that.

The Office Is Available—But It Is Not a Prison

If you enjoy working in the office, please come to the office.

If being around your colleagues helps you think, collaborate, and create, we want you there.

If you need a conference room, use one.

If you need the laboratory, use it.

If your project requires you to be physically present, be physically present.

But if your work can be done effectively somewhere else, we don't believe you should feel guilty about changing your environment.

Would you rather work from a coffee shop for a few hours?

Good.

Would a quiet location help you concentrate?

Good.

Would a walk help you think through a difficult problem?

Take the walk.

Would meeting someone in person help move a project forward?

Go meet them.

The principle is simple:

Let the environment serve the work.

Not the other way around.

Go Outside

We encourage our people to experience the world.

Not because we want you to avoid work.

Because we believe that life itself can make you better at your work.

• Walk.

• Explore.

• Observe.

• Listen.

• Talk to people.

• Visit places you've never been.

Have conversations with people outside your normal circle.

Pay attention to what is happening around you.

You never know when an ordinary experience will become an extraordinary idea.

A conversation in a coffee shop might inspire a product.

Something you observe on a sidewalk might reveal a customer problem.

Meeting someone from another industry might introduce you to a completely different way of thinking.

A walk outside might solve the problem you've been staring at for three hours.

You cannot always schedule inspiration.

Sometimes you have to encounter it.

The World Is Our Laboratory

At GAWK, we believe observation matters tremendously.

The real world is full of information that cannot be found on a computer screen.

When you meet someone face-to-face, you see their expression.

• You hear their voice.

• You notice their energy.

• You see how they react.

• You notice things that aren't written in an email.

When you walk through a neighborhood, visit a business, sit in a café, or simply observe people going about their lives, you are seeing humanity in action.

And GAWK is ultimately about humanity.

Our products, services, ideas, and companies exist in a world populated by human beings.

So experiencing human beings is part of understanding the world we are trying to serve.

Freedom Comes With Responsibility

The Open-Sky philosophy is not an excuse to stop being accountable.

Freedom and responsibility belong together.

We trust you to:

• Meet your commitments.

• Communicate with your colleagues.

• Serve customers properly.

• Protect confidential information.

• Be available when your responsibilities require it.

• Attend important meetings and events.

• Complete your work to the standards expected of you.

• Use good judgment.

• Respect the people around you.

• Take responsibility for your results.

We don't measure commitment simply by where your chair happens to be.

We measure it by the contribution you make.

Work From Where You Can Do Your Best Work

Different people work differently.

• Some people love an office.

• Some people need quiet.

• Some people think best while walking.

• Some people are energized by being around other people.

• Some people concentrate better in a coffee shop.

• Some projects require a team to be together.

• Some projects require solitude.

There is no single environment that is perfect for every person or every situation.

So whenever practical, choose the environment that helps you do your best work.

And remember that your environment can change.

You don't have to choose one place and stay there forever.

We Want You to Meet New People

One of the greatest gifts of going outside is encountering people you didn't plan to meet.

• We encourage that.

• Talk to people.

• Listen to people.

• Learn from people.

• You don't have to turn every conversation into business.

• Sometimes a conversation is simply a conversation.

• Sometimes a stranger has an interesting story.

• Sometimes someone sees the world differently than you do.

• Sometimes you discover something about another person's life that changes the way you understand your own.

Human connection is valuable even when it produces no immediate business result.

We believe that a more connected person can become a more thoughtful colleague, leader, creator, and human being.

Creativity Needs a Little Unpredictability

Inside an office, we can control many things.

Outside, we cannot.

And that's part of the beauty.

You might see something unexpected.

Hear something unexpected.

Meet someone unexpected.

Discover a problem you never knew existed.

Encounter an idea you never considered.

That unpredictability can create what we call productive friction.

New experiences make us think.

Thinking creates questions.

Questions create ideas.

Ideas create possibilities.

And possibilities can become innovation.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your brain is stop staring at the same screen.

Please Don't Feel Guilty About Living

This may be one of the most important parts of the GAWK philosophy.

Please don't feel guilty for being a human being.

If you need to step outside for some fresh air, do it.

If you need to take a walk and clear your head, do it.

If you want to have lunch somewhere instead of eating at your desk, do it.

If you want to work from a coffee shop when your responsibilities allow it, do it.

If you want to spend time with your family when your schedule permits, do it.

If you want to experience something new, experience it.

We don't want GAWK to become a place where people believe that being a great employee means sacrificing their entire life to work.

Work is part of life.

It should not have to become the whole of life.

Bring Your Experiences Back to GAWK

There is one thing we ask in return:

Bring what you discover back with you in full detail.

Bring us your ideas.

Bring us your observations.

Bring us your questions.

Bring us your experiences.

Tell us about something interesting you saw.

Tell us about a problem you noticed.

Tell us about something a customer said.

Tell us about a fascinating person you met.

Tell us about something that changed the way you think.

You never know when one person's experience will become another person's breakthrough.

GAWK Is a Community, Not Just a Workplace

We want GAWK to be a place where people feel trusted.

• A place where people feel respected.

• A place where people can contribute.

• A place where people can learn.

• A place where people can grow.

• A place where people can be themselves.

• And a place where people don't have to choose between being productive and being human.

We want both.

The Open-Sky Promise

So here is our promise to you:

We will not define your commitment to GAWK simply by the four walls surrounding you.

• We will trust you to use good judgment.

• We will encourage you to experience life.

• We will encourage you to meet people.

• We will encourage you to observe.

• We will encourage you to explore.

• We will encourage you to think.

• We will encourage you to create.

And when the office is the right place for you, we will welcome you there.

When another environment is better suited to your work, we will respect that when practical.

Because we believe that freedom and responsibility can exist together.

Go See the World

There is a big world outside the office.

Go see it.

Meet someone new.

Learn something.

Take a walk.

Sit in a coffee shop.

Visit a new place.

Have an unexpected conversation.

Look around.

Pay attention to everything around you.

You might discover something that changes your thinking.

You might discover something that changes GAWK.

You might simply discover something that makes your life a little richer.

And that's valuable too.

Because at GAWK, we don't want to build a company full of people who have simply learned how to sit inside four walls.

We want to build a company full of people who have experienced the world.

The world is our laboratory.

Humanity is our inspiration.

Freedom is part of our culture.

And life is waiting outside.

Go experience it.

If you want, this can also be turned into a shorter one-page GAWK employee manifesto suitable for onboarding, the employee handbook, or posting inside GAWK offices.

Leonardo Mora

CEO of Vision

GAWK Corporation