Staff Engineer, Marshmallow

Traditional insurance can be really frustrating slow and not very inclusive. I'm so happy to be part of changing this and actually help people

I know I am fully trusted by Marshmallow, they want me to always voice my opinion no matter who I'm talking to and then explore and trial out things based on my opinions and beliefs!

I honestly feel like I have made friends for life and I will always have people have my back. We champion each other and truly enjoy working together and helping each other solve problems, I could not be any luckier!

At Marshmallow information is 'over-shared' and this starts from the CEOs and continues through the organisation. People across the business are aware of the current state of affairs and can ask any questions relating to that.

Insurance is a very competitive business, made more so by customer acquisition on price comparison websites. The problem space is huge and there is a lot of potential to approach projects in an innovative way and not just do things a certain way because that's how they're done in insurance.

People in the team do work hard, not crazy long hours but efficiently. We try and concentrate our efforts effectively and communicate / align a lot so time isn't wasted. We are given a lot of autonomy to make decisions and this motivates and empowers the team.

We have weekly company meetings where the CEOs and different teams share what they are working on and the progress of certain projects. Everyone is welcome to have input on this and ask questions. Within my own team, no matter your experience level, everyone is able to give honest feedback and input any ideas that could help the team. Everyone is taken seriously and valued. You could be in the job one week and your opinion would matter and have as much of an impact as someone who had been there much longer.

Open and honest communication is taken seriously here. The CEOs and every team is very open and transparent about every aspect of the business, from financials to expansions. Within each team you are encouraged to give open and honest feedback on ideas, projects and working practices. Meetings are literally designed to ensure this happens.

Marshmallow onboarding was the best I have ever experienced. They provided everything I would need to work from home and more. There were daily check ins and get to know you coffees with people from all across the business. I had a clear training plan and knew what I was doing each day and what I was expected to learn and achieve. There was never a moment where I was unsure who to ask or what to do when I logged in. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming and it really felt like they were excited to have you join.

Every team member is encouraged to 'own' a part of their role, to strategise & develop it. This gives great autonomy to each & every member of staff. Opinions are valued, & change is effected on the back of our suggestions which is immensely gratifying. We are all motivated to become problem solvers, searching for ideal solutions to complex issues.

Everyone from the top down is really communicative. We have weekly breakfast & learn meetings which enable us to get together & keep up to date with all the new developments, of which there are many. Every Friday all teams are given an opportunity to showcase their work, which is invaluable in such a fast-paced ever-evolving environment. We are encouraged to seek feedback from our teammates & provide it back to them in equal measure. There is even a workshop available for 'feedback training' because of the value it provides for growth, bonding & development. Our CEOs expect us to let them know how they can improve as they feel it is a valuable tool for personal & professional growth. What I like is that that there is no sense of 'them & us' - we're all in it together & we collaborate & share knowledge as a means to improve.

The work we do is full-on, but varied & interesting. The company is constantly innovating & as a result, it's growing extremely quickly. Working for a fast-paced start-up means you sometimes have to just roll up your sleeves & get on with it - it's definitely not a place to sit back on your laurels. We're encouraged to implement changes quickly & refine later if necessary. I've been encouraged to take on new tasks in areas that are outside of my comfort zone, but I have enjoyed the challenge & have even surprised myself. That in itself has been immensely rewarding & has given me the confidence to take on more responsibility.

So many opportunities to try your hand at different things - have worked with people from all over the business (finance, engineering, product, compliance, design, CS) on different projects, meaning I'm learning all the time!

Nearly all communication takes place openly on Slack for all to see and all meeting notes are kept in public space (outside of 1 to 1s). Senior management openly share our 5 year vision and risks where things may slow us down. The founders also collected feedback from the entire company and then presented the results back in our weekly demo - their strengths, their weaknesses and the mistakes they wanted to reflect on. This has all created an environment where we're incredibly open with our mistakes and honest with our feedback.

Back in 2019, the founders ran workshops to revamp our values and the entire company at the time took part in creating our culture, meaning everyone is really bought into it. The values are spoken about in meetings, training and everyday conversation and especially when making decisions. The feedback from new starters is always that we really live our values and they can see them everyday in the decisions we all make. Living by the values is also an integral part of how performance is measured at Marshmallow.

Being 'open and honest' is literally a company value and it really shows! Important business decisions are shared openly to the whole company, people are comfortable sharing and owning their mistakes, and constructive feedback is exactly that - constructive!

All new product and feature releases are publicised across the company and widely recognised. Same with particularly prominent achievements from members of the customer operations team (EG - getting a high number of positive Trustpilot reviews or dealing with a particularly difficult customer situation')

We almost doubled in size during lockdown - that says it all!

Autonomy and responsibility to really own and push your area of expertise. You are treated like an adult and to manage your workload which means there is no micromanagement but support available for when you need it!

Marshmallow is disrupting traditional insurance. We are passionate about making insurance more instant, affordable and inclusive for everyone.

Ambitious, smart, driven and passionate individuals. We are all working towards a common goal and therefore we are always available to support each other to do our best work.