Work

Wherever we are, we work together: Exploring Virtual First by the numbers

Published on October 14, 2021

When we first announced our Virtual First work strategy in October 2020, we knew it would change a lot of things at Dropbox. We expected that employees would adapt to non-office centric life by enhancing their work-from-home setups, or by shifting their schedules to account for new caregiving responsibilities. We knew that some Dropboxers who preferred life in an office would search for new opportunities elsewhere. But the changes we’ve seen in the makeups and locations of our teams have been much more extraordinary than we expected.

Since going Virtual First, our job offer extension ratio has consisted of 30% internal candidates and 70% external candidates. What’s even more exciting is how many of those people live in new locations in which we did not previously hire. About half of our new hires are located in new areas for Dropbox.

We see even more opportunities for growth outside of the U.S. We’ve also hired Dropboxers in British Columbia, Canada during Virtual First, and we’re continuing to explore other global markets. Hieu Ngo, an Ontario-based Software Engineer, said, “It was indeed the Virtual First factor that made me accept my job at Dropbox. To me, Dropbox adopting a full remote policy indicated the innovation and speed that the company has always been known for. I have found the official Virtual First support for employees through countless assistance programs, talks, and practices amazing!”

And the power to harness the flexibility of Virtual First doesn’t rest solely with new hires. We’ve seen over 70 Dropboxers move away from previous office-centric areas and into new locations during Virtual First, supported in part by the relocation resources we offer.

Social Impact Manager Easlynn Lee is one Dropboxer who has taken advantage of this opportunity. She said, “Virtual First has allowed me the opportunity to continue to do the work I love from a location I’ve always wanted to live in — New York City. I’m excited to be able to connect even more with my colleagues in EMEA given my new time zone, and work with and learn more about nonprofits based in New York helping to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals!”

We don’t plan on slowing down the Virtual First movement time soon. Our Dropbox tools enable our teams to collaborate and innovate no matter where they work, and as we continue to improve them, our Virtual First environment will improve as well — creating a cycle in which our commitment to living what we preach only makes our tools (and our people) stronger.

As Los Angeles-based Software Engineer Micah Steinberg said, “In a world that’s radically shifting virtual, it’s exciting to be at a company aiming to solve a lot of the problems at the crux of the transition. I’ve been working on projects that help small businesses using Dropbox collaborate and improve their overall user experience. I look forward to the work ahead of us that will hopefully help users stay organized and connected in their work and life in general.”

Interested in learning more about how you, too, could thrive in a Virtual First environment? Check out our new jobs site for more information on and stories about our strategies — as well as job openings.