For years, the dominant paradigm in work-life presupposed that people exchanged their time for a wage which then allowed them to finance their life. It suggests that workers would manage to find a balance between time and money: give away some of their time, but not all of it so they can still live and spend the money they have earned.

This paradigm is shifting, and a handful of companies are leading the march towards the “future of work.”

The rise of a new generation, Millenials, has put the specific concept of freedom at the forefront of HR discussions. The new workforce wants to manage their time as freely as life constraints make it possible.

The last five years have seen the rise of new lifestyles such as the digital nomads or digital entrepreneurs, and ones where people earn money out of passive incomes and/or remote work.

All these new concepts are the direct result of a work system that seems to have failed at delivering the freedom the new workforce sincerely seeks.

Talent retention has driven companies to adapt and increase the degree of freedom given to employees. Innovative initiatives include the introduction of remote work, unlimited holidays policy, human and pleasant offices, free food, or a flat organization allowing more pro-activity and ownership.

These initiatives managed to relax the bottleneck by providing a higher degree of freedom and flexibility to employees. But a 100% free workplace still seems to be an unattainable ideal.

What is needed is a new model. Shifting the paradigm of the employer-employee relationship to a community of members willingly working on their terms.

The world’s most efficient organization.

When Swish was created in 2013, the founders did not expect the success that quickly met them further down the road. The start-up grew by 500% in six months only, a blessing that called for organization and structure.

**How to create an organization that would be decentralized and fully autonomous, whatever its scale? **

The organization spent five years experimenting and walking on the frontiers of the “future of work” to materialize the vision of the modern workplace. Here is what we’ve learned on the way.

Creating a framework for the modern workforce:

Our adventure to build the contemporary workplace has allowed us to understand what premises were needed to do so. Here are the eight foundational ones.

It all starts with people:

Moving the cursor where it matters most: the hiring process. Hiring the right people is key to the success of the new model of work. Members of Swish are interviewed and we not only review their skills to fit the projects needs, but we also make sure that they can align with the Swish model and mindset. A model based on freedom relies on autonomous and responsible people who can work on their own terms while still delivering high standard work.

Define a clear set of values:

In a decentralized and automized network, values are the glue between all members. Our values are at the core of everything we do - be it in the hiring process, management of teams, projects vetting and lifecycle, client interactions. The values enable every member to know the ethos of the community and guide them in the daily life of the network.

Set-up processes and tools:

Freedom without guidance morphs into anxiety. To be able to create a decentralized and autonomous organization there needs to be clear processes and tools. Managers are available for their team, and we ensure that new members are briefed on the tools and methods that will enable them to work freely. Our main tools are Pivotal Tracker for sprint-related communication and organization. Slack is our go-to for ad-hoc and spontaneous interactions. Teams work in two-weeks iterations (sprints) with clear deliverables and goals set-up by the Project Manager. The key success factor of the sprint process lies in the fact that we always break down projects into unique tasks with clarity on the difficulty level of the task and the person responsible for its completion. Swishers start their sprints knowing what to do, how difficult it is and when to deliver. The sprint process allows work to flow, reducing frictions and the number of communications needed about the tasks.

Enable transparency and meritocracy:

The Swish Dashboard is the materialization of one of our values - transparency. Every Swish member has access to this central repository of all the information concerning all projects, past, ongoing and future: projects, status, members availability and staffing, payouts of teams and payment distribution based on contribution to the sprint deliverables. Transparency saves time, increases visibility, flattens the organization and allows for efficient interactions and collaborations.

Establish champions to support deeper layers of the network:

A team lead guides every one of our areas of expertise (blockchain, machine learning, web/apps). This Swisher is accustomed to the organization and its functioning and is the beacon for anyone needing guidance. They are also the ones leading the teams regarding strategic direction and business goals.

Foster freedom and responsibility:

Freedom is a key element of life at Swish and with it comes responsibility. By making sure that all Swishers are aligned on this principle, we ensure an organization where there is no need for office-time or micro-management for high-quality work to be delivered. Night owls and early risers are welcome; the focal point is their capacity to deliver amazing products for the projects they are contributing to.

Community instead of hierarchy:

Mindsets are shaped by the everyday actions the organization takes. We use specific terminology to shift the way we perceive Swish. What would be called “employees” are called “Swishers” and technically, they are not employees but freelancers. What would be called a “tech startup” is the "network" or "community". There are no “salaries” but “payouts.” And there is no office dress code because there is no office and the total freedom for anyone to be themselves.

Potential versus work title:

We use potential as the premise of our management style. We have realized that focusing on people’s potential of growth and expansion, and fostering the growth allowed members to feel fulfilled with their contribution to the network and yielded a high member retention rate (100% over the last six months).

The result - the new workplace.

Swish is a continually growing community of talent moved by the same purpose: build cutting-edge solutions for inspiring businesses.

The network is already fully decentralized, 100% remote and on its way to being 100% automated for everything related to repetitive tasks and admin, allowing members to bring value from day one at Swish.

Despite the full decentralization and dematerialization of the community, we have made sure to preserve the human connection: through Slack channels or real-life meetups for teams, sub-teams, and one-on-one conversations. Through a clear set of values shared by all Swishers. Through a shared vision that motivates everyone.

The result is a 100% free workplace. Freedom of localization. Freedom to organize the work schedule as the individual feels is the best fit for their style. Freedom to work on new projects where the member sees a potential of growth for themselves.

But, maybe the most important freedom that is given by this model is the freedom to choose. Being part of the network does not mean that one has to work full-time. Members can set their availability in terms of hours, and adapt that to their lifestyle and situation.

What we do at Swish is not just “work.” We contribute to exciting projects; we build the economy of the future while deeply respecting the humans behind the screens.

Want to be part of the community? We're hiring.