Getting Hit By A Car: The True Measure Of The WP Engine Community

Recently, one of our San Antonio support techs, Daniel, was hit by a car while riding his bike into work. His bike is his main source of transportation, and he couldn’t get around easily without it. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt, but the accident left him with a gnarled and mangled bike that looked more like abstract art than a functional mode of transportation. Still, Daniel showed up to work, and apologized for being late.

Upon hearing the news, WP Engine rallied, as it’s done so many times in the past.

Within minutes, a colleague had spun up a contribution site to try and raise a little cash to help offset the cost of a new bike.

That’s when the WP Engine magic happened.

WP Engine employees pitched in. They pitched in a lot. And they did so quickly, so much so that we raised $500 for a new bike and a new helmet in less than two hours. It happened so fast that we had to ask folks to stop contributing.

No one was forced to do this. No executive put out a call to action. There were no “it-would-be-nice-if” conversations. This was a grassroots effort by employees to help out their coworker and friend. They recognized the need and took action. That’s the power of WP Engine. That’s who we are. That is what it means to work here.

Like a lot of startups and young companies, we talk a lot about our culture and our core values. A strong culture is a major differentiator and helps not only attract talent, but it also serves to retain the right kind of talent.

Over the last five years, we’ve managed to preserve our unique culture by hiring people who fit well within it, and by nature can help maintain and improve it. It’s not an exact science, but it works.

We can write our core values on a piece of paper, or on a poster. We can stick them to the wall. But they mean nothing if you don’t practice what you preach. And the act of practicing should be natural, not forced, and not a chore.

And when we see that culture in action, like with Daniel and his bike accident, that’s when it all really clicks.

For two years running Austin Business Journal has named us one of the best places to work in Central Texas, and actions like this are one of the key reasons why.

We’re a lot more than a company. We’re a community. We look out for each other.

That community affects our customers too. Because when someone feels like they’re part of something special, as most WP Engine employees do, it inspires them to volunteer their best every day. When people are engaged and give their job their all, our customers benefit in the form of a better platform and better support. It’s sort of contagious in that way. We thrive on serving our customers and giving them a glimpse of who we are and what we stand for. It’s a relationship that not all companies have with their customers.

Ultimately, it comes down to us having each other’s backs, and the backs of our customers, and it’s what inspires and influences how we conduct business every day.

It’s incredible to be a part of it; to see it from the inside. It’s both humbling and inspiring. It’s truly awesome, and truly unique. It’s truly WP Engine.

Want to be part of the WP Engine community? We’re hiring.