Our Culture

Our organizational structure and culture is part of what makes our team so unique and innovative. We think outside the “conceptual” box and work outside the “office” box. This transparency has led to an innovative, partnership-oriented project management process.

HiDeffers, who hail from across the U.S. to as far as Poland, are here because of their talent, passion and discipline–and because they enjoy the many benefits of the way we work:

• No commuting required. We proactively reduce our carbon footprint.
• We can work and Tweet from the field, making us super flexible with teammates and clients alike.
• Life and work in better balance; when one interrupts the other, we can adapt.
• We can take breaks to exercise, walk, or spend time with a loved one.
• We can work any time of the day or night, not just 9 to 5, and when it’s crunch-time, we’re available.
• We are more productive in our own spaces and creativity abounds when we are most comfortable.
• We communicate more. Being distributed necessitates proactive communication, and our best friends are instant messaging, video chat and virtual conferences.
• We’ve lowered overhead cost by not pursuing dedicated office space, which reduces our project costs.
• HiDeffers meet regularly face to face for interaction and hands-on detail work, helping to maintain a healthy balance.

A Day in the Life

We sat down with a few HiDeffers to let you know what it’s like to work at HiDef.

Sheryle Gillihan, Project Manager

Why did you join HiDef, Sheryle?

I have to admit, the interview process was very long. As a project manager I had to be able to work with the whole team as well clients, but more importantly, I had to share their passion for changing lives. In the end, that made the difference in my decision to join HiDef.

Why do you love HiDef?

I love HiDef because I’m able to really enjoy work. As if making a difference with our work isn’t enough, every day I get to be around fun, talented people. We think outside the box in every aspect and well, you never know what’s coming next. It’s the perfect culture for sharing inspiration and innovation.

Share a day-in-the-life of Sheryle Gillihan.

I like to start my morning with a cup of coffee in the backyard. Instead of driving an hour in traffic, the serenity of the morning sun puts me in the right frame of mind to think creatively and tackle whatever comes my way.

Things stay pretty busy once I kickoff my day. I’m jumping from one meeting to the next on most days as I juggle the needs of projects, but the excitement and momentum of what we accomplish with our work never wears me down. I love that I can work from anywhere. Life brings unexpected turns, both good and bad, and HiDef allows me the flexibility to work around that and still have a full-time career.

At the end of my day, I feel productive. I spend the evening with my family, volunteer with my girl scouts, or relax with a good book; I’m ready to do it again tomorrow.

Brian Vanaski, Designer

Why did you join HiDef, Beev?

I think most creatives can’t be truly satisfied unless they feed that creative hunger daily. I joined HiDef because the work they were doing could feed that creative animal within me. But what truly drew me to HiDef and made want to start a career with them was not just creating beautiful things but rather creating life changing things with technology.

Why do you love HiDef?

I love working at HiDef because it meets my needs as a creative. Beyond meeting those needs HiDef has a team of passionate people who share a love for changing lives. Because that passion is a common thread that runs through us all, we naturally get a long. I don’t know how we do it but we have a relaxed and fun culture but within that a serious get down to work mentality that suits me perfectly.

Share a day-in-the-life of Brian Vanaski.

My day at HiDef starts wherever I feel like it. Being virtual lets me choose where my day will unfold. I like to start the day off in my sketch book or in Photoshop with a hot cup of coffee and some great music. From there I’m heads down doing what I love coming up for air for the occasional meeting or creative review. I walk away from each day feeling fulfilled and proud of the work I’ve made, the people I made it with, the clients I made it for, but most of all the people’s lives it will change.

William Terry, Developer

Why did you join HiDef, William?

I joined to a large extent because I was impressed by two different aspects of HiDef – the caliber of the people with whom I met and the scale and sophistication of the projects being pursued.

Those HiDeffers I met were intelligent, talented, passionate about their work, light-hearted, and truly excited to be there. And they still are. I could tell that they did not just love their work, but loved the team with which they worked and the culture in which they worked. They were about making a better world, and that is a strong motivator.

Why do you love HiDef?

HiDef not only strives to serve its clients great causes with the utmost professionalism and dedication, but it lives great causes itself. The culture encourages and embraces that which makes the company itself a more conscientious, contributing member of this world. HiDeffers live the change they want to see and support our clients.

Share a day-in-the-life of William Terry.

Buried nose deep in design and development of parts of or whole software systems; engaging in a brainstorm session with colleagues on effective means for addressing designs and issues; sharing news of pertinent technical advances and research to new toys; and bantering with the team.

It’s fun, too. Where else would you find a software trouble ticket assigned to a team member requiring that person catch up on the entire Star Wars movie series? While we are a distributed team, there is more genuine camaraderie here than I have experienced in over 25 years in this field.

Kyle Slater, Quality Assurance Champion

Of all the companies I have worked for HiDef has the best company culture by far. They have managed to create a productive, cohesive team in a virtual environment. The employees are great to communicate with and we all have the opportunity to express our ideas.  It is a privilege to work for such a great company.