To serve both its customers and its employees, Microsoft puts a great deal of effort into fostering a culture and environment that inspires collaboration – whether that’s in its Reston, VA office outside Washington, D.C., or its sprawling campus in Redmond, WA outside Seattle. The team-oriented atmosphere and the physical office spaces are geared toward producing work that both employees and customers are proud of.
From coast to coast and around the world, Microsoft is about collaboration
Microsoft knows that the best way to reach innovative solutions is by working together, sharing ideas, and learning from the expertise and perspectives of others. Laura, a Senior Consultant working with government clients in D.C., says this one of the most attractive aspects of the job.
“Microsoft culture is all about collaboration, and that’s really exciting, because you can work with a group of really smart people to achieve and work towards solving really hard things.”
A three-hour time difference and different work environments might be seen as roadblocks, but Microsoft employees find their shared work culture and passion for the customer helps make coast-to-coast collaboration possible.
“Being on staff at Microsoft on the east coast, we work closely with the team out in Redmond, Washington,” says Brett, a Site Reliability Engineer in Reston. This close collaboration means that when it’s 5 pm on the East Coast, work doesn’t stop – Microsoft offices in Redmond and worldwide keep working to provide solutions. This allows Microsoft to be problem-solving on behalf of its clients 24 hours a day.
How does Microsoft culture benefit its government clients?
This collaborative mindset is not only between Microsoft teammates, but between Microsoft and its customers. As Jamal, a Senior Consultant, explains, “The best thing about working in Reston, and particularly in the D.C. area, is that we have the opportunity to sit co-located on the premises with our customers. So we have hands on the keyboard together. We’re solving problems, we’re sharing information, and that brings a lot of impact to our customer’s mission.”
Laura has seen how this desire to problem-solve and serve government customers is a common thread across her team. “Some of the skills and characteristics that I see across Microsoft employees are the ability to get the job done, but also to be empathetic to the customer,” says Laura. “They really just want to go the extra mile and find out what is the issue at hand or how to improve their business operations.”
What’s the best part about life in Redmond and Reston?
With a strong presence both in the D.C. and Seattle areas, Microsoft employees have plenty to enjoy about their respective offices – both personally and professionally.
“One of the best things about living and working in the Washington, D.C. area is, from an IT perspective, there are so many government contracting companies and big tech companies in the area. And the social aspect of it, there’s so much to do, as well, when you have everything within a short distance,” says Brett.
Working in Redmond has its own benefits. Apart from the massive Microsoft campus equipped with museums, eateries, free Microsoft transportation, and a company treehouse (yes, you heard that right), there’s everything to enjoy about life in the Seattle area.
“The best thing about living and working in Redmond to me is the outdoors, so I can get out there and go hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter,” said Claire, a Senior Program Manager.
For other employees, the benefits of their environment are less concrete – but just as rewarding.
“I think the best thing about working in this area is there’s just a lot of creative talent. If you think about how just humanity grows in general, the advancements that you make in technology come from having people in closer proximity able to communicate better,” says Adam, a Service Engineer in Redmond.
“Actually being in these cities and being next to some of the greatest minds and working with people from Microsoft that architect things like Azure – you’re not going to find that anywhere else.”
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