Philo Work-Life Balance & Wellbeing

At Philo, we believe that doing your best work means having space for a life outside of work. We're not a "hustle culture" company that glorifies burnout, we're a team that values sustainability, balance, and showing up as whole people.

Realistic Expectations and Sustainable Pace: We set realistic goals and timelines. While there are occasionally crunch moments when launching a major feature or addressing a critical issue, these are the exception, not the norm. We don't operate in a constant state of urgency or expect people to be "always on." Our leadership is intentional about scoping work appropriately and ensuring teams have the resources and time they need to deliver quality work without sacrificing their well-being.

Flexibility Built In: We understand that life happens, whether it's a doctor's appointment, picking up kids from school, caring for a family member, or just needing a mental health day. We offer flexible work arrangements, including hybrid and remote options, so you can structure your day in a way that works for your life. Need to shift your hours to accommodate personal commitments? That's normal here. We trust our team to manage their time and get their work done without micromanaging every minute.

Generous PTO and Encouraging Its Use: We offer generous paid time off, and we actually encourage people to use it. Taking vacation shouldn't feel like a luxury or something you have to justify, it's essential for recharging and staying sharp. Our leadership models this behavior by taking time off themselves and creating a culture where disconnecting is respected and supported.

Distributed Team, Intentional Collaboration: With offices in San Francisco, New York, and Cambridge, plus remote team members across the country, we're mindful of time zones and async communication. We don't expect people to be in back-to-back meetings all day or respond to Slack messages at midnight. We document our work, communicate thoughtfully, and respect boundaries so collaboration doesn't become exhausting.

Manageable Workloads and Clear Priorities: We're a lean team, which means everyone's work matters but it also means we're intentional about prioritization. Managers work closely with their teams to ensure workloads are manageable and that people aren't stretched too thin. If something's overwhelming, we talk about it and adjust. We'd rather ship fewer things well than burn people out chasing unrealistic goals.

Support During Life's Big Moments: We recognize that people go through major life events whether it's having a baby, dealing with illness, navigating personal loss—and we support our team through those times. Whether it's parental leave, flexible schedules during tough periods, or simply understanding when someone needs to step back temporarily, we prioritize people over deadlines.

No "Hero Culture": We don't celebrate people working weekends or pulling all-nighters as badges of honor. We celebrate smart work, collaboration, and sustainable output. If someone is consistently overworked, that's a problem we solve as a team, not something we normalize.

At Philo, work-life balance isn't a perk, it's a core value. We want you to love what you do, but we also want you to have a life you love outside of work. Because when you're rested, supported, and fulfilled, that's when you do your best work.