Racker Culture

Alan Perkins recently joined Rackspace as Director of Product and Technology, Asia Pacific. In this two-part series, he discusses why he joined Rackspace.

Today is Bike to Work Day in San Francisco. Dozens of Rackers in Rackspace’s San Francisco office participated. Here, I look at how cycling to work has become a key component of Racker SF culture (and some of the struggles that come with riding a bike to work in a major city).

Work would be a better place if we all did something we loved, don’t you think?

Rackspace is committed to being responsible stewards of the earth as we reduce our environmental impact and contribute to the communities we serve. That’s why we’re hosting our 7th Annual Rackspace Green Day (April 24, 2013). We want to connect our employees and our communities with local resources that enable us to live, work and play in a more sustainable manner – in our Austin, London and San Antonio offices.

My team has never had a standup meeting.

In early January of this year, I participated in one of the most amazing professional orientations I have ever experienced. With these sorts of events the word “experienced” usually has to be replaced with “been subjected to” – but not in this case. In fact, if more people were aware of what Rackspace does, what its mission is and the means by which it actually accomplishes this, the technical world would be beating down the doors of the company to get in. If I had known earlier, I would have joined much, much sooner.

We put support at the forefront of everything we do – we call it Fanatical Support. And that level of service starts from the inside with our Rackers. In order for Fanatical Support to be delivered right, our Rackers must be engaged and inspired to volunteer their best each day.

The polls are closed, the votes counted and winners announced. Rackspace is yet again on Glassdoor’s list of the Top 50 Best Places to Work, coming in at No. 15 for 2013. This marks the third time Rackspace made the list, which is now in its fifth year.

At Rackspace, we’re growing and hiring, at our headquarters in San Antonio and in other offices around the world. We try to be very careful to hire not just for aptitude and skills but also for fit — within our culture, and for the particular job. So we ask questions like this: “What sort of things do you find satisfying? In other words, what activities give you a kick, either while doing them or immediately after finishing, and you think ‘Oh, when can I do that again?’” It’s a question that often makes candidates stop and think, and tell us where their strengths and passions lie.

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