Book of Red Gate 2010 - Red Gate Software

“I’m sick of hearing
about Red Gate”
One of the few negative things about working at Red Gate is
that sooner or later all your friends become tired of hearing
about how it’s such a great company. It’s almost an embarrassing
subject to raise now, a taboo. You’re sitting in a pub
with your friends, and you just can’t help yourself; you find
you’re telling them about a day out building a catapult as a
Celtic warrior, yet another champagne celebration, painting
mugs or eggs or t-shirts, the silhouette artist, the amazing
roast beef you had for lunch etc. etc. And you get ‘that look’.
The look that says - You’re not supposed to rave enthusiastically
about where you work. Work is a source of complaint;
it’s something we tolerant begrudgingly and then bitch about
over a pint. Eventually, someone will ask – “What is so great
about Red Gate anyway?”
It’s a good question. What makes Red Great such a great place
to work? Occasionally, you try to explain, but find yourself
incoherently gushing about ‘culture’ and ‘fun’ and ‘ping pong’
in a wide-eyed and rather creepy evangelical manner. And
people again give you ‘that look’.
So, how can you explain what makes Red Gate the place that
it is? It’s not just about the free lunches and table football and
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