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Here at Salesforce, we define our culture as “Ohana” the Hawaiian word for family. It represents the idea that families—blood-related, adopted or intentional—are bound together, and that family members are responsible for one another.

Ohana is the deep-seeded support system we nurture inside our company that extends from our employees to our partners, customers and members of our communities. Ohana is expressed in our core values: trust, equality, growth and innovation. We are as intentional about the company culture as we are about the products we build.

We strongly believe our culture is our differentiator, a key driver of our success and at the core of our DNA. Our Ohana culture helps us attract and retain top talent that delivers unparalleled success for our customers, community and the world. Maintaining a strong culture is an ongoing journey — we listen to our employees and we evolve with them.

To keep the Salesforce culture strong and maintain our place as Australia's Best Place to Work as we grow we have focused on some key initiatives, including:

  • Giving employees a purpose beyond profit. Giving back has been embedded in our culture from Day 1. Through our 1-1-1 philanthropic model, we've given $160 million in grants, Salesforce employees have volunteered 2 million hours together in their communities and we've provided Salesforce technology for free or at a discount to 31,000 nonprofits. Here in Asia Pacific last year we completed 22,850 volunteer hours and we have 143 Aussie and Kiwi companies who are now part of the Pledge 1% movement. We also work with some amazing non-profits like Foodbank, Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience and School's Plus.

  • Championing Equality for all. We believe that inequality, in all its forms – Gender, LGBTQ, Racial or otherwise – is an issue that every company must address for its own benefit and to create a better world. We believe businesses need to focus on closing the Equality gap with the same energy put into creating new products and markets. Today, we are working together with our whole Ohana – our employees, customers, partners, community organisations and the tech industry – to build a path forward to Equality for all. We are proud to have Pledged our support for Marriage Equality in Australia last year and for taking a leading role in driving gender diversity in the technology sector in Australia.

  • Putting a focus on wellbeing. As a customer-oriented company, we know that we can only take care of our customers if we first take care of ourselves. Wellbeing is one of Salesforce’s fundamental values, so we devote a lot of time and resources to making sure that our Ohana is happy and healthy. We've added mindfulness zones to our offices — so employees can find a moment of Zen in their busy day. We also provide a wellness reimbursement for all our staff which allows them to focus on things that matter to them: gym classes, surfing lessons, dance classes or even massages!

And today, I am proud to announce our latest investment in our people:

  • Effective May 1 2017 in Australia, we’re improving our Parental Leave policy to better meet the needs of our employees and our business. Primary caregivers will now be able to take 26 weeks paid time off and secondary caregivers can take 12 weeks paid time off to bond with their new baby or adopted child. This policy is a recognition of the importance we place on family - in whatever form that takes - and a recognition that all caregivers should be given time to bond and enjoy this wonderful time of life.

  • We also understand that every family is built differently. If our staff are building their family through adoption, they are also eligible for Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance. Salesforce will reimburse up to $10,000 per child for eligible expenses related to adopting a child.

The Salesforce Ohana culture enables our employees to flourish, our customers to succeed and potential employees to be drawn to us. We fundamentally believe that culture cannot be left to chance; it must be deliberate, measured and consistent from day one. At our core we know our employees are our greatest asset and we are proud to have built such a strong Ohana here in Australia.

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