For the December 2020 holiday season, every employee at Anduril Industries received a package at their doorstep.
Like everywhere else across the globe, the past year had been filled with transitions at the Irvine software tech company. The staff navigated the challenges of remote work and made adjustments to their personal and professional lives. But no matter what was happening with the coronavirus pandemic, the company’s mission to equip the U.S. and allied militaries with national security technologies remained important.
And so was company culture.
That’s one reason why Anduril hired Meagan Murray in September of 2020. The company’s first head of people was tasked with supporting its employees by creating an inclusive, rewarding and fun environment — especially while remote.
Inside the package on every doorstep was a bottle of bourbon, ginger beer, cinnamon sticks, a recipe, and an Anduril-branded cocktail shaker. There were snacks like cheddar and thyme crackers, truffle popcorn and vanilla chocolate cakesickles.
“It was a lot of fun to follow the recipe, and although we weren’t together, it did make us feel like we were connected on some level,” Murray said.
Built In LA recently spoke with Murray to learn more about what drew her to Anduril, and how she’s helping to facilitate a strong company culture that can overcome the unexpected.
I understand that you recently joined the company. What drew you to Anduril Industries?
First and foremost, I love cutting-edge technology and building teams that develop it. I may not be the person that gets to create the technology, but my passion is supporting the individuals that do. Everyone here plays a role in the success of the company and I get to help everyone achieve that by creating an environment that not only supports each individual, but also the company’s objectives. In addition to the technology, the people at Anduril are some of the most hardworking, intelligent and kind people I’ve ever worked with. It’s easy to be drawn to a company where you genuinely care about the people.
How does the company maintain its culture while remote?
We’ve moved our company all hands to Zoom to make sure we are still keeping everyone informed of progress and achievements. We also encourage our managers to have fun with their teams and host things like virtual happy hours. For example, one of our employee resource groups, “Women of Anduril,” hosts a bi-weekly happy hour via Zoom. I know other teams or groups host Zoom meetings where they learned a new skill like negotiating tactics. And this year for the holidays, Anduril sent every employee a drink-making kit and goodies since we weren’t able to host our regular holiday party. It was a lot of fun to follow the recipe, and although we weren’t together, it did make us feel like we were connected on some level.
I may not be the person that gets to create the technology, but my passion is supporting the individuals that do. ’’
What are some company policies that ensure that everyone maintains a healthy work-life balance?
We have a flexible approach to work and we recognize that with COVID-19, the new normal of working from home can be challenging for some. For example, we know that some folks have kids or family at home that may make it challenging to work the normal hours, so we encourage our managers to have flexibility with their teams. In addition, we have an unlimited PTO policy and we really want folks to take the time they need to rest and recharge. We also have a generous and flexible short-term leave and parental leave policies so people do not stress over needing to take time off if they fall ill, take care of a family member or need extra recovery time for a surgery.
A PAID VACATION — LITERALLY
What does DEI look like at Anduril Industries?
It’s so important for us to think critically and focus on diversity and inclusion at Anduril. Our military is incredibly diverse, and since we make technology for the military, it is important that our employees reflect the same diversity of our customers. We are currently on the hunt for someone to lead our initiatives around diversity and inclusion. We are looking for someone that is passionate about creating a diverse and inclusive culture through education, trainings and other programs. Finding this person is my highest priority going into 2021 since we’re continuing to scale rapidly as an organization. I’m looking forward to bringing someone onto the team who will be able to better our organization and amplify the “how” in how we show up.
As Anduril’s first head of people, how are you thinking about building upon the company’s existing culture?
Culture is really an interesting subject because culture is all about the people, and with our company nearly doubling in size over the past year, Anduril’s culture has evolved and changed. I think what makes our culture so unique is that we have a very diverse team of people. Some come from the tech world, some from the government, and I’m really proud to say that we have a large percentage of veterans.
Our military is incredibly diverse, and since we make technology for the military, it is important that our employees reflect the same diversity of our customers.’’
I’m currently focused on career development for both managers and individual contributors by defining what it means to be an Andurilian and supporting everyone's growth. This year we launched a new performance cycle, and we’ll be focused on learning and development to give support to our people so they can be their best at work and in their personal life.
