It all started with a struggle. The pandemic and the sudden shift to fully remote work — combined with leadership changes and economic hits to the business — caused tension and friction that we knew wasn’t sustainable. 

We realized we needed to focus on the team first and how we work together, and believed that everything else (like customer satisfaction and business goals) would fall into place. It ended up working so well that now, “People First” is basically our main business strategy!

In this post, (the first of many where we’ll highlight different voices from across the team), my goal is to share a bit about our values and why we’re all-in on them. If you’re curious about what it’s like to work at NWG, or are wondering if NWG might be a good fit for your talents, read on.

What Does NWG Look For In A Future Team Member?

Culture fit is number one. Seriously, it’s the most important thing. When we haven’t followed this rule, we’ve regretted it. Our culture is fun, supportive, empathetic and flexible. We genuinely want each other to succeed. We literally have a “No Asshole Policy.” 

We hire for curiosity. We love people who want to grow with us. You don't have to have done the exact job before. In fact, if you’re looking to pivot your career, we can help you get there. We have folks from a wide variety of industries, including ex-military and former academics. If you're curious and want to do a lot more (or you know what you don’t want based on past job experiences), we want to talk to you. Resumes are just starting points!

A dynamic environment sounds exciting. We’re not super rigid or totally chaotic. Our people love new challenges. “That’s not my job” isn’t in our vocabulary, but “I don’t love this and would like to do more of this other thing” IS. 

How Do People Work Together?

First, we’re super cross-functional. Being a small company means you get to jump in on things that excite you, vs. following a rigid set of duties. Honestly, we barely have strict job descriptions (that might make some candidates turn away, and that’s ok). Everyone is very collaborative, and “stepping on toes” isn’t a thing.

Got an idea? If you have a wild dream for the company, we'll run it to ground. We’ll even likely pull you into the conversation or encourage you to lead the project.

Skills get noticed. If you're good at something, you'll get invited to help out elsewhere. For example, two of our ethical hackers got tapped to help with a project for our managed security services this year, mostly because they both have a knack for analyzing information in unique ways. And one of our managed security services engineers just got invited to help create new documentation procedures (even though that wasn’t what he was hired to do) because we knew he had done it in a previous role.

Follow your passion. We love creating new roles and initiatives for people based on what they're genuinely interested in. That former academic? She loves to do research. So we created a new title and initiative for her, with our full support and encouragement. As another recent example, one of our former customer experience associates expressed an interest in leading projects that use technology in new ways to make internal processes more efficient. He’s now heading up a new initiative to focus on those projects.

What’s The Goal?

Our ultimate goal is to put people over profits. We fundamentally believe our people need to be healthy, happy and heard. Corporate health is just a way to ensure employee well-being. The whole point of growing and ensuring the health of our business is so that we can take care of our team.

We take an oxygen-masks-first approach. You can only do your best work if you're happy and healthy. Trying to sacrifice yourself isn't sustainable for anyone.

How Do We Put “People First” Into Action?

I have regular one-on-ones (with everyone!). It started as a way for me, the People Person, to know the team and for folks to vent. Now, it's a way to gather info, ask "What's getting in your way?" and make things better.

We host an annual All Hands meeting. Our people work all over the country. Once a year, we fly everyone to Ann Arbor, MI to connect, build relationships and talk in small, mixed groups about things that aren't just work. People always want to keep talking after these, which takes me to the next point:

We have virtual meetings with our small groups. We keep those All Hands breakout groups meeting remotely throughout the year to maintain the momentum and connection. We all get busy, so it's a struggle to prioritize sometimes. But we know it's worth the sacrifice.

Quick Tip: Put it on the calendar! Since we're fully remote, connecting doesn't happen by accident. Even a ten-minute break to ask about each other's day is better than nothing.

What Other Cool Perks and Policies Does NWG Have?

• No cameras required. We prioritize comfort over seeing faces (though we like seeing faces if/when you feel like it)!
• Generous PTO and holidays. (Duh!)
• Fun Slack bots/questions of the week. We have heated debates over fun topics like whether a hotdog is a sandwich, or what’s an album with no bad songs from start to finish.
• We pay for training and certifications.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• We'll end bad relationships. If a customer, partner or even an employee is a bad fit for the culture, we let them go. It's necessary for the team's well-being.
• New "Women-In-Cyber group." Support, encouragement and connection, with monthly meetings and a Slack channel.

In Conclusion

We have amazing people, and we're going to keep doing everything we can to keep them happy and healthy! But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what a few of our employees had to say:

"I’m honored to work alongside such brilliant people. They’d be incredibly intimidating if they weren’t so open and friendly! I learn so much every day and I’m so excited about my future here.”  – Tristan Fuller (Marketing Team Since 2025)

"There are so many good, helpful people here. Never in my 35+ years of professional working have I been with a team like this." – Scot Armstrong (Sales Team Since 2007)

“The culture of this organization prioritizes putting the people first. This environment inspires me to be the best version of myself and always give 110% knowing that I’m treated as a person, and not just an employee. Collaboration is also pivotal in everything we do. I’m thankful to work with such a knowledgeable, dedicated and driven team each day.” – Jefferson Sherald (CX Team Since 2024)

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Published By: Michelle Schuitema, Director of People Ops, NetWorks Group

Publish Date: December 18, 2025

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