Work From Jellywhere: Flo, Jellysmacker and Digital Nomad
Florian is making the best out of our Work From JellyWhere policy. Here is his story!
Florian Clevenot, newly minted NoCode Engineer, has only been a Jellysmacker for two months now, but he’s already taken advantage of the Work from Jellywhere policy. “I’ve been traveling and working remotely all over France,” he says. All he had to do was tell his manager, and the People Team, and it was go time. No hassle and no red tape.
He jumped at the opportunity to work from his family home in Lyon, from Bordeaux, and from his home in the outskirts of Paris. “The SNCF (French railway company) loves me,” he jokes.
Florian is no stranger to remote work. Before joining Jellysmack, he spent a month as a digital nomad in the heart of Lisbon. And before that, he spent over four years organizing tech community events worldwide. He’s been to Canada, Poland, and Saudi Arabia, just to name a few. He “loved speaking English, meeting new people, and having new experiences.”
Even before, upon returning to France after his Engineer Internship in Dubai, he realized that staying in one place just wasn’t for him. He was “hooked” and wanted to continue living a nomadic lifestyle.
In fact, it was so important to him that remote work was one of his “top three criteria’’ when job hunting in 2021. He says that it definitely influenced his decision to join Jellysmack. “There are plenty of companies that say they encourage flexible working arrangements, but with the Work from Jellywhere policy, it was clear that Jellysmack actually does.”
A seasoned pro, Flo’s even got all of his equipment down to one bag. It goes where he goes. “It’s light, portable, and durable. So, yeah, it works out really well.”
So, what exactly does he do all day with his laptop and wifi connection? His job as NoCode Engineer is to help the company improve its processes at scale by creating automated workflows with NoCode Tools (such as Zapier, Okta Workflow, etc). For instance, Jellysmack was hiring just a few people per week at the outset, but now in hypergrowth, it’s more like 40–50.
He’s in charge of rolling out JS processes on a grander scale and defining the right NoCode tools to do so…for onboarding and beyond (and any department with the company). And, with those exploding numbers, he’s certainly got his work cut out for him.
But, productivity was never an issue. “It’s funny, I almost feel more productive when I’m working remotely,” he says, well aware of the irony. Motivation flows from a sense of independence, and the constant change of scenery always offers a healthy dose of fresh inspiration.
Of course, remote work (like anything) does have its downsides. Florian has pondered the consequences, on both a macro and a micro level. After all, it’s clear that digital nomads are changing the economic and social landscape on a global scale. When he worked in Lisbon, for example, he met nomads from Brazil, France, Ireland, the UK. “The cost of living is great for us, but it does impact the price of apartments and restaurants for the locals.” The reasons young people are flocking to Lisbon seem evident — sun, surf, and culture can’t be wrong. And, in some respects, the influx is not a drain but a boon to the local economy.
But, how does it work day-to-day, on a personal level? “My friends and family are familiar with my lifestyle,” says Flo. “As long as you keep an open line of communication, it can work out great for everybody.” In fact, he even bases his travel plans around who he can spend quality time with along the way. He’s either working from his family home in Lyon or setting up a homebase in a place like Lisbon with like-minded friends. “Some people are solo travelers,” he says, “but it’s not for me. For me, it’s all about building connections and creating memories.”
As for the future? He can see himself living this way “for a year or so” — maybe hitting up Barcelona and the Alps — before settling down in Paris or Lyon with his partner. “ Post-COVID reality has become unpredictable after all, and Florian acknowledges this with a smile and an end-of-times joke.
He just feels really lucky to be doing what he’s doing, in spite of everything going on in the world. “I realize that a lot of companies have gone back to in-person work. I’m so glad that here remote work is really one of the pillars of the company,” all part of being a Jellysmacker. If anything, Flo is proof that the policy is helping Jellysmack attract top talent, internationally-minded people, and global citizens. Barring the apocalypse.
