📝 Overview

As we continue to grow and evolve at the GitLab Foundation, we remain dedicated to upholding core principles that will guide our progress as a fully remote organization. This commitment will enable us to achieve sustainable growth while preserving the unique culture and values that define us. We aim to:

1. Foster Collaboration and Prevent Silos: Promote collaboration by encouraging cross-functional projects, fostering inclusive leadership, and regularly assessing organizational dynamics to prevent silos.
2. Focus on Results and Enable Clear Prioritization: Maximize impact by focusing on the most critical tasks and projects, empowering team members to concentrate on high-impact activities.
3. Enhance Efficiency and Productivity: Streamline processes and continuously optimize workflows to improve operational efficiency and productivity, ensuring tasks and projects are completed effectively and on time.
4. Promote Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Promote diversity and inclusion within the organization and create opportunities for all team members to contribute, build camaraderie, and thrive. This will ensure equitable practices and a strong sense of belonging.
5. Embrace Iteration and Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging regular iteration, learning from feedback, and making incremental adjustments to processes and projects to achieve better outcomes.
6. Ensure Transparent Interaction and Communication: Maintain timely and transparent information flow throughout the organization with clear communication channels, regular all-hands updates, documentation in the Handbook, and encouragement of open feedback and interaction.

With these principles as our foundation, we are confident in our ability to navigate the complexities of growth while maintaining our strong organizational culture.

💬 Communications at GTLF

Asynchronous (Async) Communication

The GitLab Foundation embraces asynchronous work as a core part of its remote-first model—supporting flexibility, inclusivity, and efficiency across time zones. Guided by GitLab Inc.’s expertise in asynchronous workflows, we prioritize well-documented communication, clear expectations, and strong documentation to empower autonomous, effective collaboration without reliance on real-time interactions. Tips for async work:

• Centralize in the Handbook – Keep processes and guidance up to date for easy self-service.
• Document Decisions – Make outcomes visible to reduce repetition and build shared context.
• Default to Async First & Minimize Meetings – Opt for async updates (e.g., recordings) before scheduling meetings.
• Follow through on Alerts – Respond to @mentions and assigned action items in Docs/Sheets/Slides to keep async work moving. Google Help
• Communicate with CREDIT Values – Be clear, results-oriented, transparent, and actionable.
• Respect Time Zones – Add context and deadlines to support global collaboration.
• Encourage Ownership – Clarify task owners so it’s clear who to go to for updates or decisions.
• Use Async Feedback – Collect and share input without requiring real-time responses.