A Recognition Built on a Mission, Not a Perk List
Cloudflare has been named one of the Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces in 2022 by Newsweek and the Best Practice Institute (BPI). The designation is aimed at companies where employees feel a genuine alignment with the organization's goals and culture. As the year winds down, it is worth examining the specific engineering and operational factors that contribute to that sentiment.
The Weight of 20% of the Web
The foundational element of Cloudflare's culture is its stated mission: to help build a better Internet. The scale of that task provides a constant source of professional motivation. With roughly 20% of the web's traffic passing through Cloudflare's network, the technical challenges are substantial. Employees are tasked with ensuring that critical online infrastructure remains fast, secure, and resilient against attacks, which requires a high degree of specialized talent.
Internal survey data reflects this focus. In a recent global employee survey, 94% of respondents stated they are inspired by the mission to build a better Internet. Additionally, 92% of employees indicated that their work is important to the company, and the same percentage reported that their manager treats them with respect. These metrics suggest that the technical impact of the work is directly tied to employee satisfaction.
Support Systems and Community Groups
Beyond the technical mission, the company invests in a comprehensive rewards package that includes commuter benefits for office and hybrid workers, as well as health and family programs covering fertility, caregiving, and mental health support. A flexible, "take-what-you-need" vacation policy is also in place.
A significant component of the cultural framework is the network of 16 Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). These are company-supported communities focused on shared characteristics or interests, such as Proudflare, Womenflare, and Afroflare. They are structured to support career development and foster an inclusive environment where engineers and other staff can find a sense of belonging.
Flexibility and Growth Metrics
The shift from a fully in-office model to a remote and hybrid environment required a period of experimentation. The current approach allows teams to define their own optimal working arrangements, whether that is fully remote, hybrid, or in-office, based on what best facilitates collaboration.
The hiring landscape indicates a robust employment brand. Over the past two years, the global team has grown by 93%, and now exceeds 3,100 members. In 2021 alone, the company received over 200,000 applications and extended 1,455 offers, with an acceptance rate of 92%. This is paired with what the company describes as continuously low attrition rates, suggesting that retention is as strong as acquisition.
As Co-founder & COO Michelle Zatlyn notes, "Companies are collections of people." The recognition from Newsweek and BPI serves as a data point, but the ongoing technical recruitment and internal survey results provide the supporting evidence for the strength of the workplace culture.
