Listen "Building Culture When 85% Work Remote, 15% In Labs"
Episode Synopsis
Jackie Shaw is building OneSkin's people infrastructure from the ground up as their first in-house people leader, navigating the unique challenge of scaling culture across a 40-person remote-first team where 85-90% work remotely while their R&D scientists operate in San Francisco labs. In a longevity skincare company founded by four PhD scientists, Jackie bridges the gap between highly technical research teams and business operations, creating systems that maintain psychological safety in a high-stakes environment where experimental failures can cost millions. Her approach prioritizes proactive infrastructure building over firefighting, embedding wellness as a core career strategy rather than a perk, and using strategic context-switching to address the constantly evolving needs of a scaling startup.
Topics Discussed
Building remote-first culture systems while maintaining connection between distributed teams and on-site R&D labs
Creating transparent communication frameworks that translate complex scientific work into accessible company-wide understanding
Developing psychological safety protocols for teams working in high-stakes research environments with significant financial risk
Implementing recognition systems and morale-building strategies during intense work periods and external pressures
Designing intentional onboarding experiences that begin before day one and emphasize value alignment
Managing context-switching across benefits administration, talent acquisition, culture building, and strategic planning as a solo people leader
Establishing data-driven people metrics in science-heavy organizations while maintaining space for gut-based decision making
Scaling hiring across vastly different roles from PhD scientists to graphic designers while maintaining consistent candidate experience
Topics Discussed
Building remote-first culture systems while maintaining connection between distributed teams and on-site R&D labs
Creating transparent communication frameworks that translate complex scientific work into accessible company-wide understanding
Developing psychological safety protocols for teams working in high-stakes research environments with significant financial risk
Implementing recognition systems and morale-building strategies during intense work periods and external pressures
Designing intentional onboarding experiences that begin before day one and emphasize value alignment
Managing context-switching across benefits administration, talent acquisition, culture building, and strategic planning as a solo people leader
Establishing data-driven people metrics in science-heavy organizations while maintaining space for gut-based decision making
Scaling hiring across vastly different roles from PhD scientists to graphic designers while maintaining consistent candidate experience
More episodes of the podcast Heart of the Brand
Why Static Culture Kills Startup Growth
30/10/2025
Why All Legal Problems Are People Problems
30/09/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.