Design your work life with 3 tips from Veracode’s April Flowers

When we think back to our personal and work routines before the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us can’t believe how different things are now.

Especially April Flowers, manager of customer success at Veracode.

During the pandemic, she reconnected with her now-husband, Daniel, after falling out of touch in college. The two married in 2022, moved to Rhode Island from Central Massachusetts, and welcomed a son, August, shortly after. “I sometimes feel as though I’m re-introducing myself to my peers since I’ve had so many personal changes throughout the pandemic and working remotely,” April shares.

Nowadays, most of April’s time is centered around her family and being a first-time parent. This amazing journey, filled with playgrounds and park dates, means that her personal life essentially changed overnight. And thanks to being able to work full-time from home, she couldn’t be happier with how her life looks now.

We caught up with April to hear more about her pivot to remote work, along with her top three tips for how others can design their ideal work life.

The path to Veracode

After graduating from Umass Amherst with a political science degree in 2004, April found herself unsure of what to do next, like so many recent college graduates. Just before she started a waitressing gig, a family contact working at Monster.com suggested she apply for an open role on the Customer Support team.

April explains, “After thinking about it for about a day, I decided to apply for what I thought would be just a job for a year — a resume builder. I had no idea that would eventually put me on my customer-centric career path all these years later. I worked for that company for 13 years, transitioning from the call center side of the house to managing an assigned book of business, to managing people, and eventually dabbling in product and program management.”

After growing up alongside Monster.com, she felt it was time to spread her wings and learn something new. When a recruiter contacted her about an open customer success management position at Veracode, she was hesitant due to not knowing much about cybersecurity. But after a few conversations, she knew Veracode was the fit she was looking for.

Of Veracode, April shares, “Everyone wears the company culture on their sleeves. There is an air of greatness, a desire to deliver the highest quality of service to our customers, a passion for keeping intellectual curiosity alive, and a respect for our peers that I admire. I used to hear about this ‘open door’ policy, where you could approach any of the leaders, and that they would take the time for you. Not only is that 100% true, but all these years later, this sentiment remains true despite our enormous growth as an organization.”

Remote life, prior to 2020

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, April didn’t work from home very often. She defined the concept of remote work as “completely foreign” to her.

When she started her role at Veracode in 2017, the flexibility to work from home was there, but mostly on an as-needed basis. For starters, many Veracode employees lived nearby the Burlington headquarters.

“At that time, I loved that experience of commuting to the office, listening to my favorite tunes or podcast, and then connecting with peers over bagels and coffee in the morning before jumping into meetings. And in a way, you didn’t even question it because that’s just what every other organization did,” April says.

Making a remote-first shift with Veracode

The day that changed it all was March 13th, 2020, when Veracode employees received an email indicating that staff would bring their laptops home and work remotely.

“We were testing our server capacity with everyone remote, and we were told to work from home on Friday, returning to the office on Monday. Well, Monday came and went… as did the following Monday, the Monday after that, and so on,” shares April.

Those first few months were unsettling as April watched the rise of Covid-19 on TV and how it infiltrated communities and shut down schools. But eventually, the team at Veracode saw a different side to their team members.

“Having one-on-ones with your team and seeing them in their home environment, at their kitchen table with their kids or pets in the background, humanized all of us. With that personal purpose ever more present and on display, it strengthened my sense of compassion, empathy, and patience with my fellow Veracoders, but also our customers.

I made an intentional effort to check in on my team’s mental health, their individual work/life balance, and their work performance. We were all in the same boat, all facing the same life changes while still tasked with delivering value to our collective organizations, so it was important to me to ensure the holistic health of my team was intact,” she shares.

The freedom to choose

As the pandemic started to wind down, Veracode surveyed its employees and found that many wanted to retain the flexibility to work from home. The company implemented a permanent policy that allows employees to choose their work arrangements, and they can opt to change their choice every six months.

For April, that flexibility is a game-changer. “Had I not been given the option of remote work, my husband and I would never have moved to Providence and had the opportunity to explore a new community and make it our home,” she says. “Plus, working a nonlinear schedule really gives you the sense that you can have the career and family without feeling guilty that you're missing out or not present in your family's life.”

How to make remote work work for you

Now that working from home isn’t a new concept for April, she’s found that certain habits help her thrive professionally and personally. For starters, she makes it a point to establish routines and leverage her calendar for time management. She noticed it was easy to think that just because she and her team were at home, they were accessible at all hours, but that simply wasn’t the case.

“Make it a point to establish what your work day/hours look like, maybe it’s 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. or 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., but establish that and build it into your calendar, socialize it, and then stick with that as much as possible,” she shares.

In terms of calendar blocking, whether it be daycare pickup or dropoff, doctor’s appointments, or simply running an errand on her lunch break, it’s all blocked off on her calendar. “If you are fully offline — make that part of your headline and make your calendar subject visible for transparency,” April explains.

This adaptability has opened countless doors in April’s schedule. “As a new parent, remote work has given me the flexibility in my daily life for activities such as taking my son to doctor's appointments, running to the grocery store at lunch, or taking a power nap to recharge,” she confirms.

3 tips for designing your work life

The ideal work-life balance looks different for everyone. If you’re just starting out transitioning to a fully remote or hybrid schedule, it can be challenging to know what works for you and how to remain productive.

For that, April shares these three tips.

1. Put your personal happiness first. April suggests considering what fills your personal bucket so that you can prioritize that first and foremost. “Don’t neglect the value those relationships and activities can bring to your life,” April shares.

2. Build a community you can count on. The phrase “it takes a village” became extremely true for April once she transitioned to a fully remote work lifestyle. “As I get older, I realize that statement is not just a reflection of raising a family but also helps you finish a master's degree or train for a marathon. Whatever you’re setting out to achieve, create that support network to lean on,” she recommends.

3. Set personal boundaries. If you want to remain efficient while working from home but also avoid feeling burnt out, establishing boundaries is key. “Only you can protect and preserve your mental health,” April adds.