Sandbox VR
What's the Company Culture Like at Sandbox VR?
Frequently Asked Questions
At Sandbox VR, we foster a workplace environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and personal growth, and our entire team shares a common goal: to revolutionize the entertainment industry through cutting-edge technology. Our on-site employees in Hong Kong and Vancouver thrive working as a close-knit team, engaging in daily interactions that build strong connections. Our offices offer team building activities, happy hours, regular group meals, and hands-on learning opportunities. Across the United States and Europe, our remote employees embrace autonomy and flexibility to manage their own workflow while staying connected to the global team. Relationships are grown through quarterly company meetings, milestone celebrations, and local team meet-ups. At Sandbox VR corporate, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of virtual reality entertainment alongside a global team of innovative minds.
Collaboration at Sandbox VR is described as cross-functional, open, and team-oriented, with our employees pointing to shared tools like Slack and Jira, along with regular team syncs, project reviews, and cross-functional check-ins as proof that collaboration is part of daily work. While we do not publicly report specific percentages, collaboration is a core part of how we operate, with open idea sharing, direct communication, and close partnership across departments demonstrating strong teamwork and alignment. As a business, we value clear ownership within teams, accountability around deliverables, and strong communication that keep projects moving and prevent bottlenecks. Additionally, collaboration across engineering, creative, and operations teams is essential to delivering our immersive experiences, requiring tight coordination across disciplines. Leadership reinforces this by empowering teams to make decisions, encouraging idea sharing without ego, and aligning everyone around shared goals, creating an environment where collaboration is both expected and actively supported.
Employee recognition at Sandbox VR happens through our all-hands celebrations, team-level shoutouts, and company swag and merchandise. We prioritize small but meaningful moments such as managers acknowledging work in team meetings, cross-department recognition that makes contributions visible beyond immediate teams, and company-wide shoutouts from leaders as proof that recognition feels genuine and part of everyday culture. Our goal is for our employees to feel that their work is visible and appreciated, demonstrating a culture of consistent acknowledgment, clear connection between contributions and impact, and recognition aligned with both team success and company values.
At Sandbox VR, our core values serve as the foundation for every aspect of our company culture and operations. They guide every decision we make, shaping an environment that propels us forward on our mission to revolutionize virtual reality entertainment.
We Are Egoless
We commit ourselves authentically and without pride, empowering every member to contribute their unique talents at all levels of the business. Here, innovative ideas thrive, without fear of ego-driven judgments.
We Embrace an Underdog Mindset
Reflecting our belief in resilience, we embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation, driving us to constantly push boundaries and reach new heights.
We Win Collectively
Underscoring the importance of teamwork and shared victories, success is measured not by individual accolades but by the collective achievements of our team.
Sandbox VR Employee Perspectives
Sandbox VR was founded on the idea that gaming should be social, not isolating, leading to experiences designed around real-world connection and teamwork. The company’s approach blends technology with human interaction, reinforcing a culture centered on collaboration and shared experiences.
Sandbox VR's Benefits
Employee feedback used to shape policies and strategy
We encourage employees to share honest feedback on platforms like Glassdoor and Indeed, using those insights to continuously improve policies, processes, and the overall employee experience.
Encourages autonomy and ownership from employees
We empower autonomy through clear goals, trust in decision-making, and ownership of projects, giving employees the freedom to take initiative, solve problems, and drive outcomes across teams.
Established employee awards to honor work and contributions
At each of our quarterly all hands meetings, we celebrate a handful of employees that have gone above and beyond on their team and embody our mission and core values.
Managers give public shoutouts and celebrate employee milestones
We celebrate wins through our #shoutouts Slack channel and quarterly all-hands, where managers recognize achievements and milestones, reinforcing a culture of appreciation and shared success.
Managers offer consistent feedback loops
Our managers in both stores and at corporate provide real time feedback and regular feedback in weekly touchbases and 1:1 meetings.
Provides modern technology across teams
We use modern tools like Slack, Jira, Zoom, Asana, and Notion to keep teams aligned, communicate in real time, and collaborate efficiently across functions and global locations.
Provides resources to build team camaraderie
We build camaraderie through culture events like workathons, remote D&D, Oscar pools, FIFA tournaments, and March Madness, creating fun, shared moments that bring teams together globally.
Flexibility provided during personal challenges
We provide flexibility during personal challenges through leave programs, schedule adjustments, and manager support, helping both corporate and store employees navigate life events.
Has employee-led culture committees
We have a Culture Club that drives employee-led initiatives, creating programs that engage corporate, remote, and store teams and strengthen connection across our global workforce.
Managers trained on identifying and mitigating employee burnout
Managers are trained to identify and address burnout through regular 1:1s, with People Business Partners meeting weekly with store leaders to monitor team sentiment and support wellbeing.
Offers company-sponsored happy hours
We host company-sponsored happy hours across Hong Kong, Vancouver, and our stores, giving employees regular opportunities to connect, unwind, and build stronger team relationships.
Offers wellness initiatives designed to combat burnout and mental fatigue
We support wellbeing through sick leave, scheduled breaks, flexible time off, and a culture that encourages rest and balance, helping corporate and store employees manage burnout and stay energized.
Offers wellness programs
We promote wellness through healthy office snacks, company-wide walkathons, and team fitness competitions, encouraging employees to stay active and prioritize wellbeing.
Partners with nonprofits
We support nonprofits like International Justice Mission and Think Together through store events, using immersive VR experiences to drive community engagement and impact.
Provides employees with ability to schedule focus-time blocks
We support focus time by encouraging employees, including corporate and store managers, to block time, pause Slack, and protect productivity, reinforcing autonomy and deep work.
Provides opportunities to volunteer in the local community
We create opportunities for store teams to volunteer through local events, with our events team building partnerships and outreach programs that make a meaningful community impact.
Works with employees to create a sustainable work pace
We support a sustainable work pace by setting clear schedules, requiring breaks, and encouraging time off, helping both corporate and store employees maintain balance and perform at their best.
Defined policies promoting a professional, respectful workplace
We promote a respectful workplace with a clear handbook and internal intranet, giving employees easy access to policies, resources, and guidance that support a professional environment.
Defined values and mission statements
We are guided by a mission to bring people together through immersive experiences, with values centered on collaboration, authenticity, innovation, and shared success across teams.
Documented operating principles
We maintain documented operating principles through a robust L&D library and Apollo, our AI chatbot, which helps store employees navigate daily operations and resolve questions quickly.
Documented policies and procedures to protect employee privacy and data
We protect employee data through documented policies, using SentinelOne to secure devices and partnering with Rippling to ensure both corporate and store employee information is safe and secure.
Implements team-based strategic planning
We use team-based planning where each department sets goals aligned to company objectives, ensuring teams stay focused, accountable, and connected to our overall strategy.
Leadership encourages open, transparent debate
We encourage open, transparent debate through live Q&A at quarterly all-hands, where corporate and store employees can ask questions, share ideas, and engage directly with leadership.
Leadership is transparent and communicative
Leaders are transparent and communicative, sharing updates at quarterly all-hands with all employees and holding weekly team touchpoints to align priorities and keep teams informed.
Mistakes are treated as learning opportunities
We embrace an underdog mindset, treating mistakes as learning opportunities for both corporate and store teams, encouraging growth, resilience, and continuous improvement.
Open office floor plan to encourage communication and collaboration
Our Hong Kong and Vancouver offices feature open floor plans that encourage communication, collaboration, and easy interaction across teams and functions.
Policies promote a low-ego, team-driven culture
“We are Egoless” is one of our core values, shaping a team-driven culture where collaboration, open feedback, and shared success come before individual recognition in how we work.
Prioritizes mission-driven work in decision-making processes
We prioritize mission-driven decisions, aligning work to our goal of bringing people together through immersive experiences, ensuring teams stay focused on meaningful, impactful outcomes.
Prioritizes real-world impact of work in decision-making processes
We prioritize real-world impact in decisions, empowering both corporate and hourly store employees to create experiences that directly bring people together and deliver meaningful moments for guests.
Promotes a people-first, social culture
We are in the business of people and fun, so we prioritize a social, people-first culture where connection, teamwork, and shared experiences are central to how we work and succeed together.
Promotes a strong in-person office culture
We foster strong in-person culture with 3 days in-office in Hong Kong and Vancouver, while store teams build bonds through events, meals, games, and friendly competitions.
Uses an OKR operational model to clearly define goals and priorities
We use an OKR model to set clear, measurable quarterly goals, helping teams stay aligned, track progress, and drive meaningful impact toward company objectives.
Utilizes an open door policy that encourages accessibility
We maintain an open door policy that encourages accessibility, ensuring employees can easily connect with managers and leaders to share ideas, ask questions, and raise concerns.
Allows work from home occasionally
Our employees in Vancouver and Hong Kong enjoy a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office and 2 days working at home, but if there is a need for additional days at home, managers can be flexible.
Defined boundaries around off-hours communication
As a global company, we respect employees' need to disconnect, and we do not expect employees to be available during off hours. We encourage employees to turn off their Slack notifications at night.
Documented overtime policy
All non-exempt store team members will be paid 1.5x their regular rate of pay for overtime and holiday hours worked.
Established expectations for communication between time zones
As a global company, we never expect employees to be available at all times. However, if you have an off hour meeting, we encourage employees to take time off during the workday to offset that time.
In-office days / expectations are defined
Our employees in Hong Kong and Vancouver work in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and they enjoy working remotely on Mondays and Fridays. We can be flexible for additional needs.
Offers a remote work program
Our corporate employees in the United States and Europe work entirely remote and enjoy the benefits of having a high level of autonomy.
Provides work from home flexibility
We understand that life happens, and we are flexible to both onsite and remote employees if there is a need to adjust schedules or work from home, as long as these needs are clearly communicated.
Utilizes a flexible work schedule
We believe in autonomy and trust at Sandbox VR, and we empower our employees to manage their own daily workflow. Many of our remote employees enjoy working a flexible schedule.
Utilizes a full-time remote friendly model
Our corporate employees in the United States and Europe work remotely full-time and are still successful in completing their expected deliverables.
Utilizes a hybrid work model
Our employees in Vancouver and Hong Kong work a hybrid model of 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home, enjoying being both part of a thriving office culture and having flexibility.
