Introduction

At ESPROFILER we are a team, we work together collectively to provide the best possible service to all of our customers without exception, our aim is to change the cyber security landscape in the 21st Century, and to do that we have to work together, take pride in everything we all do, and help each other to achieve our collective goal.

About the Handbook

The ESPROFILER handbook is inspired by the GitLab handbook. As a hybrid company, we share their rationale for having a handbook.

The aim is to avoid institutional knowledge building up inside our heads without also being written down for others to share. We could do that all on the internal Google Drive or Confluence, but by publishing in the handbook it allows for an open and honest conversation about what we do and how we operate.

Our handbook is more than just a collection of policies; it is the living embodiment of our core values. We believe that documenting our work and culture is essential to our success, and this handbook is how we put our values into practice every single day.

Internal information

Whilst instinctively we want to be open in all we do, there will inevitably be content that is not appropriate to make public. That content is not shared in this handbook.

Handbook-first

Being handbook-first means that our handbook is not a static document we update after a decision is made. It is the very place where our proposals and discussions happen. We believe that this approach is the most effective way to live our values and ensure that our communication is clear, efficient, and transparent.

Instead of starting a discussion on Google Chat or in a meeting, we start it in the handbook. Here’s how we do it:

• Start with a Proposal, not a Chat: When you have an idea for a new process, a change to an existing one, or a solution to a problem, you don't send a message on Google Chat. You create a proposal directly in the handbook. This proposal is a merge request that includes your suggested changes, allowing everyone to see and comment on the content directly. This ensures the full context of a discussion is preserved and universally accessible.
• Integrate Discussion and Documentation: The discussion about your proposal happens right there in the merge request. Team members can provide feedback, ask questions, and suggest edits. This allows us to disagree and commit in a transparent way. Once a consensus is reached or a decision is made, the final version is merged into the handbook, and the entire discussion trail is saved for future reference.
• Empower Everyone to Contribute: This system allows anyone at ESPROFILER—from a new hire to a senior leader—to contribute directly to our company's culture and processes. It generates a shared responsibility to maintain the pace of documentation through a pay-it-forward mentality. The history of every change is visible, showing how learning happens and how iteration shapes proposals.
• Eliminate Wasted Effort: By making the handbook the hub of our collaborative work, we ensure that the information we need is always where it should be. This prevents us from having to document something after the fact—a step that is often skipped—and avoids the "torturous pattern of people pinging people for updates". This is how we prioritize results and stay focused on what matters.