Digital HR Leaders with David Green

How Atlassian Uses Behavioural Science and Data to Power Distributed Work (an Interview with Annie Dean)

Apr 8, 2025

Annie Dean, Vice President of Workplace and Future of Work Transformation at Atlassian, shares insights from their journey as a distributed company. She discusses how behavioral science and AI are reshaping workplace dynamics, revealing that AI power users save up to 7 hours a week. The conversation highlights the benefits of asynchronous collaboration for productivity and well-being, alongside lessons learned from five years of flexible work. Dean also provides strategies for integrating AI into team workflows and emphasizes the need for data-driven flexibility in HR.

53:26

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Annie Dean

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Quick takeaways

Atlassian's five-year journey into distributed work highlights the importance of leveraging behavioral science and data-driven insights to enhance employee productivity and satisfaction.

The company's emphasis on asynchronous collaboration and AI integration not only reduces unnecessary meetings but also significantly improves work-life balance for its employees.

Deep dives

Embracing a Distributed Workforce Model

Atlassian has fully embraced a distributed workforce model since 2020, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely without the requirement to attend physical offices. This approach is guided by a strong executive sponsorship from co-founders who understand the nuances of distributed work. By prioritizing behavioral science, the company has actively researched and tested its policies to ensure they foster productivity and employee satisfaction. The focus on data-driven decision-making has allowed Atlassian to continually refine its practices, making it a leading example of a successful distributed work environment.

Intro

2min

Navigating New Work Models at Atlassian

7min

Transforming Work: The Intersection of AI and Distributed Workforce Models

6min

Revolutionizing Remote Work and Collaboration

11min

Integrating Behavioral Science in Distributed Work Dynamics

3min

Embracing Asynchronous Work in the AI Age

23min

Emphasizing Business Acumen in HR and Innovative Workplace Design

2min

What does it really take to make flexible work succeed - at scale and over time?

In this episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, host David Green sits down with Annie Dean, Vice President of Workplace and Future of Work Transformation at Atlassian, to explore how one of the world’s leading tech firms is boldly reimagining work for the long term.

Sharing insights from Atlassian’s five-year journey as a fully distributed company, Annie unpacks how her team is using behavioural science, asynchronous collaboration, and AI to design a more human-centric and productive way of working.

Join them as they discuss:

The biggest lessons Atlassian has learned from five years of distributed work
Why they built an internal behavioural science function, and how it drives their work design
How asynchronous collaboration is redefining productivity and employee well-being
How AI power users are saving up to 7 hours a week - and how Atlassian is enabling that shift
Proven strategies to integrate AI into distributed team workflows
Guidance for HR and people analytics leaders defending flexibility with data
A sneak peek into upcoming research from Atlassian’s Teamwork Lab

Whether you’re refining your flexible work strategy or looking to future-proof your organisation’s operating model, this episode, sponsored by Worklytics, is packed with practical ideas and forward-thinking insights.

Worklytics helps leaders understand how work actually happens with data-driven insights into collaboration, productivity, and AI adoption.

By analysing real work patterns - from meetings to tool usage - they empower teams to work smarter, not harder.

And here’s something special: Worklytics is offering Digital HR Leaders listeners a complimentary AI adoption assessment to understand how your teams are really using AI - and where untapped potential lies. But don’t wait - spots are limited.

Learn more at worklytics.co/ai

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