Most companies teach security through training sessions, annual compliance courses, and awareness campaigns. Those all have their place. But sometimes the habits that last come from something much simpler. At Coveo, that something is called the Donut.
If someone leaves their laptop unlocked while stepping away from their desk, another employee may post “DONUT” in a public Slack channel before locking the computer for them. The result is simple. The person who forgot owes donuts to the office.
It sounds like an inside joke, and in many ways it is. But it also says a lot about who we are. At Coveo, we believe the strongest habits are built together. The Donut has become one of those traditions that mixes accountability, collaboration, and a healthy dose of humor.
A Simple Tradition That Sticks
Security is not only about the systems we build or the data we protect. It is also about the small decisions we make every day. Walking away from your desk for a minute with an unlocked laptop might seem harmless, but it creates an opportunity.
Rather than turning those moments into formal incidents, the Donut tradition gives everyone a friendly reminder that is hard to forget. It is a simple example of how our culture encourages people to look out for one another while reinforcing good habits along the way.
The Birth of /donut
Like many things at Coveo, the tradition eventually evolved. As more people joined the company, manually posting in Slack and keeping track of who owed donuts became repetitive. So someone built /donut, a Slack command that makes the whole process simple by recording each donut and keeping the tradition running.
It is a small tool, but it reflects something we see often at Coveo. When people spot an opportunity to improve the way we work, they build a solution. Whether it is a customer facing product or an internal tool that supports a fun office tradition, the same curiosity and problem solving mindset is always at play.
More Than a Joke
Over the years, the Donut tradition has inspired plenty of creativity. Some employees even built technical solutions to make sure they would never get caught, including automatic workstation locking triggered when they walked away from their desk.
These stories are entertaining, but they also highlight something deeper. People do not participate because they have to. They participate because traditions like this create shared experiences, spark conversations, and make everyday security something the whole team owns together.
Why It Works
The best security programs do more than explain the rules. They help people build habits. The Donut tradition works because it is immediate, memorable, and shared by everyone. Instead of waiting for a real security incident, it creates a small consequence that reinforces the right behavior before anything serious happens.
More importantly, it reminds us that great security is a team effort. Everyone has a role to play, and sometimes the most effective reminders are also the most human.
A Small Habit That Makes a Difference
Locking your computer takes one second, but it is one of the easiest ways to protect the information entrusted to you. At Coveo, we have learned that a little humor can go a long way toward building good habits. Traditions like the Donut remind us that culture is not built through policies alone. It is built through the everyday moments that bring people together and make shared values feel real.
Sometimes, good security starts with a donut.
Every company has its own traditions. Ours just happens to involve donuts and better security habits. If this sounds like the kind of culture where you’d thrive, explore our Careers page to learn more about life at Coveo and discover our current opportunities.