“Hybrid” - the word of the decade
Longing for the hustle & bustle of the office
Decentralizing with remote work
What our 4 CEOs and Founders had to say
Hotjar's hot for remote work
Renowned for its revolutionary remote-first culture, Hotjar's founder David Darmanin believes that the future of work lies with a fully distributed workforce.
David's advice for companies trying to figure out their working model
"My biggest piece of advice is not to choose based on what you like, prefer, or feel safer doing. Instead, speak to your team. Speak to the people you would love to hire. What lifestyle do they seek and what values do they believe in. If they could 'wave a magic wand' what kind of workplace do they desire? Then get to work and be ambitious."
David Darmanin, Founder at Hotjar
At Trainerize, maintaining connectivity is key
Sharad Mohan, Co-Founder & President at Trainerize, highlights that Trainerize will strive to strike a balance that offers flexibility while also harnessing the power of in-person human connectedness.The many benefits of work from home (WFH), like not spending hours in traffic or having time in between meetings to chat with your family or eat a home-cooked meal, are all perks people have recently gotten used to. But things aren't quite so black and white. According to Sharad, there are other considerations to take into account, like the fact that people crave interactions with others, or perhaps whose home is simply too small to spend both day and night at.
"My first piece of advice is to think about what your employees want. Get a group together to brainstorm what people want at different stages of life. From there, think through the role that you as an employer can play to make their lives better. What environment do they need to do their best to work in? How can we inject energy into their lives?Secondly, stop classifying staff as “in-house”, “full-time”, “freelancer”, or “contractors”. Remove the classifications there; leave that for the accountants! Consider everyone part of the team, working towards a joint mission. Treat them the same and value their contributions. Make sure everyone feels valued for their contribution regardless of the time they spend with your organization."Sharad Mohan, Co-Founder & President at Trainerize
Sharad Mohan, Co-Founder & President at Trainerize
Abacum is having its cake and eating it too with a hybrid work model
A lot of people say that hybrid work is the "best of both worlds", affording employees the opportunity to meet in person when they like and the flexibility to WFH when they need to. Jorge Lluch, Co-Founder of Abacum, very much feels the same way.
Jorge's advice for companies trying to figure out their working model
"We chose the working model that fit best our growth plans, helps to build the type of company we want, and that was aligned with our employees' expectations.There isn't an answer that fits everyone. So you just need to try to make the best decision and be ready to adjust if you see something is not working. We are continuously tracking what needs to be changed to improve and assessing if what we have in place is optimal for what's next in our growth plans."
Jorge Lluch, Co-founder of Abacum
At TravelPerk, meeting in real life and flexibility walk hand in hand
When you talk to TravelPerk's Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Avi Meir, it's pretty clear that he doesn't believe in living in the Metaverse. That’s why TravelPerk is first and foremost an “in real life” company. But that doesn’t necessarily mean going back to an established office or workspace 5-days a week. It’s about finding the right balance between coming together to meet people face-to-face and having the flexibility to adapt to your personal circumstances.
Avi’s advice for companies trying to figure out their working model
First of all, know who you are as a company and what your company culture is. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to how we’re going to work. My best advice would be to clearly define the bottom line of your own company culture and identity and then shape a policy based on that.Also, remember to treat your people as owners. Ask them what they think the right way to work is and how they think they’ll be most productive. Take that into account when building a new work policy - as well as a new workspace. Rethink the concept of the office to make it a for employees to go to, turning it into a place they want to go rather than a place they have to go.Finally, just know that you’ll need to be OK with ambiguity for a while. There are growing pains in developing any new work model that changes what people are used to, but as long as you stick to your values, you’ll come out on top.
Avi Meir, Co-Founder and CEO of TravelPerk
How about you?
- Treat people like owners and ask them what they think and want. Find out what lifestyle they’re hoping for and what values they believe in.
- Understand what role you can play as an employer in making your employees' lives better. Find ways to inject energy into their work lives through an environment that allows them to do their best work.
- Forget about classifications like “in-house”, “full-time”, “freelancer” etc. Remember that everyone is part of a team working towards the same goal and make them feel included - no matter where they’re working from.
- Remember that the way you work is a key part of your growth strategy. Use this as a tool to build the kind of company you want to have in the future.
- Be flexible. If a policy you’ve implemented isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it. Adapt to the times.
- Clearly define the bottom line of your company culture, and work backward from there in shaping your work policy. Stay true to who you are.
- Think outside the box - you don’t have to adhere to one classification within your work model! Rethink the meaning of an office, for example, as a destination employees want to go to, rather than a place they’re obliged to go. Now is the time for creativity!
- Be OK with ambiguity for a while. There are growing pains with every type of change, and the best thing you can do here is to stick to your values throughout the process.