“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
"For the companies that CAN be fully distributed (a.k.a remote), I believe this future is inevitable. The benefits of a lifestyle that does not require you to commute and a culture that is not centralized into one central power office will eventually attract the best talent. The only question is how long that will take."
"Our culture is alive independently of how we operate. In my opinion, a culture that depends on having an office space and meeting in person is not based on values, but rather on customs and rituals. At Hotjar we have defined our values, we revisit them, and we communicate how they are used and celebrate them when they are."
"As long as your internet connection is as good as everyone else’s, for example, I’m the same distance away from everyone in the team”.
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
"Employers need to adapt to what people need, and so we need to find out what that fine balance is. Ultimately, people want flexibility, people want freedom and choice. Personally, I want to create a work environment that pulls people into the office with purpose, rather than pushing people in."
"My goal is that when members of our team decide to leave home, it’s meaningful for them, and for the business”
The future is all about creating connections—which means creating purpose driven opportunities to connect outside of work. Sports, lunches, and celebrations provide that opportunity to bring people together and give them a chance to laugh and bond. To me, hybrid teams will be best served by complementing remote work, with in-person events that aren’t necessarily work related.”
"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 TrainerizeSharad Mohan, Co-Founder & President at Trainerize
Abacum is having its cake and eating it too with a hybrid work model
"There are some interactions that need to happen in person. But at the same time, the reality (COVID might have helped with this) is that some people prefer to have the flexibility to work from home. But we also care to bring people together to foster bonding, share our values, build relationships, among other things. These are important concepts which take longer when done remotely on Zoom or Microsoft Teams."
"We embrace remote working techniques. We make sure people are ready to join a meeting with the right equipment, put a lot of emphasis on documenting, and share best practices for communication (async and sync). At the same time, we organize quarterly offsites, have weekly rituals, and do what we can to bring people together, remotely or in person."
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 Perk, meeting in real life and flexibility walk hand in hand
“As human beings, our default shouldn’t be meeting one another through a screen. We shouldn’t be living in a virtual world - who ever watched The Matrix and thought it was a good idea? It’s my deep belief that true understanding between people can only happen in person when they can sit together, create, build. And I think that can be achieved through a healthy balance of giving people the opportunity to come together in real life and giving them the flexibility they need to make all this work for them.”
“Perkers should be able to work in the environment that makes them feel most productive or stay home to be with the kids when they’re home from school without having to take time off work. We’ll never make people punch in at the beginning of the day and punch out before going home. It’s always going to be about ownership and doing what’s right for themselves, their responsibilities, and our company.”
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 Perk
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.
Written by
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Sofia Bogunovic
Brand Content Manager at Perk
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