Revolutionizing Work Culture: A Case Study on HR-ON's Progressive People Practices

Joost Minnaar
Written by Joost Minnaar May 19, 2024

Last month, we had the privilege of interviewing Ali E. Cevik and Nanna Maria Mørch from the Danish pioneering firm HR-ON for the members of our platform. The interview was incredibly insightful, prompting us to distill the key takeaways into a ‘pioneering case’ course on the same platform. Here’s a sneak peek of what we discovered.

Introduction

HR-ON is a leading Danish IT company active in the SaaS Tech industry. They focus on creating user-friendly software tools for HR professionals.

The company employs around 50 people. They prioritize people and culture, emphasizing well-being and ensuring that employees feel respected and acknowledged.

The organization values flexibility and allows employees to determine their own working hours and locations. They have a decentralized approach to coordination and rely on teams to take care of each other.

They have implemented progressive people practices, such as self-management, transparency, and a warrant program that allows employees to share in the value created by the company.

Interviewing Ali & Nanna

The organization is led by Ali, who plays a vital leadership role but is actively working towards stepping back and allowing the teams to become more independent.

During the interview, we had the pleasure to ask Ali, and his colleague Nanna, all about the way of working at HR-ON. We distilled five key takeaways.

Takeaway: Fostering a caring culture

At HR-ON, fostering a workplace environment where employees feel valued, supported, and respected is paramount. Let's delve into the three main strategies employed by HR-ON to prioritize employee well-being and create a culture of mutual care and support.

1. Decentralized responsibility for employee well-being

All members of HR-ON bear the responsibility to care about their own and other's well-being, such as taking enough time off, handling sickness, and helping each other during tough personal times.

Ali explains that taking care of employee well-being is split into different roles within the organization, whereas all of these roles focus on a different level of well-being.

  • The People and Culture Team

HR-ON's People and Culture department is key in supporting employee health. Made up of team members from different groups, they plan team activities and social events to make employees feel appreciated.

  • Teams taking care of their colleagues

Besides that, also the teams take responsibility in taking care of each other. For example when they see that someone is not taking any time off.

In the video below, Ali shares an example of this.

  • The role of Ali

Ali, the CEO of HR-ON, stresses the importance of having regular well-being check-ins with employees, they call it 'pulse-talks'. By having these casual talks every quarter, Ali wants to understand how employees feel and find areas where more help may be necessary.

2. A tool to track employees' well-being

HR-ON developed a unique system designed to measure how employees are feeling. They use this tool internally to check in on everyone's well-being.

So, in short, the tool tracks two things:

  • Daily pulse measurements

Every day, employees use the HR-ON app to rate how they're feeling. It's super easy—just like giving feedback after a shopping trip. They pick a spot on a scale from "bad" to "good" to show how they're feeling that day.

  • Biannual well-being measurements

Twice a year, HR-ON conducts more detailed surveys to get a deeper understanding of how employees are doing. They ask about work stuff and personal stuff to make sure they're covering all bases. Then, they go over the results carefully to see if there's anything they need to improve.

3. Fostering work-life harmony through flexibility

Another thing we want to highlight is the flexibility at HR-ON. In this video, Nanna shares her journey as a sales manager at HR-ON, emphasizing the importance of work-life balance.

This well covers the first takeaway. However, there is much more to learn from HR-ON.

Four other takeaways

In our 'pioneering case' course on our Academy platform we dive into four other key takeaways that give us a glimpse into HR-ON's unique approach to managing people and driving organizational growth:

Takeaway: Sharing information is key

Takeaway: Recognizing contributions through rewards

Takeaway: Finding people with the X-factor

Takeaway: The evolution continues

If you’re curious to learn more, consider becoming a member of our platform. Dive into these nuggets of wisdom and uncover all the secrets behind HR-ON’s impressive journey.

Written by Joost Minnaar
Joost Minnaar
Co-founder Corporate Rebels. My daily focus is on research, writing, and anything else related to making work more fun.
Read more
Read more
Sep 29, 2024
Watch your Language: The Hidden Power of Words in the Workplace
Doug Kirkpatrick Written by Doug Kirkpatrick
Like fish in water, most leaders are gloriously unaware of the degree to which they swim in dehumanizing and demeaning workplace language.…
Read more about Watch your Language: The Hidden Power of Words in the Workplace
Mar 31, 2024
Creating a Culture of Ownership: Breaking Free from Hierarchy
Diederick Janse Written by Diederick Janse
The buzzword 'ownership' has been circulating in education and business circles for the past decade. Apparently, we want more of it, but…
Read more about Creating a Culture of Ownership: Breaking Free from Hierarchy
Feb 11, 2024
How a Turkish Self-Managing Company Solved Its Hiring Problem with a Dating Approach
Joost Minnaar Written by Joost Minnaar
Finding the right people for your self-managed company is hard. You need more than skills and qualifications. You need someone who fits…
Read more about How a Turkish Self-Managing Company Solved Its Hiring Problem with a Dating Approach
Feb 04, 2024
The Fascinating Story of America's Largest Employee-Owned Company
Joost Minnaar Written by Joost Minnaar
February 3, 1969, was a cold winter’s day in La Jolla, a village on the rugged California coast just north of San Diego. It was also a…
Read more about The Fascinating Story of America's Largest Employee-Owned Company
Jan 14, 2024
Unlocking Human Creativity at Work: Closing the Gap
Doug Kirkpatrick Written by Doug Kirkpatrick
Do people feel free to dream, improve, innovate, and be creative at work? Sadly, the answer appears to be not so much. Current state of…
Read more about Unlocking Human Creativity at Work: Closing the Gap
Dec 17, 2023
The Power of Coaching in Self-Managing Organizations
HappyHenry Written by HappyHenry
Employees in self-managing organizations obviously don't have managers, but that doesn't mean there isn't somebody there to support them.…
Read more about The Power of Coaching in Self-Managing Organizations
Read all articles

Download: Free Guide

Unlock our in-depth guide on trends, tools, and best practices from over 150 pioneering organizations.

Subscribe below and receive it directly in your inbox.

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.