We are featured in the latest episode of the HR Briefing podcast from Personio (in german language; starting at 17:15) – and host Susanne Schlossbauer says she “honestly doesn’t care” about our published employment contracts:
“Personally, I think it’s important to work for a company that discloses processes, for example. A company that shows that these are our structures, this is how things work here. … I just think that other things count to show that I am a transparent, modern, forward-looking company.”
To be honest, we think so too. Here are some of the things that are important to me as CEO at Friendly:
- Appreciation
I take an hour a week for each of my employees. My first three questions in the meeting are:
– “How are you doing personally?”
– “How are you doing at Friendly?” and
– “How can I make the job better for you?”
Then we discuss the next tasks and priorities, as well as ideas and wishes. We give praise at the weekly team meeting so that the achievement can be appreciated by everyone. - Independence and self-care
“The employee works when she wants” has nothing to do with exploitation, but means exactly what it says: my employees are free to organize their weekly working hours as they wish. I only allow overtime in exceptional cases, and it is compensated promptly. Since I suffered a burnout a few years ago, self-care has become very important to me. I therefore make sure that I also protect my employees’ boundaries. - Promotion of skills
I trust my employees to take on new tasks. I believe that we learn best the new skills that we want to learn. That’s why I try (within the scope of our common business interests, of course) to encourage my employees in areas where they want to pursue something with motivation and creativity. Kathrin Schmid, for example, is currently our CISO and CMO, but she would prefer to concentrate on her role as CMO. I would like to make this possible for her as soon as possible. - Participation and responsibility
My company is transparent – also for my employees. My team not only knows all salaries, but also our business figures and internal developments. I therefore don’t have to assert my business interests against them. We are all interested in Friendly being successful in the long term because we share the success together. I trust that my company is in responsible hands with my employees. - Calm Company
I run a calm company. We are growing slowly and steadily. I don’t believe in aggressive growth targets, constant availability and high workloads. We work efficiently and carefully instead of rushed and stressed. My perspective is to create a long-term, sustainable, calm and friendly working environment in which we all do well together.
And what do my employees say about this?
“I currently work 50% at Friendly. I haven’t worked any overtime yet this year. I appreciate that we work completely remotely. I prefer to work at home while my cats sleep next to me. Sometimes I go to a café.
Kathrin Schmid, PhD, our CMO and CISO
What makes Friendly stand out for me as an employer is the company culture. Stefan has put a lot of trust in me, he listens to me and takes my opinion seriously. I don’t come from the IT sector, I studied literature. I don’t work at Friendly because of the software, but because I’m valued.”
“I believe that the way we work together internally at Friendly has a direct impact on how we treat our customers. Friendliness and appreciation are our core values – this is reflected in everything we do. There’s no hidden agenda at Friendly, and that’s something our customers appreciate as much as I do as an employee.”
Lukas Sigel, our CCO
“I really enjoy working with Stefan. I was Friendly’s first employee and have been with him since 2021. I have seen Stefan remain calm when our finances were difficult, our technical infrastructure failed and human errors cost us several working days. Stefan never forgets to thank me for my commitment. A lot has happened since then, but we’ve continued to work this way.”
Joey Keller, our CTO
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