Introducing Growens WoW

Over the last few months, during our conversations in the virtual and physical hallways of our company, we started asking ourselves what our future way of working will look like, in order to understand the best way to move forward for Growens and its business units.

Today we are thrilled to introduce the Growens Way of Working (WoW): a manifesto that sets the ground rules for the future of our Group, transforming the fleeting remote experience of the pandemic into a structural, vision-driven cultural backbone of the company. 

From now on, Growens will work in a hybrid (i.e. mixing presence in the office and remote work) and flexible way (i.e. without imposed schemes in terms of scheduling and of workload management, but according to fluid and constantly modifiable models).

Flexibility is a strategic driver

Growens’ path towards flexible working began in 2018, with a pilot project involving Italian employees. In other countries, the situation was heterogeneous: some teams were natively remote, others strongly rooted in physical presence in the office.

The Covid-19 pandemic leveled any difference, forcing the adoption of remote work. This led to dismantling some cornerstones often rooted in Western working culture:

• that a specific physical place (the office) is a fundamental part of the very concept of “work”
• that aiming at reconciling work and personal well-being (for example by working for periods of time from a seaside vacation home, or to better juggle work and childcare) is reprehensible
• that only direct control of people can guarantee their productivity.

The pandemic experience has taught us that work is about connection, creativity, concentration, and empowerment. These elements can occur anywhere and thrive in an endless kaleidoscope of possibilities and combinations.

Taking into consideration the bigger picture above the contingency of the ongoing pandemic and imagining our company’s future, we identified structural flexibility as a strategic pivot. 

• For the people, as a means of Caring and Trust to improve work/life balance, optimize productivity and incentivize a proactive choice when it comes to spaces, modalities, and timing of work. 
• For the business, to respond in a timely and agile way to the ever-changing external circumstances, granting business operations continuity no matter what.

This decision has effects on the environment, reducing pollution tied to commuting, but also on our communities, allowing decentralization of talent on our territory which was previously unthinkable. This will allow us to recruit amazing professionals, regardless of where they are. 

Now that this new normal is finally starting to set in, it is time to fully and officially embrace this new hybrid way of working into Growens’ DNA: we know there is no way back.

Growens WoW in a nutshell

• We’ll never go back to mandatory, full-time in-office work
• Hybrid will become our designated way of working
• Available options: 
  • Work from the office
  • Work from home
  • Work from anywhere
• Keywords: flexibility & coordination
• This applies to all Business Units
• Some rules will apply for legal & productivity reasons

How does Growens WoW work?

With WoW, all teams of all Business Units will be able to choose their own Way of Working. 

Working at the office, from home, or anywhere else are no longer mutually exclusive — they form an array of possibilities to be combined according to each person & each team’s best interest.

Of course, some rules apply for productivity & legal reasons, and coordination with key stakeholders is paramount. Specific guidance is provided in country-specific policies, which define what can and cannot be done according to local tax, insurance, and labor law.

So buckle up: this is what the future will look like.

The WoW options

Work from the office

The office is where we meet, get to know each other, collaborate and, why not, also have fun. Our employees can work from any of our amazing offices in Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, mingling with colleagues from one’s own and other business units. 

Working from the office is recommended on specific occasions — for instance, upon one’s onboarding, when starting a new project, or for fun company events. 

In short, whenever sitting across a table and having all hands (physically) on deck gives additional value.

Work from home

When, during the pandemic, home was the only option, we came to either love it or endure it. From now on, working from home is a free choice. 

It’s recommended when work requires concentration or a tight schedule of remote meetings. We make the most of it to achieve a better work/life balance and to take care of our loved ones. 

On some occasions, presence at the office will be required — so it’s important that people managers and individual contributors work out the best schedule to accommodate all needs.

Work from anywhere

“Anywhere” is any place other than a designated office or home address. Since many of us relocated during the pandemic to be closer to our families, or just to get out of the city, we have decided to make this option available for good.

Employees have the opportunity to travel and work from a different place for short periods of time. Longer (or even permanent) stays are possible in principle, but must be evaluated carefully due to legal provisions for insurance and tax treatment. 

The evolution of Growens WoW

While closely monitoring how the pandemic evolved across the globe, and observing how governments and companies approached this “new world”, we took our time to work out what our way would be. 

We pondered a variety of options, weighing their pros and cons, always checking them against our values and feasibility. Above all else, we wanted to avoid rushing into something unsustainable in the long run and not in line with our broader culture.

We wanted to design the best possible solution for all involved parties – employees, our business, our families, our communities. We aimed at welcoming and enhancing a wide spectrum of individual points of view, merging team necessities in different Business Units, with different profiles, habits, and cultures across the world.

Taking inspiration from our core values of Trust, Open-Mindedness, Passion and Caring, our North-Star-like guidance in all our decisions, we were finally able to find the right balance, identifying our way to move nimbly in the complex and ever-changing scenario in which we are living. 

Discover more on life at Growens and explore our open positions today >