Here’s why I won’t force employees into the office from a real CEO

We bootstrapped OnSecurity for four years before making our first investment. If you’re overwhelmed, you’ll need to get creative to improve your workplace compared to competitors where employees are likely to receive higher salaries.

I tried to do this by thinking about every aspect of my previous jobs that I didn’t like and creating a company culture that was the exact opposite.

What I don’t under­stand about the debate with companies trying to bring their employees back to the office is that remote work is anything but a “one size fits all” approach. Our approach is to try to be empathetic. One of our core values ​​is to prior­itize employee friend­liness.

Life-work balance

Initially, we were a remote-first company. In the first year of operation, we didn’t have an office. Today, the majority of our technical staff still works from home most days.

Now our sales reps are typically in the office most days (especially in the first year). We believe they will enjoy a more collab­o­rative and cohesive work environment in which they can thrive.

We have employees who love being in the office and employees who hate it. If someone is deeply uncom­fortable in an office and performs better at home, they will work from there.

I want employees to do their best, but you can only achieve that by recog­nizing that they have a life outside of work first, and that takes priority. As a CEO, I insist on thinking of it as “life-work balance” and not “work-life balance”.

I would say most people enjoy the feeling of knowing that the company is there to support them rather than hinder them when something happens in their life. We practice this mantra at OnSecurity and our employee retention rates are incredibly high, especially in the cyber industry.

We also offer plenty of vacation days, remote, in-office or hybrid work, work-from-anywhere options, and flexible hours. Over the years, we’ve had people work as digital nomads for weeks or months in Argentina, New York, and South Africa.

The remote-first culture allows people to travel, visit new places, immerse themselves in new cultures, and learn valuable skills that they can bring back to the workplace. Not to mention the well-being and satis­faction they maintain when they feel fulfilled in all aspects of their lives.

Creating the environment

Today we have a very flexible way of working. But you can’t just turn it on. Here are some of the steps we followed:

1. Hire the right people

When we hire someone, we do so because:

• We believe they will do a great job
• We think they are a good cultural fit

We are very careful about who we hire and both of the above points are extremely important to us in the hiring process. Approach hiring more like a scalpel than a sledge­hammer. Especially in leadership or C‑suite positions.

2. Treat people like adults

This is absolutely crucial and the motto that OnSecurity lives by. Once you have the right people, we help them under­stand that this is a business full of other adults doing good work.

I find it fasci­nating when newcomers come to us and bombard their boss with requests like “Can I have my lunch at 2:30 p.m. today instead?” This is not a school and you do not need a hall pass. Since you’re an adult, we don’t care when (or where) it gets done.

3. Fire quickly

That sounds harsh, but I’m afraid it’s necessary. Despite your best inten­tions when hiring, there will always be one or two bad hires, and bringing the wrong person into a team can be very damaging from both a perfor­mance and cultural perspective.

If you didn’t hire right, you need to get a new employee out as quickly as possible. If you’re a startup, you can’t afford poorly matched employment. So don’t be afraid to cut your losses.

4. Mission clarity

There’s no point in hiring great people if they don’t know what they should do and, most impor­tantly, WHY they should do it. Your mission should be crystal clear, the company’s current goals should be defined and measurable, and everyone should know exactly where they belong.

5. Use technology

To create a flexible workplace, good commu­ni­cation and collab­o­ration technology is crucial. Every management needs good mecha­nisms to track the perfor­mance, perfor­mance and well-being of their employees and we use various SaaS platforms to achieve this.

Satisfied employees “make me proud”

The benefits of a flexible employer and the ability to work remotely are obvious for an employee, but for a company they are truly enormous. Some are measurable.

If you’ve ever paid staffing fees, you know how expensive high staff turnover can be. In addition to the experience and expertise that comes with a long-term hire, employee friend­liness also brings direct financial benefits.

However, I think the key benefits are less tangible. The most important thing for me is the “mood” and high morale. Satisfied employees do good work and create a positive workplace for everyone else.

It makes me very proud to talk to our newbies and hear the contrast between their previous experi­ences and OnSecurity.