Published by Sue Johns-Chapman
Published Date 12.12.2022 
2022 has been a whirlwind year for people and businesses across the globe, as life has returned to (a new) normality. At Personio it has been no different, and we’ve also experienced some exciting milestones worth celebrating.
To name a few, we opened two new offices in Berlin and Barcelona back in May, took our HR conference HUG on tour across Europe in October, and we successfully put on our second All Company Culture Week (more to come on this later).
But we wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without our brilliant team, who embody everything we believe in at Personio – an impact-driven attitude, teamwork, empathy, and fun! And we were so proud to be recognised as a finalist in the 2022 Company Culture awards, for the “Best Team Culture” category.
Whether you’re an HR professional brainstorming ways to strengthen your company culture or you’re a manager looking for some inspiration, we wanted to share some of our favourite ways in which we bring our team together.
Borders are no barrier to a united culture
Each of our offices are a close knit team, but as we grow across Europe, we want to ensure that our strong company culture is the golden thread woven throughout the business, keeping us running as one big, ambitious, innovative team.
So, what have we actually done about it? In June 2021 we introduced our unique Culture Carrier programme (also nick-named externally as a “professional Erasmus”), which allows employees to temporarily relocate to another of our office locations.
How does it work? We provide flights and accommodation and our Culture Carriers continue to do their same job, just in another country! In addition, our Culture Carriers also support local events, expand their internal and external networks, share stories and experiences and help strengthen our culture. As one of our Professional Customer Success Managers explains – “transferring to Dublin allowed me to network across offices, fostering a sense of community and belonging.” So far 30 Personios have taken advantage of the programme and we are super excited to develop it, as it’s also a great way to reward people for their contribution and impact at Personio.
Taking time to celebrate and cement our culture
But that’s not all. Also introduced in 2021, is our All Company Culture Week (#ACCW), where every year, we invite all of our Personios to Munich, to get together, bond and reaffirm our culture!
As we experienced a period of hyper-growth over the last couple of years, #ACCW presents an opportunity to bring together new hires with longer standing employees from across our European offices. Connecting people and making everyone feel like part of one team, one culture. Fostering better strategic alignment and company direction across the whole organisation.
The days are divided between standard work, team time, and lots of fun events and activities, giving us all a chance to feel that electric Personio energy as a group! For example, every year we host a “values day” to help everyone have a better understanding of these principles. This day even ended in our very own “CoaXella” thrown by the customer experience team, an afternoon consisting of mini-competitions like potato sack races and refreshments in the sunshine!
It is safe to say this was a truly amazing experience for everyone involved. 93% of employees felt more connected to their colleagues after #ACCW, and 85% said they had a better understanding of the Personio code and values after the event.
We are so proud of our company culture initiatives, but we know they may not work for every company. If you can’t do something as big as our All Company Culture Week, how about a weekend, or even an afternoon out of the office, taking time away as a team to consolidate and define your company vision and values, enabling your team to really reconnect.
Celebrating company culture
We all know at Personio how important these initiatives are to our company, especially as we navigate new ways of working all whilst continuing to grow across international offices. And it’s telling that at Personio 100% of new employees say our culture is one reason they joined the company.
To be shortlisted for the best team culture awards was an amazing feeling, it was a great boost to reaffirm why we do what we do, and why we love the way we work.
We are so excited to continue to expand and develop these initiatives into the future. And it’s clear that as 2023 looks set to present an ever evolving set of challenges for businesses, it is more important than ever to invest in building great teams, and a great people experience. At Personio, this is fuelled by our collaborative company culture, which empowers our people to continuously make a positive impact.
