Freedom means engaged employees for Goboony

Goboony's team consists of 85 employees, mostly between the ages of 20 and 35. Co-owner Mark de Vos, like his employees, loves adventure. The entrepreneur himself goes on holiday 10 weeks a year. He advises employees to take a minimum of 25 days off a year, but the company does not keep track of holiday days taken. 

If employees have plans for a holiday, a long trip, or working remotely from another country, they discuss these with their immediate colleagues and team leader. “We operate from the starting point that employees should provide sufficient input, so we don't look at the number of days worked or personal results. The plan and the contribution made by an employee are decisive,” De Vos explains.

Employees are in control

So, in terms of holidays, Goboony has no set rules. But how does an employee organise this? De Vos explains that the initiative lies with the employee. “We expect them to think for themselves about when their holiday is most convenient in terms of workload, and to arrange any replacement or transfer,” he says. “We also have employees who take a long trip and want to work in the evening or part-time. Basically, any option is possible. If necessary, we hire a substitute for a short period of time. Especially in positions where there is customer contact, such as customer service, minimum staff coverage is needed. It is important that employees discuss their plans with their colleagues in good time. Also, taking holidays in peak periods such as summer holidays is more difficult for customer contact functions.”

“We deliberately don't keep track of how many days off an employee takes. That way, this cannot become an issue later. We look at an employee’s contribution and not days worked.”

Freedom and initiative

Goboony's motto is ‘share the freedom’. According to De Vos, freedom is the company's most important value, and this also applies in the workplace. “We give our employees a lot of freedom in their work,” he says. “However, we do expect something in return, namely commitment and initiative. We want them to actively work out for themselves how they can add value in their work. We expect them to ask each other questions if they have them, and to tell us if they encounter something. The Dutch work culture is open and young people want to decide a lot for themselves. Our culture does not suit someone who is closed or cautious.”

De Vos says that when hiring staff, he asks how someone likes to work. It has happened in the past that employees struggled with the independent culture at Goboony and left as a result.

High engagement

Goboony has hardly any employee turnover. “Our corporate culture ensures high commitment, lots of initiative, and little turnover,” says De Vos. “The fact that we are flexible with workplace and working days also ensures that we move with changed private situations, such as when people want to take a long trip, have children, or have other care responsibilities. I also notice that employees are willing to go the extra mile for a colleague, on the principle that ‘if my colleague is happy with how things are going at work, I'll be happier too’. And when staff are happy and contributions are high, I see that the results are also good.’

Farewell to an employee

The entrepreneur does believe that such responsibility is not for everyone. “When someone delivers too little work by default, you don't immediately realise it,” says De Vos. “Delivering a little less work occasionally can always happen, and often this is made up later. If a problem does arise, you only notice it after a few months. The idea is for the team leader to keep a finger on the pulse and start the conversation. We said goodbye once because someone was taking more free time than he was contributing to Goboony. In conversation, it then became clear that we did not fit together in terms of working culture.”

Openness is a prerequisite

De Vos says it is necessary as an entrepreneur to set a good example and be open about everything that happens. He demands the same from everyone working at Goboony. Otherwise, employees will not be able to take charge, he argues. “Share successes as well as less good results. We discuss a set topic every day in a short meeting with all employees. For example, on Monday, finances… on Tuesday, marketing. This way, everyone can respond quickly to what is going on at Goboony at that moment.”