Our company culture
How we work together, every day.
Discover the values and principles that drive our mission to empower workers worldwide. This is how we create a culture that stays human across disciplines, borders, and time zones.
Our core values
What guides the way we work.
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Stay Humble
With humility, we strive to always be learning. We acknowledge that there's always room for growth and improvement.
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Act for the Tribe
We are better when we are together. Our strength lies in collaboration and supporting each other.
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Get the Right Goals Done
We value goal-orientedness over busyness. Our focus is on meaningful outcomes, not just activity.
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Leverage Lean Smartcuts
Make a plan, try it out early, fail, and improve. We believe in smart experiments and iterative progress.
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Kaizen Everything!
We embrace change and adapt as our mission and team need it. Continuous improvement is in our DNA.
Values in action
How we put them into practice.
How do you implement Kaizen Everything in practice?
We have regular retrospectives, encourage experimentation, and maintain an open feedback culture, supported by annual 360-degree feedback rounds. Every team member is empowered to suggest and implement improvements to our processes and products.
What does Act for the Tribe mean in daily work?
It means supporting each other, sharing knowledge freely, and ensuring our decisions benefit the entire team. We celebrate collective wins and face challenges together.
How do you balance Stay Humble with ambitious goals?
Humility doesn't mean lacking ambition. It means approaching our work with openness to learning, acknowledging our limitations, and being receptive to feedback while pursuing personal development and bold objectives.
What are examples of Lean Smartcuts in action?
We prototype quickly, test with real users early, and iterate based on feedback. This applies to everything from product features to internal processes.
How do you ensure everyone is focused on the right goals?
We have regular strategy check-ins to align our work with company objectives, check in to ensure we're on track, and encourage open discussion about prioritization.
What it feels like to work at how.fm
People make the place!
At how.fm, our people aren't just our greatest strength; they are how we grow, create, and succeed. We've built a place where everyone can show up as themselves, do meaningful work, and keep learning along the way.
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Strengths, strengthened
Everyone brings something unique to the table; we help each other build on it.
Trust replaces micromanagement. People have room to develop their talents, make decisions, and take ownership of their work.
02
Progress over perfection
Just because something has always been done that way doesn't mean it should stay that way.
We question established practices, try promising ideas early, and treat mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve.
03
High performance, human pace
We care deeply about our work. And about making that work sustainable.
Flexible schedules and remote work help life and work complement each other instead of compete.
Remote-first, people-always
Culture beyond office walls.
Remote connection activities
Donut Sessions are optional weekly 30-minute conversations with a randomly paired teammate.
„Große Pause“ gives the whole team time to share updates and connect personally.
Friday Celebrations are where we share wins and learnings together.
M.O.F.A.S.A. events
Our “Ministry of Fun and Social Affairs” organizes optional in-person events for people who want to connect face-to-face.
From summer parties, Christmas markets, and year-end celebrations to roller skating, hiking, team dinners, BBQs, and virtual or in-person game nights, there’s always something optional to join.
How we interact
Principles for effective collaboration and communication.
We are mindful of each other's timeWe prioritize asynchronous communication and respect each other's focus time
- We value asynchronous communication after considering the right channel and timing
- We create structured messages with sufficient background information
- We bundle non-urgent topics and save them for scheduled 1:1s to minimize interruptions
- We ensure productive team meetings with clear agendas and next steps
- We practice effective stakeholder management
- We make our topic and intention clear at the beginning of any communication
We promote constructive interactionsWe approach discussions with curiosity and respect
- We approach topics with a “Yes, and…” attitude
- We approach interactions from a place of curiosity
- We listen actively, giving full attention in conversations
- We communicate clearly and honestly while remaining respectful and empathetic
We optimize for asynchronous workWe maintain clear availability and set proper expectations
- We keep our personal calendar up to date
- We always update our Slack status
- We set clear expectations for task deadlines
- We manage expectations properly when we receive requests
Turning points
Open discussion, handled constructively.
Our approach to collaborative decision-making and handling conflicts constructively.
Collaborative decision-making
- We operate with low hierarchies. Decisions are not simply handed down from the top: every team member’s voice matters, and all opinions are considered.
- Decision-making is a team process. Every team member brings a unique perspective, which we deeply value. We decide priorities and next steps together during regular team days.
- Day-to-day decisions follow the same mindset. In projects, initiatives, and problem-solving, we prioritize open communication and consensus wherever possible.
- For strategic decisions with significant impact, the leadership team carefully considers the options and makes sure diverse perspectives are represented.
Embracing healthy conflict
- Without friction, we cannot grow: as individuals or as a company. Healthy discussion and differing opinions drive innovation and improvement.
- Feedback is a gift. We encourage appreciative and constructive feedback, supported by regular 360-degree feedback and training.
- When tension emerges, we do not avoid it. We address it openly. Emotions are natural, and expressing them can lead to better mutual understanding.
- If a conflict cannot be resolved directly, it is okay to involve a third party—your lead, People Operations, or another trusted person. Support is always available.
What our team says
What people value here.
There’s a lot we can tell you about why how.fm is a great place to work. These themes came from a recent employee satisfaction survey.
- Flexible working hours
- Async communication and few meetings
- Remote work policy
- Transparent and open communication
- Strong sense of trust and ownership
- Supportive and inclusive team culture
- Career growth and learning opportunities
- Meaningful work and company mission
“We’re genuinely passionate about what we do. We love to dive deep, share knowledge, and nerd out together; every conversation teaches me something new.
I also appreciate the trust to do my job in the way that works best for me. My boundaries are respected—even appreciated. That understanding makes a huge difference.”
AndreaFinance & People Operations