Why HubSpot Embraced Remote Work (hint: it works)

One thing we’ve learned at HubSpot is that we’re building two products. One is a product for our customers (our software) and the second is a product for our people (our culture). Just as you want to attract and retain customers, you want to attract and retain the best people. What are the best people looking for in a company today? Lots of things, but very high on the list is flexibility. Specifically, where, when, and how they work. So, why do so many employers still fear flexible working?

The evidence for being pro-flexibility is strong. 80% of U.S. workers say they would turn down a job that didn’t offer flexible working. And, 34% would take a paycut up to 5% in order to work remotely. In other words, when you focus on results over the number of hours worked, or where, they are worked, you let the best people do their best work. 

Last year at HubSpot’s annual INBOUND event (26,000+ people!), I spoke about flexibility, remote work and introduced a new business principle called the “Pajama Principle.” It states that success is proportional to the degree to which you let people stay in their pajamas. While pajamas might not be conducive to productivity for everyone, the heart of the principle I think remains the same. People do their best work when the circumstances -- time and place -- are optimal for them. The traditional workplace environment doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. That’s why I live by this principle - both as a beneficiary (I work from home a fair amount of the time) and as an advocate for its implementation within the company.  

Since the very early days at HubSpot, my-founder, Brian Halligan and I have been committed to flexibility, and we’ve had people working remotely for over 10 years. More recently, we’ve been focused on building a great experience and culture for our remote community. I’ll admit it hasn't been easy and we have a long way to go, but we've made progress. Today, we have over 300 full-time remote employees, we have a remote-specific careers page, and if we combine all the people who work remotely - full time and part time - the living room (or whatever room people work in) would be the biggest HubSpot office. 

Why is flexibility and remote work still a foreign concept for so many? People worry a lot about communication, productivity and results. They wonder about the values, behaviors, and working styles of remote employees and assume their culture will have to change to accommodate. Our first-ever Remote Work Report found that remote workers are in fact not a different species, but just like the rest of us. Who knew?! They drink coffee (on average two cups a day), they listen to music at least an hour a day, and over half (55%) of them have at least one pet. (The other half are good people too, just with less cuddlines in their lives -- can’t have everything).

What we also found was that employers can better support the distributed workforce. 29% of remote workers surveyed noted a lack of social connection and communication with co-workers as the two biggest challenges they face being remote. With Upwork’s “Future Workforce Report” predicting that 73% of all teams will have remote workers by 2028, it’s critical that we focus on building better remote communities. 

Remember, remote people are people, too. Treat them with the same respect as you do with in-office colleagues, and you’ll dramatically open up the pool of possible talent. If you’re an entrepreneur, leader, manager, or just someone who wants to learn more about remote work, I encourage you to check-out the full Remote Work Report. If you’re a remote worker interested in joining our team, visit our remote work page all about being a full-time remote HubSpotter.