Work perks: Qonto’s talent philosophy
How do you attract and keep the right talent? At Qonto, it’s all about providing an environment of growth.
How do you attract and keep the right talent? It’s the million-dollar question for Talent Acquisition Managers and People teams everywhere. And it’s no exception for us at Qonto.
Since Qonto first sprung into existence in 2017, we’ve sought to bring together people with diverse backgrounds, skill sets, outlooks, and experiences under Qonto’s roof. But all with one important thing in common: a shared ambition to do amazing things.
And from listening to our teams, we’re always seeking to improve our offer and benefits. All with the aim of creating an environment in which Qontoers are supported in working, learning, and growing.
So, how do we create a positive working life for our Qontoers?
Encouraging a mastery mindset
When it comes to our people, putting their growth front and center is top of the list. We’re a diverse team, but we’re united by one clear ambition: to do great things. So, every day, we seek to support Qontoers in being better than they were the day before.
That’s why Mastery is one of our key values: it’s about helping us to continuously raise the bar, while also raising each other up.
This sense of drive sees colleagues of over 75 nationalities working shoulder-to-shoulder, with teams currently made up of 44% women. With five offices across France, Germany, Italy, Serbia, and Spain, Qontoers enjoy an international working environment — and great opportunities for mobility across those countries.
An enthusiasm around learning and growing together runs through our teams. In Qonto’s Tech team, for example, 20% of each person’s time can be allocated to working on continuous improvement, from training in a new skill to taking the time to reflect on recent projects. While Qonto attracts dynamic, smart, and driven people, there’s no hierarchy based on background — each person’s experiences and outlooks are as valued and valuable as everyone else’s. We know that different perspectives lead to new ideas and better ways of working, and so we actively encourage a range of voices to speak up.
Read more about Qonto’s workplace culture: Creating a culture of inclusivity: a look into Qonto’s office design
This mindset of collaboration means that, at Qonto, you’ll always be moving forward, and learning from your experiences, as well as from your teammates.
“At Qonto, you’ve got the chance to do the kind of work you’re excited about, that you’re proud to put your name to. The kind of work you share with your family and friends, and that lifts the limits on what’s possible when it comes to new products, new features, and new solutions.” — Mike Rounds, Content Project Manager
Learning while you’re earning
To keep Qontoers developing, wherever their aspirations lie, we have a well-stocked training provision on offer.
Want to boost your communication and collaboration skills? Our in-house EmpowerU Academy has a suite of programs to help with that. Feel you have a knowledge gap linked to your day-to-day role? Your manager is on hand to see how we can help — whether that’s through setting up 1:1 mentoring, shadowing, or training. Almost half (47%) of Qontoers took part in training in 2023 — and we’re always looking to move that number even higher.
At Qonto, we believe in incentivizing and rewarding our teams’ dedication and ongoing improvement. Put simply: as you grow, you increase your mastery in your role. So your progress is good for you, and it’s good for us, too. To reflect that, we’ve put in place a bi-annual (twice yearly) review process called the Progress Review Cycle. These are moments when we discuss career evolution and potential internal moves, explore skills to develop, and adjust salaries to acknowledge Qontoers’ evolving contribution as they grow within the company.
Awarding promotions and career moves keeps our teams feeling the momentum in their careers. But we don’t siphon anyone into pre-defined paths. Instead, each Qontoer is progressed based on merit, and can determine their own career journey, whether they have aspirations to become a Manager or to carve a route as a specialist Individual Contributor.
Listening to what Qontoers tell us
We believe that our Qontoers know best what they need when it comes to their working environment. So we make the space for them to tell us. We run a twice-yearly company-wide Engagement Survey to find out what Qontoers like about working here, and what we can improve. We then evolve our offer, based on what they tell us.
Take our Parenthood policy, for example. One in every five Qontoers is now a parent, and a few years ago, we changed our policy to reflect this group’s specific needs. It’s important for us that our new provision goes beyond legal requirements, to encourage a smooth transition into parenthood. We wish to support new parents’ mental health and build structure around them by offering tools to keep them balanced and engaged — including everything from paid leave to support programs, and childcare benefits. In France, for instance, Qonto’s 2024 Daycare Campaign has just launched, offering out creche slots at Les Petits Chaperons Rouges, in the spirit of helping parents with tangible solutions that’ll lighten their load.
In that same spirit, we’ve built a Disability policy that aims to make balancing work and personal life easier for those with disabilities and family caregivers. One key element of the policy is offering three days per month for medical appointments, or supporting family members with disabilities. It’s through initiatives like this that we hope to cultivate an environment where every team member, including those with disabilities and caring commitments, thrives.
Open feedback on Qonto’s internal policies is encouraged through our numerous Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): groups of colleagues who come together to represent the needs of the communities they represent, and promote change where it’s needed. We’re lucky enough to have — at the time of writing — three Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): the Women@Qonto, #TeamPride, and BreakingSocialBarriers, who have moved the dial in terms of what we offer to our teams. It was thanks to #TeamPride, representing the LGBTQIA+ community, that second parent leave for same-sex couples came to be introduced into the Qonto benefits package.
Read more about Qonto’s ERGs: “A safe space for everyone”: ERGs at Qonto
And we welcome broader feedback around our processes and our teams’ experiences of Qonto as a place to work. As well as an Ask Me Anything session during the monthly All-Hands meeting — led by our founders — we read every comment on Qonto’s Glassdoor page. We answer each post and take on board the views shared to inform improvements in what we offer prospective and current colleagues alike.
“I like the All-Hands. It gives me the feeling that I’m not just a cog in the machine; that I matter. Steve and Alex, the founders, make time to update us on how the company’s doing, and to remind us of what our ‘North Star’ is. Everyone has a chance to ask a question — whether you’re a new joiner or you’ve been with the company since the beginning.” Gvantsa Garmelia, Marketing Project Manager
Offering the perks that matter: from healthcare to share options
That means a list of added extras included as standard for our teams. Extras such as: comprehensive mental health support (with moka.care) to keep them fighting fit, subsidized sports and wellness passes to let them blow off steam with the activities they like, and food allowances to keep them well-fed when they come to work.
From our conversations with candidates, we know that flexibility when it comes to working location is a key pull. That’s why we offer two forms of contract — hybrid and fully remote — depending on the Qontoer’s needs and the requirements of the role. In the case of hybrid contracts, Qontoers are able to work remotely up to two days a week, and in their local office the remaining days. For Qontoers on a fully remote contract, we promote cohesion by covering travel and accommodation expenses when they come to their local office for team building.
On top of listening to our teams, we also carefully monitor the market to keep us aligned with the salaries and benefits candidates are seeing out in the wider world.
But this flexibility in working location doesn’t mean we’re seeing the office environment as any less important. To keep delivering the best value to our clients efficiently, we aim to establish optimal working conditions, and we value quality human collaboration highly. That means continuing to invest in weekly events (think everything from Crossfit to candle-making), self-service snacks and drinks, and themed celebrations on notable calendar days.
We want everyone to feel part of the journey, invested in our shared future, and to know they’ll benefit from their positive contributions. That’s why we offer free share options to Qontoers at set levels or who have been with us for a certain amount of time. These allow employees to buy Qonto stocks in the future at a price set on the date they’re granted. When the market price grows, exercising them to buy & then sell stocks will generate a profit. It’s a perk that raises the ceiling of Qontoers’ earning potential incrementally, as they gain more access to shares over their time at Qonto.
“Benefits at Qonto are strategically chosen to reflect our core values and to ensure Qontoers get the same, great experience, wherever they are. That’s why 90% of our benefits apply across all our locations. At the moment, we’re observing a clear preference among colleagues for flexible remote working arrangements, comprehensive global health support, and opportunities for regular team interactions, both virtually and in-person. These trends guide us in offering a variety of contracts to meet individual needs, alongside making investments in office culture and events to foster a sense of belonging and community. By doing so, we not only aim to attract the best talent in the first place, but also to cherish and grow them within the Qonto family.” — Margaux Néel, Compensation & Benefits Manager
At Qonto, we’ve always known that our people are our greatest asset. Qonto is a company with energy and ambition. But we know that we can only hit our aims with our teams’ help. That’s why we‘re always looking for new and improved ways to prioritize our Qontoers’ personal and professional growth, as we continue on our journey to be the undisputed European leader in business finance.
Interested to learn more about the benefits on offer at Qonto? Dive deeper here.
