As global companies like Amazon, Apple, and JPMorgan push for employees to return to the office, Spotify is standing firm in its commitment to a work-from-anywhere policy. Katarina Berg, the Chief Human Resources Officer at Spotify, emphasized the company’s trust in its workforce, stating that employees, whom the company refers to as “grownups,” deserve “flexibility and freedom.”
Berg explained to Raconteur, “You can’t spend a lot of time hiring grownups and then treat them like children. We are a business that’s been digital from birth, so why shouldn’t we give our people flexibility and freedom? Work is not a place you come to, it’s something you do.”
While acknowledging that other companies may be returning to traditional office setups due to familiarity, Berg defended Spotify’s flexible approach, pointing out that it has not hindered productivity or efficiency. The company’s collaboration with the Stockholm School of Economics also highlights their ongoing research into the impact of virtual work on collaboration and innovation.
Despite the challenges of virtual collaboration, Berg affirmed that forcing employees back to the office is not on Spotify’s agenda. “It is harder, and we all struggle to collaborate in a virtual environment,” she admitted. “But does that mean we will start forcing people to come into the office as soon as there is a trend for it? No.”
Spotify continues to maintain its office space, but employees are encouraged to gather once a year during “core week,” when teams come together for in-person collaboration and strategic discussions. “People who work here tend to love music,” Berg noted. “We try to find things that make people want to come into the office rather than forcing them to.”