People Ops from the Top: Johan De Jager, Country Manager UK at YoungOnes

In this ‘People Ops from the Top’ we talk about; ADV days, karaoke, and what it means to be an office-first company, and the importance of listening. 

Johan De Jager is the Country Manager UK at YoungOnes. What is YoungOnes? Founded in 2017, YoungOnes is an online marketplace of short-term gigs between businesses & young self-employed people. 

I am a South African-born hospitality professional who pivoted into tech marketplaces after an MBA at Hult International Business School.

We are YoungOnes, a digital marketplace connecting businesses and freelancers for temporary gigs across retail, logistics, hospitality, and events.

We've recently implemented a Dutch concept of ADV days off, they're essentially 6 days a year in addition to your holidays and bank holidays that employees can take at a moment's notice to just stay on top of personal projects, take a day to think and ponder about life, go for a hike, take the afternoon to have a coffee with a friend or heck, maybe a bottle of wine. They really help by providing an element of flex not otherwise present in the workplace. They also have some rules attached i.e. you're not allowed to tack them onto holidays or take more than 1 ADV day at a time, they really are meant to be spread across the year.

Karaoke requires some vulnerability from the whole team to sing in front of your colleagues and in our case provided a lot of laughs and we discovered the next Justin Bieber right here within our team 🥳

We are an office-first company, meaning we typically do 4 days in the office and work remotely on a Friday. We are also flexible if you need another day to work remotely for whatever reason, that's OK too. I believe this solution works well as it strikes a good balance between dynamic team energy and learning space. But also provides the flexibility that life requires from time to time. On the whole, the team engages really well with the structure and it works well at YoungOnes!

Good People!

Lead by example and always listen (I'm still practicing these btw...)

The people, fun, engaged, proactive, and challenging. 

For more from Johan, follow him on Linkedin 

Tally Workspace knows that having effective people operations and a strong culture is crucial for the success of any organisation. It is essential for; attracting and retaining top talent; increasing employee engagement; promoting collaboration and talent; enhancing productivity and performance, and improving employee well-being. People Ops are key to a thriving organisation and happy team.