We are big fans of the marketing automation provider Hubspot. In fact, our website and this blog are hosted in the Hubspot Content Optimization System (COS). Luckily for Hubspot, we are not their only fans. The company released an initial public offering in October, raising $125 million in fresh capital and leaving the company with a market valuation of over 1 billion. They have 750 employees and 11,500 clients in more than 70 countries. They are doing something right. Fortunately, they’ve been kind enough to tell us (and more than 1.5 million other viewers) exactly what it is.

The Hubspot Culture Code slide deck is an inspiring look into what it takes to build a company that employees love. It has ideas about delivering customer value, embracing constant change, and fighting for simplicity. Every slide is worth reading and thinking about. It is also a great resource for companies looking for employee engagement ideas. Here are a few of our favorites:

Have a No Door Policy

Hubspot is fanatical about transparency. They share everything unless there is a legal reason not to or if the information is not theirs to share. They don’t believe in an “Open Door Policy,” instead they eliminate doors altogether by providing open access to everyone in the company. How does this increase employee engagement? Employees who are given information about what’s going on in the company are better positioned to invest emotionally and physically than those who are kept in the dark.

Shuffle the Seats

One idea from the Culture Code that we love is moving people’s desks around every three months or so.  Hubspot does this to reinforce the idea that change is constant and to keep company politics to a minimum. We think it can also be an effective way to foster a culture of cross-functional collaboration by encouraging employees with different roles and responsibilities to interact.

Rewrite (Un-write) the Policy Manual

The policy, “Use Good Judgment,” covers just about everything at Hubspot. Of course, this isn’t possible for every type of organization, but giving employees as much autonomy as possible is an excellent approach to increasing employee engagement. Rather than following the motions, employees are making decisions and contributing new ideas.

Increase Individual Market Value and Embrace Alumni

Of course we’d all like to believe that our best employees will be with us forever, but this is simply not the case. Sometimes employees will be promoted within your organization, and sometimes they will be promoted out of it. That’s OK. Hubspot creates individual market value for its employees by providing ongoing education, big challenges, and broad exposure. What’s more, even if an employee leaves, they are seen as an alumni, not a traitor, so their advocacy lasts beyond their tenure. What a brilliant way to demonstrate to current employees and new recruits that the company cares about them as people as well as team members.

Employee engagement and culture are inseparable. They are both all about creating a place where people want to work, where they are empowered to deliver their best, and where they are trusted. The results of any employee engagement effort will speak for themselves. Hubspot’s are awesome and yours can be too.