Thursday February 13, 2025
Many people desire freedom, but few expect to find it in the workplace. Yet, when freedom is fostered, it can unlock better performance, personal growth, and work-life balance.
That’s why freedom and responsibility are among our guiding principles at Hostinger. As the CS Talent Acquisition and Retention Lead, I’ve seen firsthand how these values shape our culture. Whether you’re a team lead or member, I’ll share how you can embrace them to create an environment that encourages growth, innovation, and accountability.
Finding your own path
Self-reflection plays a critical role in leveraging freedom effectively and responsibly. You have to continuously evaluate what works and what doesn’t to learn, adapt, innovate, and find new approaches that suit your unique strengths.
During my journey at Hostinger, I found that the best approach for me as a Hiring Lead was to work backwards: starting from the candidate’s experience and using that perspective to improve the hiring process. As a manager, I empower team members to make decisions independently and help them critically reflect to ensure the right decision is made, avoiding bottlenecks.
During one-on-one meetings, when my direct report says, “Is that correct, or what should I do?” I like to reverse the question: “What would you do? What do you think is the best decision?”
This shift encourages deeper thinking and self-reliance. Freedom means having the space to figure things out by yourself and to decide how to proceed. When you follow a strict protocol, there is little space for innovation.
On a business level, freedom creates a competitive advantage, as employees know how to adapt to an evolving world. In contrast, rigid protocols restrict this exploratory process, limiting opportunities for discovery.
With great freedom comes great responsibility
It is crucial to use freedom responsibly.
At Hostinger, we believe that freedom in the workplace is a privilege that comes with the responsibility to uphold trust. For example, each member of our Customer Success team shares a commitment to delivering exceptional experiences. We trust one another to do our best work and hold ourselves accountable.
Rather than focusing on individual achievements, it’s the team work that sets the tone. When we all strive to do our part, we create an environment where trust is earned through consistent, high-quality contributions. This responsibility strengthens our team and encourages continuous growth.
True freedom in the workplace isn’t about one person’s example; it’s about building a culture where everyone feels empowered to rise to the occasion. By working together, we inspire one another to reach new heights and drive the success of the whole team.
Maintaining balance
Freedom also empowers you to shape your own work-life balance. But it’s not always easy to set clear boundaries. One thing that’s helped me is having a dedicated workspace while working from home.
It’s easy to fall into the habit of working long hours or skipping breaks, especially when you’re driven to succeed. However, I’ve learned that being disciplined about recharging is just as important as being disciplined about delivering results. It’s about knowing yourself, understanding what helps you reset, and being intentional about making time for it.
A clear mind and a well-rested body always come back stronger, ready for new challenges. Without that balance, the freedom to manage your time can lead to overworking and burnout. By giving equal attention to both work and personal life, you can fully enjoy the benefits of freedom and experience a more fulfilling professional and personal life.
Empowering freedom and responsibility in teams
I strongly believe that trust is the foundation of empowering freedom in any team. When there is no trust, team members don’t feel confident to pursue ideas, take ownership of projects, and find their own solutions. As a manager, fostering this trust means encouraging team members to ask questions and approach challenges with a mindset of growth. In other words, you shoul see mistakes as learning opportunities.
Micromanagement, by contrast, kills both freedom and creativity. Rather than telling the team what to do and how to do it, a leader should mentor, guide, and inspire, allowing team members the space to experiment, make mistakes, and grow. One way to do this is through coaching questions: “What do you think would be the best approach here?”, “What’s your plan for managing potential risks? “What else could you try out?”. These questions encourage team members to think critically, evaluate options, and come up with solutions on their own.
As team members show sound judgment and decision-making, their autonomy should naturally expand. The Situational Leadership model can be a useful approach, adjusting the way you lead based on each person’s growth and needs.
By creating a culture of trust and autonomy, managers can cultivate a dynamic, innovative, and resilient team. Leading with context and being transparent about the “why” behind decisions empowers teams to take the initiative and understand their broader purpose. When people know the reasons behind their work, they’re more motivated to learn, grow, and contribute to the team’s success.
Creating bonds with remote team
Freedom and responsibility are not abstract ideals at Hostinger. They’re part of what helped me build a stronger connection with my manager.
When I decided to move from Brazil back to France, my home country, the transition involved significant changes in contract, timezone, and working hours, impacting the entire team. My manager trusted me to handle those changes and supported me through the entire process.
Remote work, especially in a multicultural team like ours, has its own challenges. That’s why our team makes a point of creating space for informal conversations: starting meetings with small talk, asking about weekend plans, and checking in on our emotional well-being in our one-on-ones. Those interactions help bridge the gap created by physical distance. Regular team-building activities also bring us closer, even from afar: we’ve done cooking, painting, online escape games, and scavenger hunts.
Freedom benefits all
From my experience, everyone benefits from freedom and responsibility. We, as individuals and as a team, grow stronger and more innovative, and our clients get better service and products.
Freedom and responsibility encourage self-reliance, spark creativity, push us to find new solutions, and foster a growth mindset. This not only leads to better results but also improves the way we work together to support our customers.
In the end, freedom and responsibility help everyone reach their full potential, professionally and personally.
Rebecca is the CS Talent Acquisition & Retention Lead at Hostinger. She drives global hiring initiatives and ensures top talent joins and thrives in the Customer Success department. She collaborates with leadership to foster talent growth, career progression, and retention. Rebecca is passionate about technology, video games, and psychology and is dedicated to building a positive, growth-oriented work culture.
