The past year has affected leadership practices in many companies, as at least a part of the employees has been working remotely. Remote work has increased the importance of regular interactions, as spontaneous social encounters at the office have been at a minimum. The fact that work has become more self-organized and at least partially virtual requires leaders to adjust their way of working and to acquire new kinds of expertise to develop their working communities. In the future, leadership will no longer be tied to any particular location.
The Finnish startup Humbol Inc has today launched a new digital service supporting leaders in their work. By automating routines, it gives more time for better leadership. The service, available online and on a mobile device, guides leaders to have better interactions with their teams, ensures that agreed actions are taken, and collects continuous feedback on their work. The leadership platform helps leaders be more proactive and systematic.
For organizations, there is a wide range of software available for business and organizational development. During the past years, the greatest development has taken place in software used in the customer interface, such as CRM systems, e-commerce, and marketing automation. However, in terms of employee experience, HR and leadership, this development has only begun. “Although leaders play a key role in creating the employee experience, there aren’t that many digital solutions that can help them in their day-to-day work. We want to do the same to leadership as CRM systems did to sales, marketing, and customer service”, says Humbol Inc CEO Antti Turunen.
More time for better leadership
Many leaders divide their time between leadership and another role, making time management and prioritization a continuous challenge. According to a study by the American O.C. Tanner Institute, guided and regular one-to-one discussions can reduce burnout risk by up to 84%. Humbol’s digital service guides leaders to have regular interactions with their team and automate routines to have more time for better leadership. “Traditionally, organizational development becomes a priority in conjunction with employee surveys once or twice a year, which is a quite reactive approach. With regular interactions, follow-up, and feedback, leadership becomes more proactive and issues can be solved before they develop into problems,” says Humbol Inc CEO Antti Turunen.
An equal leadership model
According to a worldwide survey by Gallup, 85% of employees are not engaged in their work. The greatest contributor to employees’ level of engagement is their relationship with their leader. By helping companies define a suitable leadership model covering all employees, Humbol can help them to achieve more systematic and equal leadership practices. This also ensures that leadership across different teams and locations is equal and transparent.
“When there are fewer spontaneous meetings at the office, it easily creates a leadership vacuum, where the individuals can be forgotten. By utilizing digital tools, we can help leaders do the right things at the right time. This also makes leadership more proactive and we can improve employee experience also in a remote setting”, says Humbol Inc CEO Antti Turunen.
Devatus Oy is one of the first Humbol customers.“During the past year, we have noticed a need to unify our leadership models by bringing equality, better interaction methods, and building structures that serve the work community. We believe that with Humbol’s help we can improve wellbeing at work, competence development and benefit our work in creating the most attractive IT-industry employer in the region”, says Devatus Oy’s Managing Director Mika Filander.
Humbol Oy was founded by Antti Turunen, Jyri Kytömäki and Andy Lundström. Previously, Antti played a key role in the growth success story of Fluido Oy, one of the biggest Salesforce consulting companies in Europe. Jyri has vast experience in creating global digital services during the past 20 years at Reaktor Innovations Oy. Andy has been involved in creating one of Finland’s most popular employee survey products. They are all united in their desire to build an innovative company that can, through better interactions, influence people and their working lives around the world.
Photos:
Humbol Inc founders
Humbol Inc logo:
Devatus Oy’s Managing Director Mika Filander
Additional information:
Humbol Inc website: www.humbol.app
Antti Turunen, tel. +358 44 740 9199, antti@humbol.app