Behind the Click Podcast with Alexandra Szarmach: Rebuilding company culture at flaconi

When Alexandra Szarmach joined flaconi as Chief Human Resources Officer in 2023, she walked straight into turbulence. The company wasn’t profitable, people were leaving, morale was low, and flaconi’s identity had blurred somewhere between pandemic-era comfort and modern e-commerce ambition.

On the latest episode of Behind the Click, Alexandra describes those first months with refreshing honesty. “There was a lack of culture,” she says. “And if there’s no culture, there’s nothing to stay for.” At the same time, the leadership team itself was fragmented. With new management arriving after a series of changes, employees weren’t sure whom to trust or what to expect. Turnover hovered around 35 percent – every third person was heading out the door.

Read more about Alexandra’s conversation with our host Janine Vanessa Heinrich to find out how she managed to rebuild trust, set a new tone for leadership and give employees a reason to reconnect with the company during a difficult time.

From disconnection to direction

One of her early observations, that she shared with us on Behind the Click, was that flaconi had grown too comfortable. Being “nice” often meant avoiding difficult conversations. Feedback was softened or postponed. Teams were cautious with each other but not aligned. “Kindness also means helping each other grow,” Alexandra shared. “It means being transparent, even when it’s uncomfortable.” That mindset shift became central – leaders learned to debate openly, disagree in the room, and commit once they left it.

What makes this story compelling is how grounded it is. Alexandra didn’t roll out glamorous culture campaigns or push expensive perks. She focused on presence. She and the leadership team showed up – at the office, at events, at newcomer breakfasts, at Q&As where employees anonymously asked the hard questions. Instead of pretending everything was fine, they stood on stage and told the company the financial truth: flaconi wasn’t in good shape, and salary increases weren’t possible without letting colleagues go. They asked for six months of trust. And they promised that once the turnaround came, it would be shared.

The trust paid off on both sides. Within months, people began to notice the shift. Business results recovered. The company started to stabilize. And a culture that once felt disconnected began to take shape.

Reimagining company culture through participation

One of the most distinctive moves was rebuilding the company values – not as posters on a wall, but as something people could actually participate in. Inspired partly by Harry Potter, flaconi created “value houses,” each led by a board member, each with its own color, rituals, and playful competitiveness. Employees earn points for things that genuinely represent the values – attending trainings, sharing successes, using data in their work. Twice a year, the company comes together for big value events, from Olympic-style competitions to a literal jump house takeover. It’s spirited, fun, and surprisingly effective. Suddenly values weren’t abstract statements – they were lived, joked about, celebrated.

But beneath the playfulness lies structure. flaconi tracks people metrics as rigorously as commercial ones: engagement, early turnover, recruiting speed, internal eNPS. Alexandra emphasized that HR at flaconi is a business partner, not an administrative island. When those metrics improved, the financial results did too.

Another theme running through the conversation is Alexandra’s belief that AI should remove repetitive work, not people. Her goal for her own team is simple: “Kill repetitive tasks.” Reporting that once took a full week now happens with a click. Teams use Gemini, ChatGPT, and workflow tools to automate processes, freeing hours for more strategic work. Far from fearing AI, flaconi treats it as a multiplier – a way to grow without burning people out.

The human side of a cultural turnaround

Perhaps the most memorable moments in the episode are the small, human stories. The employee at her first company party who spent half an hour complaining to her – not knowing she was the incoming CHRO – and who later returned to say, “I didn’t think you’d pull it off.” The newcomers who now proudly list all five values within weeks. And the returnees – more than a dozen – who left the company, only to come back because they missed the culture.

Today flaconi employs nearly 700 people from 60 nations, with more than half of its leadership team women. The company is expanding into more countries, performing strongly, and – perhaps most importantly – feels united again.

Alexandra’s message throughout the episode is simple but powerful: culture isn’t about money. It’s about time, attention, and leadership that genuinely cares. You can’t fake it, and you can’t outsource it. You have to show up – consistently and honestly – even when it’s hard.

To hear interview with Alexandra in full, in her own voice and with all the nuance that can’t fit on a page, watch the complete episode of Behind the Click:

You can also listen to the episode on the Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

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