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Benjamin Croc
Cofounder & CEO at BrioHR (YC W21)
Benjamin Croc is the Cofounder and CEO of BrioHR, a comprehensive HR management platform he co-founded in July 2018.2 BrioHR is a cloud-based solution that covers various HR processes, including payroll, recruitment, leave tracking, and performance management.1
Prior to founding BrioHR, Croc had a diverse career in finance and management:
- He worked as an SVP Head of Strategy for Lazada Malaysia from February to July 2018.2
- He was an Associate at McKinsey & Company from September 2016 to February 2018.2
- Croc served as Head of Global Finance Shared Services Center at CMA CGM from March 2011 to February 2015.2
- He started his career as a Senior financial auditor at PwC from January 2008 to February 2011.2
Croc's educational background includes:
- An MBA from INSEAD (2015-2016)2
- A Master of Science from NEOMA Business School (2005-2007)2
- A GMAT score of 750 (98th percentile)2
Interestingly, Croc's connection to Malaysia was initially influenced by his passion for badminton, having trained with renowned players like the Sidek brothers in the early 2000s.4
Under Croc's leadership, BrioHR has grown to serve hundreds of companies in more than 15 countries across Southeast Asia and beyond.4 The company participated in Y Combinator's W21 batch2 and has raised a total of $1.43M in funding.3
Highlights
Unlimited leave / time-off does not work.
Or at least, not the way we intended for it to work.
When we started BrioHR, we made company culture a top priority, from day 1. We wanted a company in which people could thrive by being themselves, feel valued, have an impact.
So we decided to base everything on trust:
- everyone has real responsibilities from day one. When you do something, a client will see it, be it in the product, through support, marketing...
- we did not micro-manage. Both Nabil Oudghiri and I like to empower people the same way we designed our platform to empower others.
So among other things, we established an "unlimited leave / time-off" policy. Almost no rule besides making sure that there is always someone here to cover in your absence, that there was enough notice given before the actual leave / time-off dates...A request was pretty much auto-approved if respecting the simple guidelines set out above.
It seemed like the good thing to do. A great perk, in line with our trust based philosophy. I suspect a few people joined us because of that.
I got mixed comments in the past about such policy.
Some were clearly misguided, referring to the fact that such policies are intentionally designed for people take less vacations. Sometimes they were plain dumb imagining scenarios when one would take 200+ days a year and we would have to just be ok with that. No comment.
Although we were genuinely well-intentioned, still, a couple years in, we realized that adverse effects can outweigh benefits, and go opposite to our initial intentions.
For instance:
- indeed, people tended to take less days off. It was not our goal, so we tried imposing a minimum number of actual days off per year, for everyone to be well rested and able to perform at his/her best when working
- we noticed that our best performers tended to be the ones taking the least number of days off, whereas others tended to actually take quite a lot. While it was acceptable, as long as it remained within the guidelines, it created tensions and some colleagues became a bit uneasy about this
- managers, some of them first-time managers, felt like the burden fell on them to decide, that they had no control over approving a leave / time-off request or not, and that would potentially impair their own performance evaluation down the line, as it was linked to the team's performance
- companies need to respect the minimum number of leave to be given to employees as specified by the local labor laws, and leaving employees use close to zero day off without proper tracking and handling of those legal minimums could bite back later
- back to attracting candidates because of this kind of policies: we were not sure we wanted that to be a big reason for people to join the adventure...
So we changed. Keeping some degree of flexibility, but not the full fledged unlimited leave / time-off way.
Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this!
Repeat after me: “HR is more than admin”
“HR is more than admin”
Still too often when I talk with business people, what I hear is about the admin aspect of HR. It is important, it is key, even. But it is not what makes companies win.
As I was chatting with a group of company owners and CEOs, all the chatter was about hiring, developing, and retaining the top talent. All of them, aligned on that topic. And I am not talking about tech companies, they were all, except me, owners and/or CEOs of companies in manufacturing, sewage cleaning, logistics, you name it. The hard work.
All of them, meeting after meeting, as we used to meet once a month, were sharing their trouble about attracting people, and retaining the best ones. It was never about finance or other aspects of their business.
I was ecstatic: I am dedicating everything to help them with that, and that is BrioHR
It is a strong validation when you hear that from such business savvy, influential people.
But…
As we started talking about how the right software can help them provide a better experience, implement turnkey best practices around onboarding, forward looking performance management, etc…they started to be so passionate about HR management software, and were suddenly throwing features at each other. And all we could hear was;
- Automatically deducted penalties for lateness
- Industry Relations case management
And many more…all not only operational, but all revolving around punishing employees. Nothing about hiring, developing, keeping the top talents.
Sure, the operational part is important, and we help them with it. But HR is so much more than that, and we do so much more than that.
Over the past few years I have seen some positive change. Now at least onboarding, people development…are part of the discussion at the top levels of most companies. But there is still a long way to go!
“HR is more than admin”
Thanks to the LittleLives Team for inviting me to share my journey, my thoughts about HR and entrepreneurship, it was great chatting, Alvin Lee!
https://lnkd.in/gsGGqhn2
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
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Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
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