Straight From the Source: Help Scout Love
As a director of talent, I’m always looking for creative ways to paint a picture of what it’s really like to work at Help Scout. (And by “what it’s really like,” I mean fulfilling, meaningful, fun, empowering, flexible, and inclusive.) But I also know that all the other hardworking talent acquisition folks out there are aiming to do the same thing, and it can be challenging to make a story stand out — no matter how brilliant the palette you have to paint from and how inspiring the subject.
Lucky for me, I’m off the hook this time. That’s because we recently conducted a survey to ask our team to share their takes on the Help Scout experience. Specifically, we asked folks to share why they joined the team and what they love about working here. And no bribing or incentives were involved — I swear!
I had an idea that we would hear some pretty warm and fuzzy things, but I couldn’t have anticipated just how much our team’s responses would capture the meaningful experiences we share by working here. To read (and feel!) the alignment among teammates around how much we respect and appreciate one another, find meaning in our work, appreciate the remote-first model, and strive together to serve our customers may have brought a tear to my eye.
So, with gratitude to my team for painting a more beautiful picture than I could, here they are, describing what it’s really like to work at Help Scout.
1. It’s all about the people
When I ask my teammates why they love working at Help Scout, everyone unanimously says it’s the people! This answer warms my heart because as the person accountable to our hiring, it means we’re succeeding in our mission to bring on empathetic, smart humans who care about doing excellent work together. Check out what our team is saying:
I've never worked with such kind and genuine people who support you in both your professional and personal growth.
Jordan
At the risk of sounding cliché, it's the people. The humans behind Help Scout are all genuine, compassionate, and vested in making this a great place to work. That doesn't just fall on the People Ops team to brand and sell the ‘employee experience.’ Every individual owns it, and collectively we all make it a remarkable experience.
Suchada
Everyone at Help Scout, one way or the other, has been so incredible to work with. From people I interact with every day to people who I just answer a quick question for — everyone is friendly, approachable, and eager to help. There are a lot of smart, kind, and humble people here who definitely push you to level up while being so willing to help and eager to learn from you, too!
Will
You know that feeling of ‘clicking’ with a person? When you just know that you're going to get along? Well, I ‘clicked’ with Help Scout. I checked out the blog, and I saw so many things to like: I liked that they're a certified B Corp; I liked the culture that they showcased; I liked that they're remote and are committed to it; I liked their approach to compensation; I liked the people who I got to interact with during the interview process. So, saying yes to Help Scout was a no-brainer, really.
Alicia
I've never worked with a more empathetic and talented group of people. It's exciting to start work every day and know that you're going to learn something new. In addition to growing my skill set for my role, my personal growth and development have been a priority. There is an amazing level of vulnerability shown, especially from the top down. It allows there to be trust, transparency, and room for growth and change. Help Scout truly wants everyone to feel comfortable, safe, and able to be their authentic self at work.
Mary
Even after two-and-a-half years, I still find myself surprised at just how kind, helpful, and talented everyone at the company is. It's clear that leadership makes decisions with employees in mind. People are trusted to do their work without someone looking over their shoulders, and a tremendous amount of thought and effort goes into building a diverse and inclusive culture.
Jessica
First and foremost, I love the people I work with at Help Scout. I've never worked with such a wonderful group of humans, and I'm constantly reminded of how amazing our folks are. While the company works hard to offer a supportive culture all the way around, the people here make that happen every day in so many little ways.
Melanie
It's apparent how Help Scout screens for people who are values aligned. The team I work with are some of the kindest, most warm-hearted folks I've ever met, and I love getting to interact with them.
Chrissy
The people. Everyone here is super talented and open and supportive. It's a rare thing.
Jesse
I love working with people who are great at what they do but humble enough to approach things with a beginner's mind.
Javier
2. Being values-first is not lip service
So many companies spend bags of money trying to create splashy “About Us” pages that lead candidates to believe they put people first and are mission driven. But actually delivering on that promise takes more than just design talent and fresh copywriting. At Help Scout, we put our money where our mouth is several years ago by becoming a certified B Corp, which involves a rigorous, months-long process to receive a special designation proving your business actually balances profit with purpose.
We’ve also invested our energy, time, and resources to make sure diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just sound bites. We were one of the first tech companies to conduct an internal demographic and inclusion survey and publish the data along with a detailed blog post outlining the results. We’re grateful to have a team, from our executive level to individual contributors, that feels so invested in DEI:
I chose Help Scout because of the care for broader impact in the world. Tech tends to focus on hyper growth and a rich exit, benefiting a select few and not really giving back to the world in a real way. Help Scout has a high-quality product that is focused on helping people and their businesses — and doing that in a way that helps the broader world. Product, People, Purpose.
Kelly
What really drew me in was that Help Scout is a people-first company that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additionally, I was also super impressed that Help Scout is a certified B Corporation that has also committed to corporate philanthropy via Pledge 1%.
Tamara
I love working at Help Scout because the founders built a company based on values I can be proud of every day; I can be myself at work and not feel judged; I trust my teammates and can be vulnerable with them; and because no matter how challenging things may get, I end every single Zoom call with my boss feeling uplifted and with a smile on my face.
Jenny
The values! Help Scout is very aligned with my personal values. I was amazed to find a tech company that was also a certified B Corp. The transparency at Help Scout is also super refreshing. Everything from a transparent salary formula, to a public DEI dashboard, to just having the interview process laid out for candidates. This is a place where I could see myself growing, making an impact, and feeling good about what I was doing every day.
Mary
I love that everything is transparent and the company values are REAL. I've never worked with such nice people in my entire life. I've never felt so lucky to work for a company and I've never cared so much for the company I'm working for.
Katia
Help Scout's values and human-centric approach to customer support was a huge draw for me. Those things are still true for me today, which is incredible! I truly think that we walk the walk when it comes to caring for the team and our customers and growing the business in a thoughtful, values-aligned way.
Elyse
3. Bring your authentic self to work
When we spend more time at work than we do with our friends and families, it feels even more important that we are able to show up in ways that feel true to who we are. From day one, we’ve wanted Help Scout to be the kind of company where our teammates are able to do their best work and feel proud, but we also understand that not every day will be our best day. Our managers understand this and strive to create a culture of psychological safety that allows our team to feel included, valued, and supported throughout the ups and downs of one’s journey at Help Scout.
I love that there is a culture of kindness, respect, and mutual trust between team members such that it's okay both to make mistakes and to ask for help. It's okay to be human at Help Scout, and it's encouraged because we all learn more and get better at our jobs when we recognize our limitations and help each other grow. I truly appreciate that there is also space held for team members to say, "I just can't do this today," and take a break. It's lovely to feel like my mental and physical well-being is valued right alongside my ability to do a good job.
Sarah
We are seen and valued as real, dignified human beings at Help Scout. For the five years I've been here, it has always been emphasized to me by everyone — from my coaches to the founders and People Ops — that my home life and health come first and foremost. I'm trusted to do excellent work, and I’m given the flexibility to do so around the priorities in my real life. This means I've been able to pursue career growth in the areas I'm interested in and strike a work/life balance that feels right for me as a working parent.
Kristi
I love being able to be my full self at work and being appreciated for it! I also love my relationship with both my manager and direct reports — and the way Help Scout supports my growth as a person, manager, and employee.
Hillary
DEI is very important to me, especially as a recruiter, and I'm personally motivated by it. Seeing the public DEI dashboard and how the team spoke so passionately about DEI made me realize that Help Scout is all in and makes efforts to constantly improve all parts of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Will
I love the benefits Help Scout brings when becoming a parent. When I had my kid back in 2020, the pandemic was just starting and everything was uncertain, so having the time off to be with my wife and kid and learn and just take care of the family was great. I'm always going to be thankful for Help Scout for providing that time.
Juan
I can confidently say that I love being able to bring my full self to work. I have a few disabilities and never once have I been judged on the quality of work I produce. The work/life balance is top notch, and I have had such incredible support from every coach I've worked with. I'm incredibly grateful I was at Help Scout during the start of the pandemic as I don't think I could have handled the stress anywhere else. The support I've received has been nothing less than top tier and I look forward to every year with Help Scout!
Malika
I have to mention the language around DEI was the most real talk I had come across in my journey. The DEI Dashboard was really well put together and to me it felt like Help Scout was years beyond its fellow SaaS companies in terms of its commitment to the cause because it's the right thing to do, not because of business imperative.
Myrt
4. We really care about making a great product
Our co-founders set out to build customer messaging tools that were actually easy to use, human centered, and customer focused. Over a decade later, that mission remains true and is infused throughout the company.
[I love] the fact that we aren't about doing things fast, but rather doing them right.
Chris
I love that I get to help build an ethical product in a sustainable way with some of the most fantastic people I've ever met!
Nickolas
I love being able to contribute with more than code. Closely collaborating with Product to understand how we can create the most value for our customers is super exciting.”
Leonardo
We collectively strive to find the best experience possible for our customers.
Janie
I was a Help Scout user years before I ever applied for a job here. The ease of use and the top-notch blog content about building great teams and delivering stellar customer service made it clear that this was a company that was deeply invested in doing right by its employees and its customers.
Annabelle
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5. We trust you
Alongside excellence and helpfulness, ownership is one of the top three values at Help Scout. We believe that to create a work environment where people thrive, they need to be given ownership over their areas of expertise and feel empowered to do great work, take risks, and be accountable for results. Part of ownership means there’s no micromanagement — our teammates get their work done on a schedule that works for them and their teammates, providing flexibility and autonomy.
I love the freedom Help Scout gives me and the trust my managers have in my ability to always get my work done on a schedule that matches up with my interests outside of work.
Anthony
I really appreciate the trust I feel from my coach and from everyone within the company, which allows for autonomy and an incredible level of work/life integration.
Diana
[I appreciate] the opportunity to have more ownership over the vision and mission part of the product and pour gas on the fire in terms of adoption and customer value.
Christine
Help Scout truly walks the walk when it comes to work/life balance. It's impossible to overstate the effect that not being constantly stressed about work has had on my life overall. Until I came here I hadn't realized how much of a shadow that had cast on everything in my life.
Melanie
6. We’ve been a remote-first company since day one
With the rise of remote work since the pandemic, it has become very clear when a company tries to “go remote” without the intention and thoughtfulness it requires. Help Scout has been a remote company since day one — over 11 years ago — which means we deeply understand what it takes to make a global company without an office thrive. Working at Help Scout is a truly different and refreshing experience.
After the onset of the pandemic, so many companies cobbled together some remote structure, but Help Scout has been way ahead of the game, and it has a solid infrastructure to support a remote-first culture. The flexibility, support, transparency, and empowerment that Help Scout gives its employees is like something I've never seen before. Help Scout’s benefits are very intentional: flexible vacation and schedules, sabbatical, and the “learn something” and home office setup stipends all show how Help Scout values its employees and sets you up for success from your first day.
Will
What it really boils down to is the culture. Help Scout is a remote-first company that truly understands how to do remote work the right way. There is an incredible amount of trust that allows you to work in a way that makes sense for you. The culture is centered around being human first and allows there to be a great work/life blend. Help Scout does an amazing job fostering relationship building and collaboration in a remote environment — but also understands the value of in-person time and prioritizes in-person retreats. Supporting mental health and avoiding burnout is something that the company takes seriously.
Mary
The remote environment has been thoughtfully designed to prioritize employee well-being — that approach wasn’t an adaptive reaction to the pandemic like many other companies. Employee well-being and quality of life consistently shine through as top priorities.
Ken
Love your work and your workplace
When searching for a new role, many companies and their job descriptions will promise you all kinds of things that are hard to verify as a job seeker on the outside. Considering a career move involves a lot of risk and uncertainty, so it’s understandable you’d want to have as much insight about working at a company as you can to help make an educated decision. Hopefully, if you’re considering an open role at Help Scout, we’ve made that choice even easier for you!
Leah Knobler
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