How To Build a Company Where People Actually Want to Work w/ Odoonosaurs

Emy: 0:01

Each department has his own way of working, but at the end the spirit is the same. It's the Odoo spirit. We are all part of the Odoo community. It's like a big ecosystem. I would say we all go in the same way.

Gregory: 0:13

It's okay to fail. We prefer people that try something, even if it's not perfect. But at least we try. We see and we improve the next time, and we know what we should not do, and maybe discover a new way of working that can, I can say, disrupt the market and the way of doing things.

Emy: 0:28

You have to act like it was your own company, I would say. And what decision would you make? If you want to evolve, it's possible. Just take the opportunities. If you don't want to evolve, it's okay as well. You do like you want.

Michaël: 0:43

Welcome Odooers. In today's episode, I'm thrilled to share the microphone with a select group of our favorite Odoonosaurs. Those who have dedicated several years to shaping Odoo success. Together, we'll delve into a topic close to our hearts how we managed to craft an organization that not only attracts, but retains top talents. By being a place where people genuinely aspire to work. It might sound a little cheesy, but believe us, it's true. Ready to meet them? Then? Let's go.

Olivier: 1:12

Hi, everyone. Hi. Hi. Today it's a special episode again with a lot of people. I've had a lot of a bunch of episodes like that in the last. I don't know, it's. It must be the trend of the moment. And today we're here to discuss a bit the inside of Odoo from a human perspective. I suggest you guys start introducing yourself. Maybe first, it will be good for people to know who you are because we come from very different places in the company, right. So, Emy, you go first.

Emy: 1:38

Yes of course. So, um, my name is Emy and I've been working at Odoo for six years now. Um, and I work in the human resources department, and I'm recruiter.

Olivier: 1:51

Michaël.

Michaël: 1:51

Uh, yeah. I'm Michaël. I've been working for ten years.

Olivier: 1:53

Michaël. Today. Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm Oliver. Nice to meet you.

Gregory: 1:56

Nice meeting you. I've been working at Odoo now for ten years, so I've been granted a special status of Odoonosaur by by Greg here. Um, and I started as a functional consultant in farm one, uh, with, uh, back then, all the R&D services, marketing and, uh, and finance team back then. And I had the opportunity to do a, I would say the different roles of a consultant, uh, in the company working with SMEs, large accounts, partner network, uh, and I finally specialized into supply chain implementations, which actually led me at some point to, uh, to launch the expertise team at Odoo. So now I've been, uh, the manager of that team for four years now, and it's been a great ride so far.

Olivier: 2:37

Cool. Last but not least, Greg.

Gregory: 2:40

Yeah. So my name is Greg, so I'm one of the Odoonosaur at Odoo. So I joined Open ERP 13 years ago as an intern, uh, at the moment. And uh, then I joined the team as a BA and then moving to project management and now leading the the team, uh, implementing the large project at Odoo.

Olivier: 2:57

Um hum. Okay. So let's start, uh, getting right into the subject. Uh, so what would you say? So I told you, you know, we we used to say we have a specific culture because people actually like to work in our company. Uh, it's easy to say, I know, but, uh, you know, Fabien in the first episode say that I remember that quote, uh, every company says that, but here it's true. So I'm going to quote Fabien, it's always nice to start the episode with something like that. What would you say are the key points for such a company? Actually, how do you do that? Uh, what what is, in your opinion, the things that are the most important in, uh, building this sphere in the company? And is it first maybe different by departments because we come from different places again. So do you think there is a difference from, um, R&D to, to uh, HR to, to, to consultants? What's, what's going on?

Emy: 3:44

I think that each department has his own way of working, but at the end the spirit is the same. It's the Odoo spirit. We are all part of the Odoo community. It's like a big ecosystem, I would say. And, uh, we all go in the same way. I think something first really important is the fact that we have a lot of autonomy. Uh, we trust the employees, so they have the opportunity to have a lot of, uh, yes, responsibilities and take initiatives. And that's something really, really important at Odoo.

Olivier: 4:15

I agree, uh, from, from an R&D perspective, and I, I don't know if it's like that for consultants, but it probably is.

So you guys will confirm, uh, from an R&D perspective, there is that thing, you know, you become the expert, so you do something, you're, uh, you need to do that: 4:22

you! It's going to be for you. And you will become the expert eventually for for that thing. And I think it's very specific because you've been there for a few months and poof, you get your you get your first big task. And it is interesting and it is rewarding, but it puts also the employees in a sphere where there is like a constant challenge. And, and, you know, uh, this final reward of having made something that actually will matter at the end, it's like that for you as well.

Michaël: 4:54

Yeah. I think it's the same in the in the consulting team. Uh, we give a lot of autonomy to the new joiners. We give them their first project after a few weeks, uh, which definitely means that they are facing quite quickly a new challenges. And as we say at Odoo, we believe that you grow faster than in any other company because you've been given the autonomy and the responsibility to actually, uh, uh, do things that matter and also that, uh, are important for our customers and the company. So definitely I think, uh, we do the same also in the consulting team.

Olivier: 5:22

Mhm. Mhm. Also something that I find very interesting and that goes with this idea is the way we interact with each other. So especially like more, more, well older people audiosource uh how they, how they will interact with more recent people and how they will discuss about the work and how it will just, uh, you know, it's not because you're an old guy in the company that the newbie cannot come and tell you. I think you're very wrong. And maybe in a less polite way, uh, sometimes, uh, and I think it's also, uh, something very unique that is part of that way of working. Right? Yeah.

Emy: 5:59

I think at Odoo, it's okay to disagree. Basically, even if with the top managers.

Olivier: 6:04

Yeah. Often.

Emy: 6:05

Yeah. Very often. Yeah. And that's a really cool actually. Yeah. And you have no choice then to evolve at Odoo, basically.

Gregory: 6:13

Yeah, we put no barrier between I can see the newcomers and the the top management. We push people to interact with anyone, uh, to do, to express what they feel, how we should work, then, uh, the next day, the next weeks, and how we can improve everything. So we want to put responsibility and again, autonomy on the newcomers so they can find their spot at Odoo and bring their value and what they can bring to Odoo to make Odoo a better company.

Olivier: 6:40

But isn't it sometimes a bit, I know, uh, error prone because people will fail. Well, do mistakes, uh, what happens then?

Gregory: 6:49

But it's one of our core values is that it's okay to fail. We prefer people that try something, even if it's wrong or not perfect. But at least we try. We see and we improve the next time, and we know what we should not do and maybe discover new way of working that can, I can say, a disrupt a bit the market and the way of doing things.

Olivier: 7:10

Mhm, mhm. And it's nice because indeed, as you say actually it will bring new ideas faster. Uh, and it will also avoid, I think having uh, you know, this, this old ideas that were, were like decided carved in stones years ago and we decided it's like that, it's going to stay like that forever. And if you want to change that, you can only if you're one of the old guys. And that is also very interesting because often it will stay like that for because, you know, things were made for a reason and you have a newbie coming with something and you like as an old guy, you're like, no, okay, you're right. It would be nice to simplify that, but it's not it's not possible because of this, that, that, that, that. But what often happens as well is that you will realize that actually maybe something can be changed that you didn't think about because you decided that it was impossible years ago and, well, you didn't think about it again. Um, uh, about now, maybe the the way the career will evolve, how does it how does it work in such an ecosystem? Because, uh, well, basically what we said here is if we summarize it, people will do a lot of things in different directions and they will evolve, but it's not very strict, right?

Emy: 8:16

Yeah. No, I would say there is no specific, um, career path for the employee. Um, each employee has the opportunity to do a lot of things and to evolve, uh, how he or she wants. Um, he will just pick the opportunity and do something else. Uh, I would say there are different ways to evolve. Uh, basically, you can evolve, like, have more a team leader position and do some people management. You can also evolve more to extend your knowledge. Uh, go in another team, in another department, do something really different. I have, for example, a colleague in a recruitment that, uh, that has been a business analyst after. So there is no specific, uh, career path. And you can also evolve, uh, internationally and go to another office of Odoo. So there are a lot of different ways, uh, to evolve. Yeah.

Olivier: 9:10

Okay. Um, from, uh, human resources point of view now, uh, what would you say then are the challenges to manage, uh, like the evolution of the employees and manage their expectations? Maybe explain that, because I think, well, maybe I'm wrong because I didn't work in a lot of companies before of Odoo. Actually none. So not a lot at all. It's not typical. Do people understand that easily? How much do you need to to explain that to them when you recruit them?

Emy: 9:36

I would say that, uh, it's something that you feel when you are at Odoo. You quickly realize that there are a lot of opportunities around you, and that you don't have to follow something specific to evolve. Uh, like, for example, you will quickly realize that your manager is only like, uh, 25 years old. I don't know, but you realize that everything is possible and that you yes, you can do a lot of different things. I think that from the first day that an employee is in the company, there is like a presentation from HR. And we say that we say if you want to evolve, it's possible. Just take the opportunities. Uh, if you don't want to evolve, it's okay as well. If you don't want to become a manager, you don't want to have too many responsibilities. It's okay as well. You do like you want.

Olivier: 10:24

Actually, I think it's important because indeed you you will need anyway specialists that are really focused on one thing, and you will need people that have touched a bit everything and are very good at everything, but not specialists of of anything. You need both. Uh, I think in a company, especially when the product is as complex as Odoo is.

Michaël: 10:43

And I think one thing that is good about Odoo is the fact that, uh, at the evolution level, we value, uh, both directions. I would say, uh, whether you become a specialist or whether you go for people management. And I think that's definitely a good thing that we should maintain at Odoo. It's the fact that, uh, it's not only about, uh, moving up the ladder in the hierarchy. Uh, it's okay also to become a specialist. And we also value that, that direction. So I think this is something definitely to, to maintain, uh, in my opinion.

Olivier: 11:10

Sure. So what's your your own story from that perspective? So what is what were your expectations when you when you guys entered entered Odoo. Did you did you expect to work in this kind of environment? So were you aware that it worked like that or did you like discover it on spot?

Michaël: 11:24

Personally, I discovered it. I didn't have like a clear expectations. I knew I was entering a startup that raised like 10 million back then, and, uh, it probably would become a big story. You came for the money? Yeah. No, no, no, that's a good reason as well. Huh? Uh, so I really thought that it would become like something, uh, in the Walloon ecosystem at least. Uh, but it was hard to imagine. Oh, it was working, uh, from from the outside. It's living it. That made me realize I would, I would say the worth of of being at Odoo. And, uh, what matters the most for me, it's the fact that I always had, like, learning experiences all along. The fact that I've been given also challenges all the time and that, um, I could always see new activities in my daily work and things were moving. Actually, we are in a company where where the growth is there and where new things are happening every year. We were discussing that, and I think it's, uh, it's really something interesting because it means that every year you are doing doing different things and you never get bored. Actually, that's the the biggest thing about Odoo you'll never get bored by by entering in the company.

Olivier: 12:28

Sure. And I think when you've been there for such a long time as you have, you've seen multiple like ages in Odoo story, right? You are talking about someone. It was it was a different time. Uh, it was really I think it's very interesting, uh, from your career perspective, that you can tell yourself, okay, I'm still in the same company, and even if you're still doing the same job, for example, me, I'm doing the same job as before. The same job. The officially on my contract is written the same job as before, but a lot of things have changed around it. The whole environment is totally different and I cannot say where I will be in five years, but I know that I will be within Odoo that is that is like 100% sure. But, um, yeah, I think it's nice to see things moving around you like that, right? I don't know, uh, what other story?

Emy: 13:15

Maybe. Maybe I'm another example of how we can also evolve at Odoo. So when I started six years ago, I just wanted to find, like, just a job outside of Brussels in Namur. Uh, I had no knowledge in it at all. I didn't know what ERP was meaning, neither open source, nothing. But then, yeah, six years later, now I'm still here. So. And I cannot imagine to work somewhere else. And as you, uh. Um. Olivier, uh, I think that in five years I will still be at Odoo. Um, and my example is that I'm not a manager. Uh, because it's not my expectations. I don't want to become a manager, but it's okay as well. I have a lot of responsibilities, but I don't do any people management, and it's okay that way. I have responsibilities in event management, in project management, um, I'm also training newbies and so on. So I do a lot of things and I have many responsibilities. I enjoy my job, but I'm not a manager and it's fine that way.

Olivier: 14:17

Yeah, I agree, uh, I think you can be important without managing people. It's that's the whole point. Uh uh, but maybe one, one last story about the way you entered it because you have a special one, like. Right.

Gregory: 14:28

Yeah, I have a special one because here, when I joined the company 13 years ago, I was just a student looking for an internship because I need it, uh, from my university. I never heard about open ERP at this time. And then I simply apply. And at an interview with Fabian, who? And his first question was, okay, what do you want to do? What you're looking for and say, okay, I don't know, what can you offer? And then I decided to to go for business analyst and after like maybe 1 or 1 month, I think I was sent to my first mission alone as a senior, uh, senior accountant expert to a bit save the Olympic game. Uh, here where we had some, uh, some issues and we had to troubleshoot a bit in implementation. And at the end, it was a success. And we, I would say saved the Olympic game, uh, back then. Thank you. Know, it's, uh, that's what I liked, uh, at this time that, uh, even if I was like, a simple intern, uh, I Odoo I, I had real responsibility. I was not responsible of making photocopy or bringing coffees. I was handling a project like any other ba. Uh, at this time, we were only three bas, uh, at this moment. So. So, yeah, that's what I liked. And why I'm still there, here, there. Because I still continue to get more and more responsibility and more, uh, autonomy in my day to day job.

Olivier: 15:48

Mhm, mhm. Talking about the day to day job. Uh let's talk a bit about the, the balance between the work and your private life. Uh, so is the balance good at Odoo. And how do we ensure that it stays like that.

Emy: 16:03

I think that most of the teams we have like flexible hours. So it means. That if I have to leave a bit earlier, it's okay. Um, I know that my manager, trust me, and I can just do an extra hour tomorrow. For example. Uh, we also have homeworking. It's really comfortable. Um, um, and I would say that, yes, we we feel that, uh, our manager trusts us. So it means that we also want to give it back. I would say so. So yeah. Mhm.

Olivier: 16:35

Mhm. Uh I think yeah. You, you feel more responsible of doing the job because it's not uh oh I need to do it because that's the mechanism of the thing. No, I need to do it because. Because it needs to be done. And if I don't do it, nothing will happen. So it's just, yeah, you make it something personal, actually, because of this kind of system. And I think it's really adding something as well. Yeah. Um, maybe also the way we can take days off. Right. Uh, it's also very like, like very, very comfortable when I talk with my friends, sometimes they're like, oh, I need to know which day I will be off. Uh, in, in, in like three months, four months or at the beginning of the year for the whole year. And you're like, wow. Because for us, it's not like that at all. It's like, uh, if like, uh, maybe not today. Maybe like tomorrow, I want to take the day off. I can just do it now. And it's fine with the company policy. And I think it's very, very important as well because again, people feel more, more free actually. Um, and yeah, you don't want to feel like you're in prison when at work. And so these kind of things I think is really important. Yeah.

Emy: 17:40

At the end what is important is that you do a good job, and if you don't feel good on a specific day, then just take your day off and you will work better tomorrow. Uh, if you work on that day, maybe you will not be efficient at all. So it's I mean, it's quite logic at the end.

Michaël: 17:57

And again, it's about balancing, I would say the, the freedom that you receive with the responsibility. So for instance, for us in the consulting department, it's important people can take their holidays whenever they want. But it's important for us, of course, that they do it, uh, while thinking about their customer. If they have a proper backup, if they are not in a in a difficult period to actually take their holidays. But if they, I would say, uh, did the right thing and made sure that they have the backup, then they can definitely take their holidays without our approval. It's perfectly fine. They have the freedom to, I would say, organize their year as they would like it to be.

Olivier: 18:29

Um, so depending on the department, of course, you can sometimes not be 100% flexible because there are constraints outside. Uh, when we were preparing the episode, I was also talking about support. Uh, that's also a very good example. If all of support takes, uh, holidays at the same from the same month in the year, then it's over, then it's just over because nobody will get any help on any issue that would arise in Odoo in that period. And that's just not an option. So of course they need to organize themselves a little more so that they are sure that there is always someone left to handle the thing. But still, as you said, uh, as long as people are responsible regarding to their, uh, responsibilities, that's no problem.

Emy: 19:09

Yeah. And it makes me think about another value is like, we act like a good father. So it's a good sense. So of course, I will not go on holidays if all my colleagues are not here at the office. Of course. It's like just you have to act like it was your own company, I would say. And what decision would you make? And you act that way? Actually.

Olivier: 19:31

Something interesting that Anthony, uh, often says about the way R&D is organized. But I think we can transpose that to like, the whole company. Is that the division between teams, uh, you know, each team works in its specific way, and each team is like a small startup, actually. Uh, and so that's, that's the idea, actually, you have to act like your thing is an individual company and you're responsible for, for for it. Well, actually, it's not really the case, but it's cool. Um, uh, okay. So even though we have plenty of reasons for people to enjoy being at Odoo and stay some people some time left right, crazy.

Emy: 20:07

Sometimes I don't know why.

Olivier: 20:09

Leave leave companies. That's that's amazing. It's okay. Uh, and so what about the turnover? What can you tell us? Uh, so why do people leave Odoo?

Emy: 20:18

Yeah. So, of course, we try to track, uh, why people are leaving. So, um, I would say that a large part of the people that are leaving Odoo, um, they want to do something totally different. Like, they want to, um, cultivate a potatoes or do some cheese in France or. I don't know. Yeah. Yes. It's a true story. Yeah. So something totally different. And we also have a large part of the people they usually stay in the Odoo community. So they go, uh, they are working for maybe like a partner themselves. They want to become independent. Uh, also, um, they are going in another Odoo office somewhere around the world. So they stay in the Odoo community and something really fun is that, um, a large part of the people leaving Odoo, I think that is like 30% of them. They usually come back after between 1 and 2 years. Uh, because I think that we have a lot of young people at Odoo. It's their first job. It they don't really realize the, the change that they have to work at Odoo. So they go somewhere else thinking, oh, it will be better because of this or that. And then after just one year they come back like, oh, I'm really sorry. It was so, so, so good at Odoo sorry for that.

Olivier: 21:36

And anyway, because we are praising a lot, uh Odoo in the episode here, but I think it's perfectly fine to say that not everything is always perfect because it's an organization like any other organization. And so there are a lot of very nice things. And sometimes there are things that are a bit frustrating and, and that don't work so well because of other choices that have advantages.

Emy: 21:56

And so for, for example, the fact that we have a lot of responsibilities and autonomy, some people, they prefer to have someone that will tell them what they have to do and how. Uh, and it's okay. It's just a different way of working. Uh, here at Odoo, you don't have someone behind you telling you what you have to do and how. So it means that you have to take initiatives and ask questions to the others. And it's it's okay if you don't like that. Some people are living for that as well.

Olivier: 22:23

Sure. And I think that the, the feedback, for example, is also something, something that sometimes is a bit complicated to get because, uh, as people are doing many different things, uh, it's not always easy. And, you know, we're doing that in a very natural and very organic way. And so when everything goes fine, you don't always have to have the reflex to come to the guy and say, you know what? Good job. Uh, and, and some people are sometimes a bit frustrated about that. So we try to change that and to just tell them when it's, it's really nice. But, uh, I think those people might sometimes just decide, okay, I would like something more, more standard with, uh, you know, every, every month and appraisal something, uh, or an interview with my boss telling me, oh, you know, a good job. And, and that is also something that, uh, uh, they might regret. Actually, I think in after some, some years, months, I don't know, because it's more natural like this. I think, uh, you know, it feels like a bit of a family. You don't always say, you know, you don't always say thank you to your family because it's your family. Of course you're you're you're grateful. It's it's it's part of the deal. So I think it's a bit like that, actually. I think it's true. We kind of always want to do better.

Michaël: 23:34

Um, and so we can be sometimes, uh, a bit critical, uh, of the work of people because we want them to evolve. Uh, but that's always in, I would say, in a, in a good way, because that's always what we are looking for. It's doing better doing new things. And sometimes it can be, I would say, tough for some people to, to get that direct feedback from, from us. Uh, but that's all we have always been working and, uh, we think that it's for the good of people, actually. But, uh, to be a bit more thankful from time to time. It's true that, uh, it's also a good thing.

Olivier: 24:03

But I think it's okay because it comes with a very natural way of communicating. And so it has very good points everywhere. And just making everything more, more strict and having rules for everything will not solve that. But some people might, might think it can. It could have this effect. And those people will will realize that they're wrong. I think in the future when they try another company, uh, it's just my opinion. But I believe that also. Yeah, for people, you mentioned it. Uh, Emy, uh, for for people with a very precise idea of how they career must evolve and, and very attached to the title of their job, maybe our way of working is not for them, I guess.

Emy: 24:42

I don't think so. Um, yes. As I told you before, there are no specific career paths at Odoo. Um, and we don't really care about the title and so on. Um, so, yeah, I don't know what you think. Do you have sometimes this, uh, this problem, I would say in your team or not, not that much.

Gregory: 25:01

Sometimes people wants to know where they will be in like two, three, four years. And then we say, we cannot tell you anything because Odoo is moving like really fast, trying to improve everything that can be improved, like disrupt any market, enter a new market, open a new office, uh, launch new businesses, etc. so we cannot really tell people where we're going to be in two years, three years, four years. Of course we have the direction, but we cannot tell. Okay, today this is the plan for you for two years and you will end up in that position because here, as Emy said, it's up to them to find their way of growing inside the company and find the opportunity to grow and gain some new responsibility. So that can be a bit sometime frustrating for them, where the people sometimes look for, I would say, stability in their day to day job and a classic, uh, path where Odoo is just like trying to move as fast as possible and try to, uh, to grow. Uh.

Olivier: 25:58

Yeah. You will not know everything in advance. You don't you don't know what you will have to do in two years, and maybe in two years what your, your main focus will be. Uh, and that's again something that can, you know, refrain some people from applying, but that's also something that would encourage other people to come because I mean, it's it's way less predictable and it's way more dynamic like that. Yes.

Emy: 26:18

And about that, Olivier. Sorry. Um, I had a candidate on the phone today, uh, for a marketing position.

Olivier: 26:25

Fresh anecdote.

Emy: 26:26

Yeah. And she asked me, uh, where can I be in five years at Odoo in marketing. It was for the influencer marketing position. And I was like, to be honest, I've been here for six years, and I would not have imagined to be here today with 1005 hundred employees in Belgium. So I had. I have no idea. But to be honest, if you come to Odoo, it will be amazing and it will be really exciting for you. I'm pretty sure because Odoo in five years I think it will be even better than now.

Olivier: 26:56

I agree. Um, now we've talked about the the inside of the company. Let's talk a bit about the product. Like that's like the advert and see page of the episode. It will not be too long I promise, because I think the tool uh, itself. So the tool with which you, you're managing your work might also make a difference in how your employees feel about their job. Right. So you had an example with that in recruitment. So we are using Odoo at Odoo. That's a scoop. Yeah. Crazy crazy crazy. Uh and so. What is your experience with Odoo as a tool?

Emy: 27:30

Um, so I used to work in another company and I had to screen a lot of CVS every day. It was like about maybe to sort a hundred CVS per day. It was like three hours. Um, today with Odoo, it's less than 30 minutes. So it's really, really amazing. Um, and not only about that. For example, uh, when I use Odoo for recruitment, then there is a link directly with employee, with payroll, with the fleet for the car. Everything is linked to each other. So it's really, really easy. And so that now I can focus on really interesting, uh, task. And I have really interesting project. Administrative tasks are still there, but it's really, really small. So yeah.

Olivier: 28:17

Um, indeed, I remember I like a few months ago, I, I showed Odoo to one of my old friends, uh, and so he's working in the pharmaceutical industry, and, uh, I won't give any company name. I don't remember it. Anyway, he was amazed to see that every all those things were done in the same place, actually, because, uh, about about the integration, because, uh, he was used to having, like, multiple applications, you had to log in with different credentials and so on and different ways of working. And, and every time it's, it's an effort for, for the employee to just go to the right thing, do the right thing at the right operation. You need to know the name of the platform and all that here. It's just way more simple than that. You open Odoo and everything is in there, and it's made in the same way because it's made by the same company. And so of course, the spirit behind the software is the same. And I think, of course, it's not something that will change your life fundamentally, but it's something that will add an extra layer of comfort as an employee. And I think it's it can also make a difference. It's part of the whole experience. I think, um.

Gregory: 29:16

You know, the, the integration between all the applications is quite nice because I don't have to copy paste value from one application to another or to compile two systems into a third one to get, uh, something out of it. So everything is in Odoo and I can simply click to find, okay, who is in all holiday, who is a plan to do to work on a, on a project, who is doing what, etc. so in one single place. And I don't need to ask many people to tell me, uh, a status of some about something, because everything is in one single place where all the access, uh, are granted depending on the on your profile, of course. But then you can find everything you need to do your your job, uh, in one single place.

Olivier: 29:53

Also, you were mentioning project, so we're not the only ones doing that, but we're the only ones integrating it with everything like that. Keep that in mind. And project I think is also a very, very, very nice tool because, you know, the moment you start organizing your projects, whatever they are. So for me, it was a lot of development, but not only, uh, with that kind of methodologies or scrum board with the little, the little, uh, cards and all that, it just changes everything because you, you have a way, way better view of what is going on in your project of what is coming. And you don't need, you know, to have that, that, that mental load all the time to be like, okay, then I will need to do that. Then the, the flow will be that there is that task. That depends on that. But I shouldn't forget this as well. And everything, if it's done well, is in the project directly and it's visible. And that's very, very interesting to have a tool like that. I think as well.

Michaël: 30:43

The good thing about that is that we have a common way to manage the different projects. So we not only do that with our customers, but we also do apply it, I would say, for internal, uh, projects itself. So that's also the interesting thing about it. Uh, we've, I would say recruitment that works exactly the, the same way in the end with the cards.

Olivier: 30:59

Okay. So that was for the little advertisement. Uh, we are getting close to the end of the episode. Uh, I suggest we start the conclusion with maybe a few, a few traditions that we have to do that we could, you know, talk about. And just just to finish, you know, on a high note on the on the kind of sphere that is, uh, within the company, if you had to point, like, one cultural habit, I don't know how you call it to call that some one tradition that we have within the company, and that really brings something or shows the spirit of the company or the the our values, our culture. What would it be?

Michaël: 31:37

For me, it would be definitely Odoo experience.

Olivier: 31:39

That was the obvious one.

Michaël: 31:40

Yeah, it's the easy one, the obvious one. But, uh, we all like it. I think the fact that everyone participates to it that we show, uh, all great Odoo is and all great the employees are, uh, we we said that, uh, but we are helping the partners coming at the show. We are helping the community. So it's a really great. And I think also for the employees, it's really a tradition because of course, we we party and it's it's fun. Uh, but, uh, besides that, I think they really realize, I would say the, the size of the community and the importance of Odoo that Odoo has, I would say in the, the lives of the partners and the community. So it's really, uh, gives you a sense of purpose every year, in my opinion, to, to go to the, to the other experience.

Olivier: 32:19

And what a coincidence. There was an episode of the podcast about the Odoo experience. Uh, it was one of the first ones. So go listen to it. But I agree with you. Uh, and I think as a developer, it's also. So of course the party side is, is, is is very nice. But I think it's, it's clearly important to, to to have people understand that it's a bit for me it's a bit like, like Christmas at work, you know, it's, it's it's really you have this moment of the year where for a few days you will meet tons of people that are interested in what you did and that, uh, will just be happy to meet you and discuss about the things you work on all year, all year long and for for people in R&D. I think it's very important because we don't have contact with customers the rest of the years of the year. And so that's really the moment where you have that. Uh, so yeah, I really enjoy Odoo experience. Um, okay. So also something that we, we host at Odoo experience, but that we do also at multiple moments throughout the year within the company are the AMA sessions. So what is that, Emy, could you tell us?

Emy: 33:21

Uh, it's ask me anything.

Olivier: 33:23

Uh, thank you. Because I couldn't manage to pronounce that. That was like the third take, but people didn't hear that. I'm sorry to to spoil that. Go on. Yeah.

Emy: 33:31

So what is the AMA? Basically? Um, it's a moment where the employees can ask any type of questions anonymously, uh, to the manager or to the team leader and so on. And so it means that, yeah, you can ask anything. So it's a really transparent. And the transparency is really, really important as well at Odoo.

Olivier: 33:50

So and I think it's a good illustration of what we were saying at the beginning of the episode, actually, about the management being very, very open to discuss about pretty much everything and, and with pretty much anyone. And so, yeah, that's a very good example actually. So that I think that's also why it's, uh, it's showing so much about the culture of Odoo. Okay, let's, let's finish on the, on on, on final word, on a, on a funny tone, let's say, uh, if you had to select to choose one mascot for, for Odoo, what would it be?

Gregory: 34:22

Personally, I would go for hand because it was the first, uh, I would say mascot and uh, an anecdote. Uh, I heard what, uh, when I joined the Open Europe at this point is that Fabian wants to get, like, someone dressed as a hand. And just for that year.

Olivier: 34:38

For next Odoo experience. We can count on you for that.

Gregory: 34:40

I can be volunteer for that.

Olivier: 34:42

Fabien I hope you heard that.

Gregory: 34:44

Because I really want to see that that I in real life to to see someone, uh, these guys and uh, as an end promoting Open Europe or Odoo now, uh, during the Odoo experience.

Olivier: 34:55

The highway station or something. That would be amazing. Exactly. We've got something. Uh, uh, okay. What about you, uh, Ananth as well or.

Emy: 35:03

Um, no, on my side I would go for the unicorn. Uh, unicorn. Because it's powerful. It's magic, it's beautiful. It's um. And yeah, it's. We are the unicorn of Wallonia. So yeah, it's an easy one.

Olivier: 35:19

Okay. And I would finish by selecting not something, but someone actually, uh, who's kind of a unicorn himself as well. I think I would select auto Industries actually, I think, I think, I think there is just so much about the culture of the company in the way he behaves, even publicly. Go watch videos from Ask Me Anything sessions, whatever. Yeah, I think that's a very he's a very good example of the of the Odoo culture. So Anthony is our CTO for people not knowing it. He made an episode in the podcast as well. Go listen to it. Uh, so yeah, that would be my my final word. It's a good one. Yeah. Thank you. Uh, okay. So thank you guys, uh, for your answer. The time is up. Uh, so, uh, see you maybe in some future episode.

Gregory: 35:58

Yeah. Thank you.

Olivier: 35:59

Olivier.

Emy: 35:59

Thank you.

Gregory: 36:00

Bye bye.

Michaël: 36:00

Bye bye.

Olivier: 36:01

As we conclude today's episode, it's clear that while Odoo has its ups and downs, it's the genuine commitment and passion from everyone here that keeps us moving forward. Our Odoonosaurs shared honest reflections on their journeys, reminding us that perfection isn't what makes us stand out. It's our willingness to learn, adapt, and genuinely support each other. So thanks to all who shared their experience and to you, our listeners, for tuning in. Until next time, cheers!