Learning in action: How Hostinger fosters a culture of curiosity

At Hostinger, learning isn’t just a buzzword – it’s the fuel that drives our innovation engine. In a tech world where yesterday’s breakthrough is tomorrow’s baseline, we don’t just keep up with trends; we embrace learning as a daily ritual that powers both personal and collective growth. 

Whether it’s taking time during the workday to develop new skills or participating in world-class conferences and training sessions, I believe learning is seamlessly integrated into every aspect of Hostinger’s operations, driving both company and employee success.

As we continuously learn from and are inspired by other companies’ best practices, we’d like to share our top tools and practices for fostering a thriving learning culture.

Why is learning essential? 

It’s no secret that building a thriving learning culture is crucial for organizations to stay competitive. It fosters curiosity, empowers employees to take ownership of their growth, and drives innovation.

A strong learning culture also attracts, develops, and retains top talent with high-performing mindsets. Mercer’s 2024 Global Talent Trends report highlights that organizations focusing on continuous learning, upskilling, and reskilling are more likely to retain employees, especially as people seek environments to support skill growth and career advancement. This aligns with rising expectations for personalized, work-integrated learning opportunities.

But how do you move beyond simply having the right elements in place – study days, a broad learning curriculum, or dedicated budgets – when people aren’t actively engaging in reflective learning, practicing new skills, or seeking coaching or mentorship? I believe that at Hostinger, we succeeded with “walking the talk,” as the commitment to growth is ingrained in our cultural DNA.

Learning as part of the culture

Learning is woven into our core principles, notably in Learn & Be Curious, but you will also see elements of continuous growth in others. Through Freedom and Responsibility and Ownership, we empower employees to take charge of their professional growth. Through Hire and Develop the Best, we emphasize that learning is a continuous and mutual process. 

We offer numerous resources and support and encourage individuals to identify their own learning needs, actively seek opportunities to grow, and balance study and full-time work. 

Furthermore, this learning culture is reinforced by strong managerial support. Managers lead by example: they engage in training, share learning experiences across dedicated channels, and prioritize time for their and their teams’ development.  

A diverse learning toolkit

Our learning culture is built on four key pillars: growth initiatives, training, social interactions, and on-the-job development. In each pillar, we always consider different learning preferences, whether through book recommendations, peer discussions, e-learning, or recorded sessions.

From office bookshelves and policies like Mastery Fridays, which allow employees to dedicate the needed time to learn new skills, to insights from industry giants like Amazon or Netflix, we promote continuous learning across all areas. Here’s how we foster learning with each pillar:

Growth initiatives 

We encourage self-reflection using tools like the Peak Performance Pulse (PPP), which supports quarterly evaluations of performance, goal alignment, and development aspirations. This approach builds self-awareness, guiding employees toward meaningful growth because, ultimately, the difference between an experience and a lesson is reflection. Additionally, regular one-on-one meetings with managers offer focused support for development. 

Feedback is one of the strongest accelerators for targeted and intentional learning. That’s why we encourage meaningful conversations with our Feedback Dot, a tool designed to simplify requesting and giving Hostinger Principles-based feedback. Manager 360-degree and team effectiveness evaluations are also invaluable resources, helping employees understand themselves and their colleagues and identifying areas for growth. 

Training

At Hostinger, we say, “If you want to learn, go for it!” We offer a wide range of platforms, memberships, and subscriptions to support employee development for our people. Currently, our team has access to 11 platforms and 10 subscriptions, including Reforge, Pluralsight, and TryHackMe – and this list is constantly growing. We also encourage our people to attend (or speak at) top conferences and seminars worldwide.

Our internal training offerings are extensive, featuring continuous leadership development programs, case study groups, Think Tanks, hot chair exercises, and more. If we don’t have a specific training program available, we create it!

Social interactions

We foster a knowledge-sharing culture through transparent, ongoing communication on Slack. While this can sometimes feel like an information overload, it ensures everyone has a clear view of the bigger picture and full context.

Guild meetings, focused on specific areas like AI, design, and engineering, provide platforms for peer-to-peer learning. Additionally, internal and external mentoring programs, like the CoachHub and TesoXchange mentoring programs, connect employees with experienced individuals for personalized guidance. 

We also blend knowledge sharing with community-building through regular all-employee town hall events, manager-focused All-Direct meetings, offsites, workations, and team-building activities.

On-the-job learning

Product testing, shadowing, and participation in Client interviews offer valuable hands-on experiences, helping employees stay connected to our clients, deepen their understanding of our business, and generate new ideas for the future.

Learning isn’t just about theory; it’s about applying practical lessons, especially from real incidents. A great example is Hostinger’s postmortem process. After an incident, we document key details such as the technical timeline, root cause, and corrective action – to track errors, fix issues, and improve the user experience. 

This process provides a dedicated opportunity to analyze each incident thoroughly, ensuring all relevant data is captured and that issues are fully resolved. It helps the team to learn from the incident but also serves as a valuable reference for future challenges, allowing others to benefit from past lessons. 

Key to success

Our strong commitment to learning has driven tangible business results, significantly enhancing our operational efficiency and growth. In 2023, by investing in talent development and harnessing AI, we achieved 60% annual growth – even with a 15% leaner workforce.

Our commitment to continuous learning has been key to our success, leading to high employee engagement, improved operational efficiency, and significant business growth. With initiatives like Peak Performance Pulse, diverse learning programs, and a culture that fosters curiosity and innovation, we continue to raise the bar both internally and within the industry.

Our in-house self-reflection tool, Peak Performance Pulse,  has earned industry recognition, winning the “Best HR Practice in Lithuania” award at the Motivated at Work conference and placing 3rd in the HR communications and corporate culture category at the Digital Communication Award – DCA 2024.

If you’re seeking a challenging and rewarding work environment, we offer a unique opportunity to grow fast. Join us in shaping the future of web hosting through continuous learning, talent development, and forward-thinking growth strategies.