Beefree blog

People and Culture Director Speaks on Maintaining a 97% retention rate.

Emily Santos
Emily Santos
Aug 25, 2023
People and Culture Director Speaks on Maintaining a 97% retention rate.
People and Culture Director Speaks on Maintaining a 97% retention rate.

For this month’s spotlight, we’re featuring Growen's (parent company of Beefree) People & Culture Director, Enrica Lipari. Enrica's role entails leading the company and it's business unit's human resource initiatives, acting on the enhancement of the cultural system, supporting the fast and sustainable growth of the group, and so much more.As a new parent with large responsibilities, Enrica shares her top tips on everything from maintaining a work-life balance, a strong company culture, and a 97% retention rate. Keep on reading!

Can you walk us through your journey as an HR professional?

Almost 20 years ago, I spontaneously decided to change my study path from Engineering to Communication Science. This shift is what catalyzed my HR career and allowed me to move from my birthplace (in the South of Italy) to Rome.I started by focusing on internal communication and organizational strategies and collaborating with some of my Professors who, at that time, were also HR Managers and Coaches. I had two internships, in a big consultancy company (where I basically learned how to approach processes and tools) and then in a very local one, where I was in charge of recruiting and training.After that, my first real working experience and love was at Neomobile (a mobile VAS Italian multinational company), where I grew to become an HR Business Partner and was offered more responsibility as an HR professional and learned a lot thanks to a lean agile change management journey. In 2016, I decided to leave my beloved company, colleagues, and city to move to Milan, where I opened a new chapter of my professional life. I accepted an opportunity to build up an HR Department from scratch for an Italian startup, where, in 2 years, I’ve passed from dust to stars and back. After being in charge of the organization's downsizing, I decided to leave for a safer choice, the big telco, where - being in charge of the Digital Transformation - I actually had time to recover, practice, and set up for my next future:

Growens and its magic galaxy. 

Now, after so many years and different experiences, I can confidently say that I love working in small/medium organizations, specifically in the tech industry, where we can adopt an agile way of working. I feel like I do my best work in complex, mutable, and fast-paced environments that leverage culture, friendliness, and transparency. Such as Beefree does.One thing that I have learned in my last 20 years is that HR is all about supporting people and matching their needs/ambitions with their organizations, and that's what I have been able to do for myself and others.

How do you balance being a parent and a high-ranking professional as the People & Culture Director of Growens?  

Well, I became a parent just 3 years ago, so I’m a very not experienced one (joke!).But in my short experience, I can say that it’s a matter of organization and awareness. Organization because, as usual, time is a limited resource, and assuming different responsibilities means training priority-setting skills and the ability to ask for help (easier than training to become a superhero!). As for awareness, it’s important to accept that we are not perfect, we will make mistakes, and we cannot give up! Nobody really trains you on how to become a perfect professional, but listening to your colleagues can. Nobody trains you to become the perfect parent, but your little ones will get you there.I feel pretty lucky to be able to work the job I love and be a parent, too. The key to balancing both is not to split roles: I feel like a P&C Director when I sleep, and I feel like a mother during my business meetings. I am a team player even when I’m on vacation, and I love to share moments with my family during business trips.And the true magic lies in being able to recharge, get help when needed, understand your limits, and respect your roles. This is what allows you to have the energy you need to balance both.

Working in a scale-up environment poses its own set of challenges.

What informs your decision-making and overall philosophy for your team?

Serving a tech scale-up within a fast-paced ecosystem means, above all, always being ready to be challenged. As well as avoiding the “standard” way of doing things and always pursuing our people's happiness, and working on co-designing and experimenting with different options with our stakeholders.As HR is important to take into consideration that our goal is to enable and support our people's growth and preserve and nurture our culture. Which at times can be very complex due to the several diversities (of businesses, products, Countries, etc.) At Growens, we are driven by 3 key principles:

  • Transparency: We work visibly and communicate clearly, engaging in authentic and constructive relationships guided by continuous feedback;
  • Simplicity: We work methodically in order to face complexity while making the usability and easy adoption of our “products;”
  • Responsibility: We work on our people’s needs, providing guidance and empowering them to make decisions as individuals, as teams, and as larger organizations.

What are your tips for ensuring a company is as inclusive as possible?

I think that supporting an inclusive environment involves fostering a culture that respects and values diversity across different cultures and identities.In my experience, I find it important first to build up a distributed Committee (whose participants are volunteers representing diversities and allies we call “Grow Committee”) to start developing a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which is native and inclusive of different needs, practices, and points of view.Then, we find a strategy way to ensure that leaders and executives actively support and demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion.In the meantime, work consistently with your core values (at Growens, those are passion, caring, trust, and open-mindedness) to encourage open dialogue and create a safe and inclusive space where all employees can voice their perspectives and concerns. At the same time, start an expert-partnered program to educate and train the entire organization through inclusivity skills training. And, of course, develop unbiased people management policies and practices adoption.Encouraging feedback is what has allowed us to be so diverse, regardless of how young we are. Through actively addressing feedback, taking appropriate actions, and continuously measuring and monitoring progress, we aim to create a safer, more inclusive environment.

Beefree has been a remote-first company since its inception.

How does your team work to ensure it’s a successful working model for its employees and the company?

We believe in people and understand that their potential can be unlocked regardless of where they work. With the Growens Way of Working (WoW), we work in a hybrid and flexible way, choosing every day how and where to work from: the office, home, or anywhere else.As P&C, to support all the people who are approaching remote work for the first time, we prepared a useful handbook with tips for performing at their best in any place. In fact, our “way of working” is not only about the location we work from, but above all, it’s about the ways we organize our work and timetables and collaborate around shared objectives.At Beefree, we even share some specific “operating principle” that enables the remote-first approach to success.While we value remote work, we do still invest in building stronger relationships by getting people together, so we budget and prioritize yearly staff and team retreats.

What are your tips on maintaining a strong company culture?  

Maintaining a strong company culture is essential for creating a positive and productive work environment.The first important thing is to define, communicate, and consistently translate behaviors and decisions based on the shared core values.Secondly, it’s key to set up a functional framework based on the positive reinforcement in the feedback loop (the way people communicate and share), reward, and people development (the role model setup).A strong adopted culture should promote a healthy work-life balance, encourage innovation and risk-taking, as well as an “inspect and adapt” approach, and promote diversity and inclusion. The culture should be consistently reinforced, celebrated, and integrated into all aspects of the organization.Since we all care and feel responsible for nurturing our culture, during our last company retreat, we shared a “Cultural Onboarding Workshop” aimed at pointing out all the key elements and operating principles of the Beefree culture. The goal was to provide new hires with relevant information and aim to support the best onboarding process while reducing the attrition risk for all the teams.

What are your best tips for how companies can foster higher retention rates?

Fostering higher retention rates is crucial for the long-term success and stability of a company; however, I honestly have shifted from focusing on retention rate to growth rate since it makes more sense to me to retain people who are happy in their growth path rather than just keeping people in the company that doesn't have a strong commitment.In my experience, I have seen that being able to foster retention is about the ability to mix and balance different ingredients that have a direct impact on the present commitment. For instance, competitive salaries and benefits packages, a positive and inclusive work environment, and a well-balanced work-life ratio, together with career opportunities, recognition, rewards, supportive leadership, and positive feedback practices.Nonetheless, since every company is unique, it's important to tailor retention strategies to align with the organization's culture and values, as well as regularly assess people's satisfaction and adapt the P&C strategy efforts to meet the evolving needs.

At SaaStr, you'll be sharing all about Beefree's 97% retention rate.

Can you share a sneak peek on your talk?

Alongside Beefree's CEO, Massimo Arrigoni, we will be sharing data and surveys that illustrate just why our employee retention rate is 97%.I can anticipate that our employees appreciate a holistic approach that combines a genuinely positive work culture, fair compensation, continuous learning, intentionally open communication, and a flexible work setup. In fact, we intentionally put in place policies and practices aimed at creating an environment where people can feel valued, supported, and motivated to contribute their best to the company's success.I encourage any SaaS company looking for ways to increase their retention rates as SaaStr to join us on September 6th. Massimo and I will be diving deep into our 5 secrets to our97% retention rate. If you already have your ticket, you can save your seat here! We hope to see you there!In the meantime, check out this article by our Beefree team on Boosting Employee Retention Rates Using Email. 

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If you’re using Salesforce Account Engagement (formerly Pardot), you’ve likely hit a wall with its native email editor. Whether you’re a nonprofit, a growing SaaS company, or an enterprise with multiple brands, the common complaint is the same:

"Pardot is just way too restrictive for our needs."

"The collaboration part just isn’t happening smoothly. It is too hard to involve writers and designers effectively."

 "It isn’t like we were doing anything overly creative—it just doesn’t give us the flexibility we needed."

Let’s face it: as powerful as Pardot is on the automation side, its design capabilities often fall short. And Salesforce doesn’t seem in a rush to improve them. If you’ve been trying to get more from your marketing emails—faster, better, more on-brand—it’s time to consider a better way.

Beefree isn’t a replacement. It’s the perfect addition to your workflow

The good news is that you don’t have to abandon Pardot. It is excellent at what it’s built for—automation, CRM integration, lead scoring, and financial compliance. 

But when it comes to design and collaboration, the limitations start to pile up. Whether it’s because of its clunky editor, lack of customization, or the time spent fixing buttons and web fonts (insert eye roll). 

Pairing Beefree with Pardot doesn’t just improve how your emails look, it transforms how your team works. This pair is especially perfect for: 

  • Healthcare & Financial Services: where compliance and approvals are non-negotiable.
  • SaaS, Consumer Brands, and Professional Services: where keeping brand consistency across touchpoints is critical.
  • Higher Ed, Manufacturing, Real Estate: where teams juggle multiple departments, audiences, and localizations.
  • Nonprofits: where lean teams need to move fast 

Teams from all walks of life all come to Beefree looking for the same thing: a fast and flexible email design solution that seamlessly integrates with their tech stack (without slowing their team down).

(source)

From chaos to control: Why teams choose Beefree

Now that you know what Beefree is, it’s time to talk about how it can help. 

When email production feels scattered (we’re talking files everywhere, last-minute edits, branding inconsistencies), it’s not just frustrating, it’s risky. It opens the door to real mistakes: off-brand messaging, broken layouts, missed approvals, or worse, emails that get flagged for non-compliance.   

1. Keeps your team organized with Workspaces

Instead of one cluttered space where everyone shares the same templates and folders, Workspaces allows you to manage email assets across brands, departments, and regions in unique environments. 

  • Create separation without silos: Marketing ops can manage everything in one platform, while individual teams work independently within their own workspace. It’s the best of both worlds.
  • Prevent cross-team mixups: With workspace-specific templates and permissions, there’s no risk of someone accidentally launching a healthcare email from the real estate workspace.

2. Allows you to move faster without sacrificing brand integrity

Beefree empowers teams to scale production while keeping every email perfectly on-brand.

  • Style Kits: Automatically apply your brand’s fonts, colors, and design settings to every email in a workspace
  • Saved Rows: Save your most-used content blocks (like hero sections, testimonials, or product features) and reuse them across campaigns.
  • Synced Rows: Make a global update, like changing your holiday promo footer or legal disclaimer, and Beefree automatically applies it to every email using that row. 

3. Helps you catch mistakes before they go live

Beefree helps your team build error-resistant emails with features designed to catch issues before they go live. 

  • Smart check: Beefree’s Smart Check automatically checks your designs and alerts you of any red flags, such as missing links, heavy images, and large HTML files, so you can fix them before they cost you. 
  • Built-in approval flows: Ensure the right eyes are on every email. No more chasing approvals in Slack or email threads.

Learn more about sending error-free emails with Beefree: https://beefree.io/blog/error-free-emails-beefree

4. One click export from Beefree to Pardot

With Beefree’s native Pardot integration, your team can export emails with confidence. What you see in Beefree is exactly what your audience gets in Pardot. No weird spacing. No layout issues. No surprises.

Real results: How USC Marshall scaled campaign production with Beefree

In 2020, Dwayne Rice, Senior Associate Director of CRM Management at USC Marshall, was juggling comms for 11 graduate programs. Each had its own drip campaigns, deadlines, and unique audiences.

“I needed an efficient process to crank out emails,” he said.“But Pardot’s editor was slowing us down.”

By switching to Beefree, Dwayne’s team was able to build reusable templates and modular elements—cutting production time and removing the need for third-party vendors.

“Beefree has enabled us to create content efficiently enough to bring multiple processes in-house and discontinue relationships with several vendors, saving time and money.”— Dwayne Rice, USC Marshall

Read the full case study

Stop letting Pardot’s email builder hold you back

From higher ed to healthcare, SaaS to nonprofits—teams across industries are making the switch to Beefree not to replace Pardot, but to complete it. With Beefree you can:

  • Design polished, responsive emails in minutes
  • Collaborate seamlessly with writers, designers, and stakeholders
  • Export to Pardot with full confidence

Start building better emails for Pardot today — Try Beefree for free

Or if you're a non-profit, apply for a $1,000 annual credit!

(source)

Frequently asked questions about using Beefree with Pardot

1. How does Beefree integrate with Pardot?

Beefree serves as an external email design tool that integrates seamlessly with Pardot. Users can design emails in Beefree and export them directly to Pardot as new templates or update existing ones. This integration streamlines the email creation process by allowing for more flexible and visually appealing designs than Pardot's native editor.

2. Does Beefree provide analytics for email performance?

Beefree focuses primarily on email design and does not offer built-in analytics. However, once emails are exported to Pardot, users can leverage Pardot's robust analytics and reporting tools to track performance metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

3. How does Beefree enhance email design capabilities for Pardot users?

Beefree offers a no-code, drag-and-drop email builder that allows users to create visually appealing emails without HTML knowledge. It integrates seamlessly with Pardot, enabling users to export their designs directly into the platform, thereby overcoming Pardot's design limitations .​

4. What collaboration features does Beefree offer compared to Pardot?

Beefree offers robust collaboration features that surpass those in Pardot, including:

  • real-time design-specific comments
  • role-based permissions
  • approval workflows

all available directly within the email design environment. These tools make it easier for teams to co-create and review content without switching platforms. In contrast, Pardot’s collaboration tools are more limited and typically rely on Salesforce’s broader ecosystem for team coordination.

5. Does Beefree support features like AI copywriting or mobile optimization?

​Yes, Beefree supports both AI-driven copywriting and mobile optimization features. Its AI Writing Assistant enables users to:

  • generate email and landing page content or revise existing copy
  • create alt text for images
  • translate content to different languages

Additionally, Beefree's Mobile Design Mode allows for editing of mobile-specific styles, such as:

  • text alignment
  • padding
  • font size
  • and more

to ensure responsive and user-friendly designs across devices.

6. Can Beefree help maintain brand consistency better than Pardot?

Yes, Beefree helps maintain brand consistency more effectively than Pardot through its Brand Style Guidelines feature, which lets teams lock in brand colors, fonts, and content blocks across all email designs.

Users can also create reusable templates and design systems that ensure uniformity, even across multiple teams or clients. While Pardot offers some branding controls, it lacks the same level of built-in visual governance and flexibility found in Beefree’s design-focused environment.

Send Error-Free Emails with Confidence Using Beefree

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We’ve all been there: You craft the perfect email, hit “send”, and just as you settle into the satisfaction of a job well done, someone slacks you: “Hey, something doesn’t look right with that campaign.” 

If this sounds familiar, you should know that you’re not alone: According to the 2025 Really Good Email Survey “90% of email marketers say they have a history of noticing mistakes in their emails after they’ve hit the send button.

This becomes especially common when your team constantly juggles multiple campaigns or makes edits until the last minute. Sadly, even the smallest mistakes don’t just slip through the cracks; they cost you.

Luckily for us all, mistakes can be avoided. And no, not by lighting a Pre-Send Protection Candles™ and hoping for the best. But rather by equipping your team with the right tools that work with your team – not slow them down. Let’s talk about it!

Building your team’s safety net for mistake-free emails with Beefree 

When everyone involved in the email creation process is aligned and supported by smart systems, executing mistake-free emails becomes second nature. Instead of scrambling to do damage control, you’ll want to set up the tools and processes that help your team focus on what they do best: creating emails that connect, convert, and confidently represent the brand.

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can use Beefree to: 

  • Reduce human errors 
  • Implement systems of checks and balances 
  • Establish guardrails & frameworks for on-brand email design

1. Catch mistakes before they happen with Smart Check

Missing links that lead nowhere? Forgotten subject lines? HTML emails that get clipped in Gmail? It’s easy to make little mistakes that derail your campaign’s performance. 

Learn more about Smart Check → 

Beefree’s Smart Check automatically checks your designs and alerts you of any red flags so you can fix them before they cost you opens, clicks, or conversions. Think of Smart Check as your built-in QA partner who will catch:

  • Missing links
  • Heavy images that could slow down email load times
  • Missing subjects & preheaders that impact engagement
  • Missing alt text on images that hurt your email’s accessibility
  • Large HTML files that might affect deliverability (or get clipped in Gmail)

2. Keep every email on-brand with built-in guardrails 

Most of us don’t nail the perfect campaign on the first try. Great emails are a team effort. However, when multiple teams are involved in the email creation process, branding can quickly go off the rails. 

A misused font, clashing colors, or buttons that are too small to click don’t just make emails look disjointed—they can damage your brand’s credibility.

With Beefree’s Advanced Style Kit, you can set clear, predefined guidelines for fonts, colors, spacing, and more—so every design starts on the right foot. Once configured, all new emails automatically inherit your brand styles, reducing the need for constant oversight and minimizing errors.

Advanced user permissions let you lock down specific design elements, giving you full control over what can (and can’t) be edited. That means anyone on your team—regardless of design expertise—can confidently create emails that look and feel like your brand.

3. Empower your team to create with confidence with reusable content

When your team isn’t bogged down by the cumbersome process of creating content from scratch (or fear of going off-brand), they can move faster—and with far more confidence.

With Saved and Synced Rows, you can provide your team with pre-approved content blocks—like headers, footers, and other commonly used design elements—that they can use in their designs without creating them from scratch. That ensures design consistency, eliminates redundant work, and makes email creation a lot faster.

Learn more about Saved Rows → 

4. Ensure your team is aligned with centralized reviews and approvals:

Creating the perfect email often takes a team of designers, copywriters, marketers, and other team members working together. But when multiple people are involved, endless back-and-forth and feedback scattered across multiple conversations and channels can slow things down, lead to miscommunication, and ultimately cause mistakes. 

With Beefree’s built-in commenting, your team can collaborate and share feedback where the work is actually happening—right inside the builder. And if you’d like to involve external reviewers into the review process, you can do that as well. 

Learn more about commenting → 

Plus, with Beefree’s built-in Approval flow, you can ensure your designs are reviewed and approved by the right stakeholders. Stay aligned with real-time notifications on design changes, lock edits on approved content, and get a clear view of project status for smoother team collaboration and high-quality results.

Learn more about Approvals →

5. Need an additional pair of eyes? Use the power of AI to support your team

Take some weight off your team's shoulders and use AI to support them in the final stretch. Whether it’s catching typos, flagging inconsistencies, or suggesting optimization, AI can be a saving grace when deadlines are creeping in.

For those times when you can’t remember the difference between “there, their, and they’re,  Beefree’s  AI Writing Assistant is there to help. This eager-to-learn helper can  review your copy for grammatical errors, tone of voice, and even share suggestions for making it just a bit more compelling. Our AI Writing Assistant can also seamlessly translate content or automatically generate ALT text for images to enhance the accessibility of your emails. 

Learn more about AI-powered content creation in Beefree →

The tangible cost of email mistakes

Mistakes don’t just impact performance; they slowly erode credibility. What starts as a small oversight can be a massive inconvenience for your readers, sending them straight to the unsubscribe button. As for your team, mistakes chip away at their confidence. Instead of brainstorming for the next campaign, they’re scrambling trying to figure out how to do damage control.   

When done right, email is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience. But a single mistake can unravel that connection and undermine trust.

  • A missing or broken links can interrupt your subscribers’ journey to conversion, negatively impacting campaign performance.
  • A missing subject lines means your emails won't stand out in the inbox, hurting your open rate
  • An awkward typo might signal a lack of attention to detail
  • An off-brand design can make your brand look disorganized
  • An email that gets clipped in Gmail because it’s too big means some subscribers might never see the full email content.

Design error-free emails and send with confidence with Beefree 

Beefree helps teams of all sizes create polished, on-brand emails—without the risk of costly errors. With built-in safeguards, streamlined approval flows, and collaboration tools that keep everyone aligned, Beefree acts as your team’s system of checks and balances. From first draft to final sign-off, you’ll have everything you need to send with confidence, build trust, and get results.

Try Beefree's Business for free for 15 days and get access to all of Beefree’s tools that help you catch mistakes, streamline collaboration, and send with confidence every time. Or schedule a call with one of our experts to discover everything Beefree can support your team.

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