AUCTANE’s greatest asset is always PEOPLE. Interview with Kasia, Senior HR Manager, on her 10th anniversary
Ten years ago, our company looked very different and had about five times fewer employees. Today, we are part of an international organisation and our office in Zielona G贸ra has almost 200 employees. At the forefront of this HR transformation has been Kasia, who started as a one-person HR department and is its manager. What has her career at AUCTANE been like? What does she value as an employee? And finally, what made her decide to spend a whole decade of her life with us? We invite you to read on!
Kasia, you have been with AUCTANE for 10 years. Do you remember when you first joined the company, your first day at work?
I remember that a lot of people asked me what I was going to do as an HR Assistant, that there were less than 40 of us, that we occupied a third of the building on Kostrzy艅ska and that the leave request system was the famous Excel 馃槈 I also remember the first manager who stood at my desk and said: “I’ve heard that if I want to add another person to the team, I should talk to you”. I didn’t know who he was or what team he managed, but I gathered the requirements for the recruitment and started to learn who QA was 馃檪 I also remember my first goal – recruiting 5 developers since May, less than 2 months after joining the company, so let’s just say my onboarding was lightning fast (laughs), and the recruitments were indeed successful.
You are someone who has practically built your HR department from scratch. Can you tell us what that was like and how your responsibilities have changed over time?
I joined when the local company was first acquired by a larger company – Metapack. The structure and size of the London and Zielona G贸ra offices made it necessary to set up an HR department. We started to rapidly expand the team, there were the first implementations of global HR systems, the first work on creating an organisational structure for the teams, developing the leadership function. It’s fair to say that I’ve gone from being the orchestra man, managing HR, payroll, recruitment, university partnerships and implementing a global HR strategy on my own for 5 years, to a place where I have the pleasure of working in a team that now has specialists in each area.
We always support each other as a team, but each of us has a lot of autonomy in our approach to getting things done. In recent years, we have also seen a marked increase in cooperation between the HR departments at all our sites. Each of us has the opportunity to lead a project regardless of location, which is undoubtedly challenging due to cultural differences, but also incredibly rewarding!
Now that we know your background, let’s talk about the company and your work. Let’s start with the fact that AUCTANE’s HR department is not only located in Zielona G贸ra. How do you connect the work of branches in other countries? How does HR cooperate on an international level?
Last year was a time when we tried to unify many HR systems and processes, which resulted in the implementation of global platforms common to all locations. This required a lot of meetings, discussions about differences in legal requirements, setting up project teams, assessing potential risks… it was a really intense time. Having said that, I personally really appreciated the huge amount of knowledge that was shared within the team at the time, and thanks to the different approaches to running projects, everyone was able to learn something new. The support was immense! By developing common recruitment standards, we are able to help other locations with their talent searches.
In fact, every new global process is about brainstorming and combining best practices, but with what we call a local flavour, so even though we are a global company, we still push hard for our local distinctiveness 馃檪 I also think that, culturally, we Poles are still not good at ‘selling’ our skills and qualifications. As an HR department, we try to make this image more realistic, because we have amazing IT professionals and enthusiasts!
Read also: I’m lucky to be doing what I enjoy. Hubert’s 15th anniversary at AUCTANE
AUCTANE has gone through a lot of changes over the last decade, which is always a challenge for the HR department. How have you and your team dealt with these changes?
Any change is a big challenge and I think that as much as we go through these changes, it is not always possible to anticipate everything. However, we always try to focus on communication and employee engagement to minimise uncertainty. We regularly inform the team about the changes, the reasons for them and the objectives. We hold meetings and encourage discussion to give people the opportunity to voice their concerns and suggestions. Depending on the change, we adapt our HR processes and procedures to better meet the needs of the organisation in the new business reality.
Change management is an incredibly difficult task, it’s impossible to put together an A to Z plan that doesn’t fall apart 馃槈 However, we are always keen to build trust among employees and work with managers to help them effectively support their teams through the transition process. As you mentioned, there have been many of these changes, big and small, not all of them 100% successful, but also those that have changed our work and our approach in a good direction, allowing us to continue to grow in a stable way.
Can you think of a particularly pivotal moment, a milestone that changed a lot or introduced something new into your daily life?
Definitely the moment when I was given the opportunity to build an entire HR team after 5 years of working independently. Although it’s often quicker to make a decision on your own (the discussion with yourself is definitely shorter ;)), nothing has had such an impact on my professional development as working in a team. The openness, the new ideas, the different insights and approaches, the sharing of knowledge, this difference often opens your eyes and gives you a completely different perspective. The second breakthrough moment was when I started working with the global AUCTANE team and the first global employee engagement survey project, the many meetings, analyses and presentations in English to the executive team certainly caused some stress 馃槈
We know that you benefit from the AUCTANE Active programme because we’ve already written about your passion for running. Are there any other benefits or elements of AUCTANE that you value? What has kept you with us for so long?
In these post-pandemic times, I definitely appreciate the hybrid working model, the flexibility of working hours helps incredibly in organising the day so that there is enough time for all activities and passions. I’m a fan of the volunteer day. It’s great that the company gives us the opportunity and an extra day off to do good in our local communities. Personally, I’m also very happy with the training budget so I can continue to develop.
And of the non-obvious ‘benefits’, it is always the PEOPLE who create the collaborative culture here, who are passionate about sharing knowledge and teaching others! I have had and continue to have the pleasure of working with true mentors who have been instrumental in shaping my role and developing my skills over the last 10 years. Is it easy to work with people? I wouldn’t say so 馃槈 However, it’s a job I love, I’m lucky enough to do what I enjoy, HR is definitely not monotonous and predictable, which suits my more extroverted personality 馃槈 Ah! And then there’s the best caf茅 in town, filled to the brim with everything good, a sort of mini supermarket on Kostrzy艅ska. 馃槈
Read also: HR or running – which gives more endorphins? Interview with Kasia, HR Manager at AUCTANE
Finally, as someone experienced in recruiting IT professionals, what are the specifics of finding and hiring people in this industry? What do candidates look for and how does AUCTANE meet their expectations?
When recruiting IT professionals, there are many factors that candidates look for. They are certainly looking for technological challenges, interesting projects and opportunities to grow in their field. Probably everyone wants to work in a place where the atmosphere is friendly and teamwork is effective and inspiring. Of course, remuneration is an important factor, but candidates also look for additional benefits such as flexible working hours and the ability to work remotely. At AUCTANE we strive to be an attractive employer for IT professionals, taking into account these expectations and needs, and the best way to find out is to join our team 馃槈
Kasia, thank you very much for taking the time for this interview. We know you have a busy schedule. We would like to thank you for the last ten years of your work and hope that the next ten years will be equally rewarding and bring you much joy and satisfaction.
Thank you.
