Employee story: meet Kazyna!

Hi Kazyna! It’s great to turn the tables and be the one interviewing you for a change. It’s nice to have you on the other side of Workfellow’s Employee Stories. 

To get started, I’d love to find out what you like to do in your free time when you’re not at Workfellow.

I’m quite a social person, so my weekends usually involve some form of social event whether that’s going out with friends, watching a movie, or quick short travel somewhere. Other than that, I also love trying new sports, activities, or hobbies. I do like to have a bit of me-time where I focus on myself and just relax and think about life. And of course, depending on the seasons, there are many things to do in Finland such as sauna in the winters and then walking in Helsinki. Long walks in the summertime are my favorite. 

What first drew you to the opportunity at Workfellow?

That’s a good question. From one side, I was a desperate student looking for opportunities and it was quite hard to land traineeships as a student, especially during corona times. I did know that I wanted to work for a cozy, small company so I was looking mainly for startups. On Workfellow’s page at TheHub.io there was a job post, but not an internship position, so I sent an open application there. From the other side, there was a picture of the four first employees and they were smiling wide and that was the first thing that drew me to them. I felt like they were really nice people because their smiles looked so sincere. 

How has it been being the first member of Workfellow’s marketing team? You started out as a Marketing and Talent Acquisition Trainee and now you are our Marketing Specialist. 

This was my first job related to what I study, so there were a lot of new things coming up, not even considering that I was the first member of the team. However, it wasn’t too overwhelming as I was an intern, and the founders were trying to lead me and onboard me smoothly. For the first half a year, I worked closely with Kustaa and we used to have many meetings, so it wasn’t just me doing everything. And because there was no Head of Marketing yet I got to learn so many new things from scratch. It was really exciting!

What is your favorite part about working at Workfellow? 

That is a big question! Well, let’s take it one by one. First of all, it’s the work environment and colleagues here. I really love the fact that we are like a family and it really feels like home. Second, we do things and get things done but we also have fun, which is really important. Hierarchy is really not a thing in our company as we all have fun together and nobody is thinking about who is senior or junior. Everyone is equal and we can talk to anyone about anything. We can joke and tease each other without overthinking it too much. The third thing would be on a more personal level - opportunities for growth and study. I do marketing, but it’s not the same every day. New things come up every day and I get to learn a lot. If, for example, our short-term strategy changes, I have to learn the best practices for that. So 1-colleagues and work atmosphere, 2-work/chill balance, and 3-opportunities for growth as a professional. 

Do you have a favorite memory from Workfellow?

Yes, I definitely do, but how to choose one! We have certain weeks when our colleagues come from abroad and we all hang out together at the office - those are really special every time. For the favourite memory, it’s probably the week when Niklas and Muhis joined, Marcin came from France, and we had our nice Christmas party. It was really great-we were all in our previous office working together and doing some activities after work. We had a nice dinner, gift exchange, and it was all really lovely and left me with warmest memories. The first day at Workfellow was memorable as well. It was actually our third work day as Janne K. and I had an online onboarding for the first two days before coming to the office. Kustaa came to meet us, gave us the keys, and that day was also very nice. 

We have a hybrid work model. When it comes to hybrid work do you prefer to work from home or the office or a little bit of both? 

Usually a little bit of both. Because I study simultaneously, I have to run between school and work, so it’s really nice to have the hybrid mode. Sometimes when I’m not at the office I may be working from a study room at school, or vice versa, if I have an online class, I might be taking it from the office. That’s why it’s really nice that school and work give us hybrid opportunities. Of course, on dark winter days, I may feel a bit lazy and stay home, but I feel most productive when I’m at the office or in the study rooms at school. I’m not much of a working-from-home person. 

The question that we traditionally ask from everyone is “how would you describe our company culture”? 

Our culture is more family-like. We are not afraid to make mistakes or ask questions or do some silly things. We are not afraid to say that we are wrong or we need help. Everyone understands and people are willing to help, and you know they’ll always be there for you. In terms of the actual work, I would say it’s pretty independent. Everybody takes authority over the things they do. We are accountable for our time and the things we do, and the quality of how we do it and how much time we allocate to each task is totally dependent on us. 

What makes a good Workfellow, in your opinion? 

A good workfellow is open-minded, always ready to take on new challenges and never afraid of them, someone who knows that nothing is impossible, and someone who is willing to find friends and not only colleagues. What makes our culture and ties us together well is that we are all open to sustaining those vibes and relationships. Everyone contributes to that. A good workfellow would be one who is willing to learn and is definitely not arrogant—someone who knows that it’s okay to make mistakes. 

Written by

Marina Lange

People and Culture Lead

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