Aleks Kartasiński used to work in the mining industry and spend hours a day commuting, which left him little time to share with his family. Now, he’s part of the Technical Support team at Avature and our dynamic work culture and model allow him to work from home and adapt his tasks in a way that better suits his schedule, while also having the chance to watch his daughter grow up closely.
To get an inside look into Aleks’ Avaturian experience, I put together some questions that helped me learn about his first encounter with Avature and his journey working remotely as part of our global team. The result? An interesting story about thriving once you find the ideal work culture and model for you. So, get comfy and join me for a few minutes as we dive into this engaging interview that’s part of the #AvaturiansExperiences series!
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When and how did your Avature journey begin? What were your first thoughts as soon as you became part of the A-Team?
My Avature journey began when COVID-19 first hit and the situation at my previous workplace started becoming uneasy. I stumbled upon Avature while I was browsing jobs on LinkedIn. I saw an open position that would give me the opportunity to work from home, which made me realize how much time I was wasting on commuting. To get to my previous office, I had to travel around 70 km both ways, wasting 1.5 hrs a day on average just to get there.
To be honest, I didn’t have any prior knowledge of Avature back then, yet the offer seemed interesting. I may be a simple man, but seeing a well prepared, visually attractive offer without language mistakes and realistic requirements bumped up the credibility of the company. I applied and sent a CV among many others in those days. I was pleasantly surprised by a quick response and a very friendly recruiter.
After several meetings with always interesting and friendly people, I received the offer. I had another one lying on my desk, but my wife advised me to choose Avature. I am glad that I have followed her advice.
When I finally joined the team, I was welcomed with a well-prepared onboarding program. I met a lot of people who explained to me the basics of the Avature world during the first weeks. Finally, meeting my new colleagues from the Tech Support team only convinced me further that I was in the right place. They offered me a lot of help and showed immense patience in answering all the questions that I had.
How did it feel moving to a completely different industry? Does your previous experience help you in your new role? Why?
I worked in the mining industry before joining Avature. I was part of the IT support team there, so becoming an Avature Technical Support Specialist was clear and natural to me due to my previous experience. In my other job, I took care of internal customers, so adjusting the communication to help external customers wasn’t that hard. The expectations from internal and external customers are similar: to have the reported issue solved as soon as possible while always being in the loop. For me, it was only natural to transition between both roles, yet learning a whole new technology was overwhelming at first, like whenever you learn something new from scratch.
How do you manage to stay close to other Avaturians while working remotely?
When I joined Avature, there were only a handful of people working from Poland, so I was physically away from the rest of Tech Support. My Team Leader was aware of that, so we made the most of our frequent team meetings to stay close. That allowed me to feel a part of the team from the very beginning while still being away. We also started having several virtual team parties that took place after work, which was a great way to get together and talk freely about anything.
Do you feel you have the necessary flexibility and autonomy to manage your workload in your own way while working remotely? How does our dynamic culture impact your work-life balance?
Working remotely allows me to adjust my workload in many ways. I have the time and means to focus. In my previous job, I worked at the office almost exclusively, and people tended to pop up to discuss something related to work, say hi, or just simply chat. As nice as it was, it sometimes distracted me from my tasks. Right now, I have less distractions, which allows me to do things at my own pace. I’m not quite a people-person, and I think working from home suits me a lot better.
Apart from that, thanks to this work model, I’m able to take better care of my daughter and see her growing up. Previously, working from the office and spending almost 10 hours a day away from home wouldn’t leave me with much time and energy to be with my family. Now, it’s quite the opposite.
What would you say is at the core of the Avature spirit that is shared worldwide between Avaturians from different countries and cultures?
Everything I stated above was made possible thanks to the Avature values. I think that freedom, trust, and teamwork are at the core of the A-Team spirit. Firstly, we are free to learn and develop our careers in any direction we want, we are always supported and taken care of, and everyone at Avature is treated like a human being and not just a number. Secondly, we are trusted by our managers who are not only “bosses” but true leaders and colleagues. We are doing our best and what is needed without unnecessary and stress-inducing micromanagement. Finally, when we need help solving an issue, there is always someone we can turn to, which allows us to learn from them for the future.
What would you say to someone who’s about to join our team about life at Avature?
If there is someone out there who would like to join Avature and hesitates, know that I highly recommend it. Though I jumped into the unknown, this change of work culture completely altered my life, for the good. There is a lot of work and things to learn constantly, of course, but where isn’t? If you are good at managing your workload in your own way, without micromanagement, this is the ideal place to be in. All the tools are provided and if any help is needed, the response is fast and friendly.
I found my place at Avature quickly. At first, I was stressed and afraid of new people since I was the first person from Poland joining Tech Support. I think those feelings are natural and go away in time, but here at Avature, they go away very fast. As my colleague and friend Izzy once said, “At Avature you’re always thinking ‘This is too good to be true! Where’s the catch?’ but there’s no catch.” I joined Avature over a year ago, and people are as nice and helpful as they were on day one. I wish all Avaturians to stay that way and continue creating such a warm and welcoming workspace.