Freedom combined with real accountability is part of the reason why Agnieszka Lasyk is happy to be a part of the Schibsted family – even after eight years.
Agnieszka is Director of Engineering at Schibsted Tech Polska. She believes that the room the company gives people to try out new things – even if they might fail – is a key strength.
«The tech culture at Schibsted is inspiring and motivating, but also supportive and allows for learning from mistakes or failures. We trust in each other’s competences and we have a lot of freedom linked with real accountability, which I think is great.»
The teams in Agnieszka Lasyks department are responsible for delivery and maintenance of products and platforms that enable Schibsted to maintain a premium position on the advertising market. «People are really into learning new technologies and trying them out. We have modern tech stacks and we actively work with limiting the tech debt, making sure the solutions we develop are up to date and future proof.», she says.
“We are almost all software engineers, so the majority of the day is spent on defining problems, solving them, and coding.”
She is happy that Schibsted offers a wide range of both inhouse and external training, and invites inspiring people and organizes various events such as the Product & Tech Festival. However, it’s the input she gets from skilled colleagues that makes the most impact. «I think a key to a great learning culture is the people who work in the company – eager to share not only their knowledge but also about books worth reading, videos worth watching or articles they just read. I have always felt that I am surrounded by very skilled colleagues, which for me personally was, and still is, a huge motivating factor for my personal development, especially in the technology field.»
A positive and supportive culture
Agnieszka says they invest time in increasing both knowledge and skills. «We embrace learning as part of our daily work. We mentor our younger or less experienced colleagues and organise internship programs each year. There are many forums for knowledge and experiences sharing, and everyone who decides to run a presentation or workshops gets a lot of credit and support from others.», she says, and continues: «It’s a safe environment to develop and grow because people aren’t judgemental or jealous – on the contrary, they give a lot of kudos and appreciation for accomplishments and help.»
Her team also invests in getting to know each other. «Every day, there is time for a coffee chat, virtual or face to face, and occasionally a team lunch. We also like to socialize, so we go out together or play some online games from time to time. We have a lot of fun together and I think amazing people are what makes Schibsted so special!»
