Running in Our Own Shoes

I’m writing these lines somewhere high above the ground, I don’t even know how many kilometers. I always wanted to say that. I’m on the Barcelona-Istanbul flight right now, coming back from the company event.

We just finished another one of our yearly company events. I wrote something about last year’s event too, you can read it here. I think this year’s was the best one since I joined the company. Maybe the reason is that I feel more like I belong here now, but I think there are other factors behind that feeling too.

Years Chase Years

I completed my fifth year at the company. Teamtailor is the longest I have stayed at one company so far. For me, it was a company of firsts. It was the first time I worked remotely, the first time I worked for a non-Turkish company, and the first time I joined professional events abroad, and many other things. While all this happened, the years just flew by. I still remember my first day like it was yesterday. The interviews, and how excited I was when I got the job.

Before the pandemic, I used to say, why would I need to work for a foreign company? Actually, I had talked with Teamtailor a little before the pandemic, but back then they wanted me to come to Stockholm. Honestly, I didn’t have the guts. I was scared of going to Sweden. After some time, I tried my chance again. Remote work had already started, and Teamtailor was ready for it.

The first 8-9 months were hard. But the company accepted that well. They didn’t push me too much, but they also warned me clearly. Then in summer and autumn I came together with my colleagues and worked with them for a week, and I understood how enjoyable it is. Oh, and I also learned how cold Sweden can be at the end of September 🤭

Get Together, Be Social

When I started, the company had around 200 people. Now it’s around 600. It’s an amazing growth, but the best part is that this growth has no negative effect on the culture. I don’t think many companies can do this. When companies grow, their culture usually changes in the opposite direction compared to the early days. But it didn’t happen at Teamtailor. Actually, it went upward, because there are more colors inside the company now.

The company has offices all around the world, and many employees work remotely like me. Normally it’s impossible for us to be in the same place. Coming together for 3-4 days every year is priceless. Maybe another nice thing is that they do it in a different country or city each year. It’s really a lot of effort. Bringing hundreds of people to one place and making them happy there.

What Is Work?

2026 is the 15th year of my professional working life. It sounds easy when I say it, but I have been doing this job for 15 years. I worked at very different companies, but one thing was always important for me: trust. When I noticed it was getting lower, I talked about it, and if nothing got better, I left that company. It didn’t happen much anyway. I’m a bit picky.

For me, working has always been something I can’t really explain. In these last 15 years of my life, I worked a lot. I mean, I produced things. Some for companies, some for myself. But I always did work that I enjoyed. That’s why I can’t explain what “working” is anymore.

Teamtailor trusts my work. This is the most important thing, actually. It’s an environment built on trust. I’m a professional and I know what to do, when and how. Of course building this is not easy. But keeping it is just as hard. The company understands this. Sometimes we slow down, life is not linear, but the company gives us the flexibility. We also run to get things done, but with our own running shoes. The company doesn’t force other shoes on us. That’s why this long run feels comfortable. From outside it looks very easy and relaxed, but remember, the better you do a job, the easier someone else thinks it is.

The Future

I don’t know. Let me say it short. I’m really happy at Teamtailor. There are people and projects I want to work on. I’m trusted. I know my work adds value to the company, and I can feel it from what my colleagues tell me.

I work in the data migration team. Naturally, we are in close contact with the CSM and Sales teams. Most of our talks happen on Slack. When we finish a job for them, we get a thank you with an emoji and a written message. But when we meet at the company events, I understand how valuable my work really is. Hearing kind words and feedback feels so good.

The future for me will probably look like this. This is what I see from here. Who knows where we will be next year. Let’s see how many of us will meet, and where, this time.

So, continue painting the world pink 🎨