Monika Smektalska: Growth in the company creating growth in my career

Monika Smektalska started her career in Espotel, which was acquired by Etteplan in 2017 starting off as an assistant 8 years ago, and currently works as a Finance Assistant in Wroclaw, Poland. “A friend of mine worked at Espotel and he mentioned that they were looking for someone to replace him as an assistant. I decided to apply, despite my lack of experience in this area," says Monika, who previously worked in retail. To her surprise, HR invited her to join the team. “I had two weeks to take over the role from the previous assistant. I had to learn everything from scratch. A lot of people watched me and wondered whether I could cope with my tasks, I received a lot of support from Maciej Sibinski. I took the chance that fate brought me and made the most of it," recalls Monika. 

At the beginning, her tasks consisted of managing the calendar of meetings, receiving, and sending mail and supporting the organization of events. She also helped with the formalities of the merger between Espotel and Etteplan. Then there was moving to the new headquarters, informing contractors and customers about the new company name and address. There were also a lot of changes within the organization, but everything happened "step by step.” 

The company was growing, and Monika developed her skills at the same time. There were tasks related to finance and accounting that began to interest her, she wanted to go in that direction. “I acquired accounting knowledge from others, as well as a lot of self-education. I created my own database of information, which I needed every day," she recalls. She also supported the HR department with the recruitment process, there were more responsibilities and Monika felt it was too much. That is when she spoke openly with Maciej, highlighting how things were going. Monika was relieved when Justyna came in to support the recruitment activities, she was then able to focus on finance and accounting.  

After a while, another exciting challenge came along - Monika was pregnant and became a mum. “It was COVID time, we all worked remotely. I liked my job, so I wanted to do all my duties for as long as possible, the Home Office made it easier for me,” Monika says.  

During her parental leave, she was in constant contact with her manager and others in the office, she also visited them with her toddler.

“I really like the people at Etteplan. They are the company's greatest asset."

"In the beginning we were a small team and suddenly, our team grew from 50 people to more than 200 people. Despite this, nothing has changed in us - everyone is cheerful and friendly, and we like to spend time together," explains Monika. Her return to work was also another moment when her responsibilities and career path were clarified. “I wanted to go further into accountancy and finance. I told my manager this, and it happened. Now I am thinking about the next step into accountancy. I am happy that my manager is so supportive. Over time, I have jumped up to a high level of organizing my work,” emphasizes Monika, who has gone through three different positions over eight years.