25/12/2020
Workshops & Knowledge-sharing
We felt the need to support the vision and shape the culture of our company through informal discussions with colleagues at Simple Task. The goal was to define the purpose, improve team cohesion and create a sense of commitment in the workplace.
Keeping clear values that will help us ensure that our colleagues work on the same goals, we influence the experience we provide, as well as the relationship we develop with clients and partners.
Some of the values that stood out, such as professional development, improvement, and knowledge-sharing, are the result of our working together and the way our thoughts met during those conversations. We are proud of the fact that our colleagues strive to make progress, not only in the technical field but also in the field of “soft skills”.
These values have guided us in designing and organizing workshops and webinars within the company and that is why we believe that in this way we have managed to create synergy, a sense of initiative, and independence among colleagues.
For a moment, fellow programmers became lecturers, and a colleague from the HR department found herself in the role of an assertive coach. Let’s hear something about their experiences from another perspective:
Assertive training – Ana, HR
How did the idea to organize a “soft skill” workshop, more precisely assertive training in an IT company, come about?
The idea for soft skill workshops came up a few months ago when we concluded through conversations with employees that they are willing to put in the effort and learn some of the skills that will help them throughout their careers. No matter what you work on, people skills are a “technology” that does not become obsolete, and the “language” of cooperation is always relevant. Working from home encouraged us even more to the tendency to maintain communication at the highest possible level, and the ideas of employees became more and more creative. It took us some time to devise a strategy, including the very structure of the workshops as well as its contents. When it came to implementation, it was already an easier part.
What motivated you for the preparation of this workshop?
For the preparation of the workshop itself, I did not need some extra motivation, in addition to the very idea to use in practice what I had studied for a long time. As a psychologist, any segment in which I can use knowledge from the profession in the workplace, while also helping employees, is welcome. As I told the employees, I always look forward when I see that someone wants to learn something from me.
What does organizing such workshops mean to you from the HR point of view?
From the HR point of view, organizing these workshops means confirmation that our employees are the greatest value of the company, and that the only real investment is an investment in employees.
What did colleagues learn in this training?
The training was interactive, which means that I insisted that my colleagues give their examples and their review of the concept of assertiveness. We talked about advocating for ourselves and defending personal dignity in situations that threaten to endanger it. We touched on various topics, we asked questions related to psychology, law, and ethics, and we did the exercises on personal examples. And what colleagues have learned, I will leave it to them to say. 🙂
What are your plans for some future workshops?
The plans for future workshops are to follow the pace of employees and to successively bring to a more complex level the topic of assertiveness by their understanding and preferences. There are, of course, other related topics, which relate to giving and accepting feedback, thus management, team cooperation, etc. Also, the plan is to practice communication skills from several different angles.
As a new workshop is approaching we asked our colleague Marko what knowledge-sharing means to him and how he is motivated by the role of lecturer.
AWS architecture – Marko, Software developer
What motivated you to prepare the upcoming webinar on AWS architecture?
Most applications today are developed using cloud technologies, including the one I am currently working on, so the idea was to organize this webinar where I would share ideas and knowledge in this area with colleagues. The goal is to show how a combination of different cloud technologies (services) can manage a single complex system. The platform I am working on today counts dozens of American companies and has proven to be a very successful project that seeks to be further improved and perfected.
What will colleagues learn and how will they improve their skills?
The main goal of the webinar is to expand knowledge in the field of AWS as well as the visual presentation of data through map services. The webinar itself will show solutions for managing large amounts of data, the security of the data itself, optimization of map services that display this data, as well as the way companies use our platform to plan their projects.
Given that your expertise is in the field of programming, how will you handle the role of lecturer and do you already have experience with it?
Lecturing or spreading knowledge and ideas has never been a problem for me. I have had the opportunity to participate as a lecturer and as a mentor in conferences and programs intended for people who want to become programmers.
Next week you can expect more details about the workshop, where you will learn more practical tips on AWS technology and our experience on optimizing map services during application development.