What a year can change

My story at Metro Markets began in November 2018, when I joined as the 15th member of a team that believed in something big. At the time, there was no b2b e-commerce platform, but an idea worth pursuing.

I started as the second member of HR / People Team. I co-created the entire employee experience cycle, created guidelines, onboarded 100+ newcomers from different countries, launched HR tools and an employee benefit scheme. And so much more. After an amazing and challenging year, I temporarily left the organization to become a mom and take care of my first son.

Just a month ago, I started back part-time as a new/old member of the Metro Market family, which now has more than 400 employees on board in 2 countries. (In comparison, just over a year ago we were an organization of 130 people in one country). I'm new in the sense that more than half of the organization doesn't know me. But I am also an "old" member who knows the key strategy, culture, systems, processes and has an excessive network within the organization.

What has changed?

A lot has changed in terms of collaboration and work culture since the pandemic. But that's true for any company, so I won't go into details. When I started my leave, everything was "normal" and a year later, I am entering the "new normal" which is not normal at all for me! Entering this work environment, a year later than everyone else, is like stepping back in time. It's a unique experience to see everything from a different perspective, but also very challenging at times.

Seeing our company grow during the pandemic makes me very proud. And by growth, I mean every single number of our business: sales, products available on our platform, consumers, partners and so on.

I have a very vivid memory from December 2018 when we gathered around our kitchen table in the office. We were all there to say goodbye before we left for Christmas vacation. We joked about this being the last time we could all sit around that table. Later in 2019, we would regularly gather in a larger open space in our office, as that was the only room big enough. Right now, we would need a larger venue to accommodate us all. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it happens soon).

This size also requires very organized communication, which I am experiencing now. We only have one platform for communication, one for knowledge management and our OKRs...etc. We no longer have emails for these topics, which makes consuming, finding and storing information much easier. From what I have observed, this especially helps our newcomers to start their journey with us.

What hasn't changed?

If you ask anyone in the company what they like most about working at Metro Markets, 99% will give you the answer: the team. It's been amazing to come back to the company and feel the same enthusiasm in the way people talk to each other and drive things forward. Not only did we keep our drive and motivation, but we were able to share it with our newcomers.

We're all very used to the speed of growth. The fact that we hit records very frequently also keeps the motivation high. I don't think any of us can think of a month at Metro Markets where we don't onboard 10+ new members. In which we don't reach a goal that was unimaginable a few months ago, and in which we don't solve problems that came up just days before. Our team is the biggest driver of our success.

Finally, what hasn't changed is our shared understanding of our company goals and values. Just like any fast spaceship, we always have a clear focus and goal to focus all resources and forces in the right direction.

How have I changed?

I'll end this story on a personal note about how my perception has changed between early 2020 and now. Because I'm no longer just a driving professional, I'm also a "mama". I'm no longer employed full time and can just stay a little longer to get things done. Time. A resource I no longer have the same amount as I used to. Now I turn to other resources I can use like networking, quick decision making, results orientation, flexibility and cold priority management.

I have great support from my new/old team members, for which I am always very grateful. Also, the department I am now responsible for as People Partner is not only amazing, but they let me define my own roles in our collaboration. I can work how I want, when I want. Being able to say that is a privilege I wish every parent could have in 2021.