Not your typical job change – Experiences of a multilingual hybrid team

When it comes to working life here at Schibsted Suomi, it is honestly like no other professional experience I have had. The community, culture and attitude of the company and the people who make it, is very special. If you could bottle it and sell it, you would be onto a very successful business venture.

I’ve been working at Schibsted for a little over 1 year, while I originally joined the team in the analytics function, a few months ago I had a career change to join the product development community. I relocated to Jyväskylä, Finland from the UK in autumn of 2020, since then I have been learning to adjust and embrace the beauty and peace that Finland has to offer, in all its glorious seasons. You can now even often find me clocking up the kilometres on the local ski trails.

The typical scene, exploring nature with my partner in crime. Lila is also a colleague in her own way thanks to our always popular #dogs-n-cats channel in Slack.

“But, you don’t speak Finnish”

…Yes, it’s true. But luckily there are a great many roles where you don’t need to, especially if you can identify a company that supports that. 

Here at Schibsted Suomi, the common company language is English. Meaning the many nationalities that work across various roles and departments can communicate on a level field. The result; a warm, welcoming, inclusive and always learning community. Nobody gets left out, everyone is heard, your input is valued and your colleagues make you feel at home no matter the situation. 

“Where are you?” as well as “How are you?”

Another factor that many of us have been dealing with over the past 2 years, and Schibsted is no exception, is understanding what remote and hybrid work look like in our “new normal”.

Remote work isn’t for everyone, but being heavily introverted means that things like Slack (ft. hundreds of emoji & gifs daily) and virtual meetings are my preferred office space, and despite being hundreds of kilometres away from most of my colleagues, I still feel completely embraced into the working community. This is a testament to the company culture, and reflects that at the very core of Schibsted Suomi is a practice of being “people first”, which means I am lucky enough to make my work, work for me. 

Admiring the Finnish summer evenings during my first Mökki experience (11pm in Mikkeli)

What are some top ways to thrive in a multilingual hybrid team?

1. Be open to new experiences. There is so much to be gained and learned from working with a diverse team or within a culture that is totally new to you. It can be scary and take courage, but give it a try and see how you can develop!
2. Communication is key. It is even more important to establish good relationships & communication principles with your colleagues. Getting to know people on an individual level, personal preferences & styles, and understanding how you can work better together as a team is critical.
3. Be open and learn together. Whether it is learning to pronounce new words or acknowledging cultural differences so you can adapt to work better together. It is a learning experience and everyone involved must be open, curious & honest about that.
4. Find the right company for you that shares your values & principles. If Schibsted Suomi sounds like your kind of workplace… Check out our open jobs here.