Breaking the workplace stereotypes: Meet Grażyna!
Stereotype views like "only men can be capable engineers and women are just a better fit to do precision jobs" and "logical thinking and structure are part of the men’s world, while artistic sense and empathy belong to women" are still present in today’s workplace. And if we are honest with ourselves, we can probably even observe their impact on our own thinking and decisions.
In Solar, however, we want to promote an organisational culture, which does not feed on old clichés, but rather seeks to explore and value the potential skills and capabilities of every individual Solarian.
To promote this quest for a better match between our own talents and dreams and the job possibilities we create in Solar, we want to tell you a story of our colleague from Poland, who took on such a challenge and has never looked back since. Let us introduce to you: Grażyna Polinowska, Facility Manager of Solar Polska!
From Office Assistant to Facility Manager
Grażyna started her career with Solar in 2018 as an Office Assistant, where she was responsible for administrative tasks. Formerly, she spent some years in a controlling job, but deep in her heart she had always dreamed of organizing things and working with people on accomplishing difficult tasks. She first realised that she also has a talent for this when some of her friends asked her to help them organize a holiday trip. She enjoyed doing all the arrangements very much and immediately she knew; that was it! So whenever such opportunities to get involved in tasks related to managing projects came along in Solar Polska, Grażyna was always the first one to grab them. And her abilities within this area were soon recognised by her manager, who promoted her to Facility Manager.
What is your job all about?
“My typical facility management responsibilities include all sorts of tasks related to cooperation with facility maintenance services covering the areas of repair and renewal, all the facility installations, office and warehouse cleaning, etc. However, the thing that I like the most about my job is that it does not stop at these standard facility management tasks. The list of my responsibilities is much more diverse. It also includes fleet management tasks and special projects from time to time. It means a broad variety of challenges I need to handle every day. It’s very motivating and satisfying to get my mind and hands on them and see them accomplished even though in the beginning it seemed almost impossible.”
What is the greatest challenge you have faced in your job so far?
“When I think about the most demanding tasks I have had so far, it almost immediately pops up in my mind: “The new SSC office area development project”. The project was started in the beginning of 2021 when the Solar Group in response to a dynamic growth of the Shared Services Centre in Łódź decided to provide our 130 colleagues employed there with new and modern office areas. I was really lucky that the project wasn’t solely my responsibility, but I worked on it closely with a colleague from the SSC. When we launched the project I was sure that we would manage to finish it in a year’s time. Well, it took us 18 months with many difficult negotiations and discussions with contractors and suppliers along the way. To accomplish the task, we also had to work long hours. Some installation tests had to be performed late at night, so on some nights we were working past midnight. A very challenging thing to me was also the decisions we constantly had to make in regard to materials and furniture.”
How do you cope with the hard moments in your job?
“I like being around people, getting to know them and organising things, which can hopefully influence their life positively. Being a 15-year-old teenager, I was already running around my home town Kędzierzyn-Koźle and organising support for our greatest Polish charity fund WOŚP. So, when the more difficult moments come, I just reach out to people and ask them for help. But it also helps to remind myself that what I do is important to other people and if I accomplish my task they will be able to benefit from the results.”
How do you keep work-life balance, while still meeting deadlines?
“I love travelling and I try to do it as often as I can. When on holiday, I try to keep my mind off work, but because I like what I do and the people I work with, it is actually refreshing for me to take one or two phone calls or email someone from time to time. In that way, I am not worried that when I return from holiday I will have to fight fires, which could have been avoided.”
Which most important piece of personal advice would you like to offer to all Solarians?
“Never give up on your dreams. And when life gets tough, just walk the distance with the people around you. You are not alone!”