Text: Monika Ocieczková
There are important things in my life that matter to me. Good relationships, humor, exercise, home and work.
I studied at the Business Academy in český Těšín and after thirteen years I returned here and joined FINIDR printing company. It was 2009, I gradually gained ten years of experience and then spent five and a half years with my family. After maternity leave, I was returning to familiar surroundings. I like our book production and the people here are close to me. Another advantage is that I have it nearby. I’m at work within 15 minutes.
I joined our printing company as an assistant to the owner and after seven years I was in charge of the Marketing Department. If you’re wondering what the difference is between working for Mr. Drahos or Marketing or Expedition, it’s a vastly different world. The only thing that all these working positions have in common are nice people and lightning fast work pace.
During my 20 years of work experience, I have worked in several companies in different positions (assistant, clerk, e-shop manager, marketing specialist) and my work mostly involved organization. Therefore, the offer to work after maternity leave in the Expeditions department as a transport dispatcher appealed to me.
What was new for me and what did I have to learn? I started in the summer and had the opportunity to learn the routine of the operation. Every day I’m in contact with carriers, colleagues from our Expedition, Production, Sales and other departments. The job of a transport dispatcher was new to me, as was the efficient planning of transports, registering and ordering transport in SyteLine, processing invoices, orienting myself in transport prices, new contacts, etc. With the coming autumn, the numbers of books shipped are increasing, the atmosphere is getting thicker, the nervousness is rising. I am of the opinion that adaptation is supposed to be difficult, so I “kicked the propeller” (what is my colleague Katka’s favourite phrase). I try to do my job honestly and to the best of my ability and learn from my mistakes.
I enjoy solving systemic things. Make my job easier if I can. A colleague who wants and suggests solutions is a plus for me. One of my favorite quotes is, “It’s better to light a candle than to complain about the darkness.” My way out of the madness all around us is to come back to myself. To the values my grandparents held and focus on what I can influence. I’m learning to have the strength and courage to speak my mind, even if it’s completely different from others. Because only when we talk to each other, discuss our differences, listen to each other, can we come to an agreement.
While on maternity leave, I was thinking about what I wanted to do next. I like to learn new things, and that’s what Expedition is for me. I now understand the context more and I know there is much more I need to understand. I thank everyone I deal with on a daily basis for their patience and willingness to talk things through. I would like to thank my colleague Katka Sikorová for teaching me. I appreciate her for her many years of experience in logistics, her diligence and patience. We understand each other, I like her humour, which gives us perspective, which is necessary in tense situations. And we’re learning not to take things personally.
