Holds together what belongs together

Christine can look back on a long career at virtual7, which began back in 2012 and is far from over. From accounting and security-related topics to HR, Christine has done it all and has always been on hand to provide advice and support to all employees and the management. She has met new requirements in the workplace with enthusiasm since day one and, as a big fan of responsiveness, she is always happy to give newcomers good tips on settling in and thus helps to keep together what belongs together.

How long have you been with virtual7?

I’ve been with virtual7 for almost 12 years now. I started as a working student in the accounting department and helped with some HR issues. At that time, we only had 25 employees in Germany and four to five employees in Romania. It was very different to how it is now. In the beginning, I worked closely with one of our Managing Directors. It was more traditional – whenever tasks came up, I dealt with them. Over time, however, the company has grown more and more. I was taken on after my studies and became a permanent employee, but I concentrated more on HR and not so much on accounting issues.

What are your tasks at virtual7 now? From your point of view, what has changed the most in recent years?

Back then, I helped organize trade fairs and events in addition to accounting and HR issues. I also took care of applicant management. At the time, I still had to record everything by hand and process it in an ancient system and Excel spreadsheets. Contract documents were always created in Word – without any templates. In the meantime, a lot has changed in this area and many things have improved thanks to automation and programs. Of course, collaboration and the workload have also changed a lot in recent years. In the beginning, I was responsible for many topics on my own, but now we do everything as a team and divided between the respective roles. In general, however, the legal framework has also changed in recent years and we have had to develop and adapt at all levels. But even today, there are many individual issues that cross my desk. I always try to meet the individual needs of the employees and get the best possible results for them.

What was the biggest challenge you had to face at virtual7 in recent years?

My most exciting challenge was when I came back from parental leave after 1.5 years. A few things have changed during this time. My tasks haven’t changed much, but our HR team has grown in the meantime and the tasks have been redistributed. In addition, virtual7 has grown again overall and heads have been introduced. It was a new way of working compared to before, and I first had to get used to it. Whenever something new is added, it’s always a challenge and an exciting task. But that’s what characterizes virtual7: things are constantly changing, you continue to develop and grow with new tasks. You can see that, not least since the introduction of the responsive company organization.

What is particularly important in your work?

Of course, it’s important to me that I know my way around my roles and know exactly where my responsibilities lie. What’s more, employees can always come to me. New employees in particular always seem a bit overwhelmed at the beginning. There are so many topics at virtual7, be it the responsive company organization, the meeting structures or all the roles and opportunities that virtual7 offers them. I always want to approach each person cordially and answer all their questions without seeming annoyed. Ultimately, I also want them to come to me and get a reliable solution to their concerns – that’s particularly important to me. I also have high expectations of myself when it comes to the quality of my work. Wages and salaries are important and sensitive issues, so no mistakes are allowed.

What excites you most about your job?

I think it’s great to see that we have never stood still in recent years. Together with virtual7, I have also undergone further development. I actually come from the controlling department and have more or less grown into the HR department over the years. It is important to me not to stand still and to be able to answer any questions. I still really enjoy number-driven topics such as wages and salaries – but I’ve always been interested in other topics too, which is how I got the role of Workplace Security. It was very challenging, especially last year (2021), but I also grew with these completely new tasks.

How has your day-to-day work changed since the introduction of responsiveness?

I think the responsive company organization is really cool. My day-to-day work has changed completely. I like the independence and personal responsibility for my roles. It’s become more about leading and encouraging. No one stands in front of you with a raised index finger and tells you how to best fulfill your tasks and roles. You are responsible for your own tasks and ultimately only have to answer to yourself. We all work together towards a clearly defined goal and support each other. The exchange of experience between us has become much stronger and more intensive. Even though more coordination is now required and there are many more meetings, they are always very goal-oriented and you can always take something out of them for yourself and your work. I am motivated by the knowledge that I am making a contribution to the entire team through my work. Not least because the Human Relations Core Cluster is all about the people in the company.

You actively guided your colleagues through the pandemic, what was that like?

I first had to get to grips with all the new topics. After all, there had never been anything like it in my entire time at virtual7. I dealt with state regulations, how other companies handle the situation and so much more. Of course, it wasn’t a pleasant topic. I was aware that all the measures we agreed on would have a major impact on all employees. After all, there were always a lot more colleagues in the office before the regulations and there was always something going on. That’s why it was very important to me to act early and never lose sight of the safety of all employees. Social contacts can quickly be lost in the home office, but from my role as “Workplace Security”, the hygiene concept for virtual7 and the measures that resulted from it were necessary to protect everyone.

Would you re-apply to virtual7 today?

Yes, of course! If a position was advertised that interested me, I would take the step again. That’s how it was back then. Today, I know all our processes and have an insight into the company, so it’s hard for me not to consider all the benefits. But I really believe that even today, after a phone call with someone from Recruiting, I would be completely convinced and would join straight away. I am still fascinated by the development that virtual7 has undergone and how the company has gradually grown and taken on more and more exciting projects. It’s important to me to work in a great environment, with people who know their job and want to make a difference.

About the artist

MAIKE KLEIN

“I’ve had a pencil in my hand and been drawing for as long as I can remember.

As a teenager, the manga/anime style had a big influence on my own style. I was particularly fascinated by the beautiful stories from Ghibli. Even back then, I liked to think up characters and stories myself and draw them. I still enjoy drawing imaginative worlds with witches, ghosts, dragons and other creatures today. I now prefer to draw digitally, but in my free time I also like to paint with gouache or watercolor from time to time.

In 2020, I decided to study illustration. I finished in October 2023 and graduated with a degree in illustration.

My dream is to make the world a little more beautiful through art. Whether in children’s books, small animations or other fantastic projects – I’m excited to see where my path as an illustrator will take me.”

Take a look at Instagram …

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