Cheers to new beginnings

After a few years full of uncertainty, we have been able to return to normality, although not everything could be from one day to the other because we had to take care of each other and follow the rules in force due to the pandemic.

This normality, no longer the same as before, was full of lessons learned and at SoftEdge we learn how to take advantage of it to come back stronger than ever.

At the beginning, our team, always united and with the need to share, had adopted a cafeteria as a meeting point to work together and not lose the essence that characterizes us: lots of teamwork and a lot of laughter.

But we needed even more, it was no longer enough to see each other some days, because it was difficult to coordinate among all of us and even more difficult to help new colleagues to adapt: there was a latent need and it was there, in the middle of this year, where our new home arrived.

Home sweet home

SoftEdge is a family and that's why when the new office came, it wasn't hard to go back to working on-site. It was harder not seeing each other than having to travel to it!

While there was a worldwide discussion about whether to go back to face-to-face work or whether virtuality was the new best option, at SET the opposite happens: we missed the music on Fridays, the shared lunches, the walks to the bakery, the jokes followed by a hug, the ping pong to relax when we lacked a little creativity, the pampering from our friend from human resources who spoiled us with delicious cakes and the chats in the corridors.

There was nothing imposed, we are an atypical team: we were the ones who asked to return to face-to-face work.

But we could not simply do a rollback, we needed to incorporate what we had learned in the pandemic and understand the latent need of a team that was getting bigger and bigger; and there came the solution that we implemented in 2022: hybrid work.

We agreed on a format in which for two days we all go to the office and another three days we do smartworking.

Why was this dynamic chosen? We needed a middle ground, where we could share, integrate, help each other, exchange with colleagues from other projects and also understand each other's new realities without making a radical change, giving the possibility to work from wherever we wanted. There were those who had moved, had taken the pleasure of sharing with their family or pets, children who had become accustomed to spending more time with their parents, etc.

Flexibility, trust and continuous communication became pillars of this solution.

We were able to recover the magic that had been lost in the virtual world, and that made it worthwhile to have sought a new office, where we all want to go and which is even available even on days when we do not have coordinated attendance, with a comfortable and pleasant space that can always be accessed.

However, not everything is done within working hours, when we say that we are a family and that we love to share moments together, it is also outside of work. This year we have shared a lot of activities: karting races, mixed soccer, after office, cultural exchange (drinking mate while watching the Uruguay matches and then eating turkey for Thanksgiving) and our amazing end-of-year-party where we shared two days of pure laughter and even a World Cup final.

We adapt, we don't slow down

In the midst of uncertainties, some fears and abrupt changes, SoftEdge aimed to continue growing.

Such was the confidence that existed in our team as clients, that we managed to grow 53%, and create two new departments: Sales and Marketing, incorporating two new roles: Fabiana Mosera - CEO and Sofia Cassina - Marketing && Communications Manager.

At the same time, it is worth highlighting the increase of women in the team, which was 50% compared to 2021! This is something we are proud of, as we work every day to close the gap that exists in technology, such as sharing talks on gender equity.

Although SET has had women in its staff since the beginning, we aim to equalize the percentage of women and men in the company, always valuing people for their knowledge and skills.

Something that was implemented to boost the growth in the number of women was not only to open vacancies and wait for resumes to be sent to us, but to proactively look for profiles that meet or exceed our expectations.

What was it that allowed us to grow?

One key was the relationship we have with our clients, with whom there is a mutual trust, where we take their projects as ours and we offer them all our knowledge and ideas, not simply following instructions but challenging ourselves and challenging them, knowing that customer success, is our success as well.

If you ask us who make up SET, our answer is very clear, it is not only our own work team, but it also includes our current and past clients and those who will join us in the future. It is also made up of all those people who collaborate with us so that everything works on a daily basis, becoming part of our home.

What does 2023 hold for us?

In the coming year we aim to continue growing, improving and challenging ourselves.

How do we want to do this?

By looking for new ways to bridge the gender gap not only in our company but in the area, to go out in search of new clients and industries, to continue to grow our family, and always, to challenge ourselves to be better!