Working at AsstrA for the Long Haul

Creating a working environment that enables employees to improve their competencies is an important step companies can take to retain their top performers. A good internal recruitment system is a key factor in the long-term development of an organization. It removes the so-called “glass ceiling” and, most importantly, allows employees to continue their professional growth within one company even if their career plans change along the way. Employees participating in internal recruitment initiatives may rise within a company’s organizational hierarchy via vertical promotion or change the scope of their duties via a horizontal shift.

“At AsstrA, we focus on helping our employees develop and take their own career paths. We give them the opportunity to gain new experiences in a working environment that encourages long-term employment. Experience shows that the implementation of a comprehensive training system as well as vertical and horizontal job changes doesn’t just help us retain employees. It also helps us meet ongoing recruitment targets, improve employees’ efficiency, and increase our people’s job satisfaction,” emphasizes Izabela Przyborowska, HR Manager AsstrA Polska.

Encouraging employees’ professional development is very important. With support from leaders, a team member is more productive, motivated, and self-confident. As a result, he or she can achieve even better results and make plans for more professional growth within the company’s structure.

“I joined AsstrA in 2010 as a Freight Forwarder and stayed in that position for over two years. I was a fairly decent Forwarder but I had to struggle to succeed. Then I joined what used to be called the Supplier Division, which was part of the Business Analytics Division at the time. Here I really found my calling and place in the company. I could finally make full use of my talents and abilities and succeed thanks to my personal characteristics, not in spite of them. I have now been at AsstrA for over a decade with full speed ahead on this development journey. My role, expectations, requirements, and duties have changed over the years. I watched as my division, which became SRM (Supplier Relationship Management) and then most recently TSD (Transportation Security Division), evolved from a one-woman-army in the form of the irreplaceable Olga Magomedova into a 10-person unit with even more growth anticipated. The team’s size and personnel have changed, and I have recruited many of its members. Some of my colleagues who began their AsstrA journey under my wing have already moved on to other divisions and departments. The scope of our job and what we are monitoring has grown and evolved in line with market demand and the company’s development and rising profile. The workload has been colossal at times, with crazy hours and huge stress, but I have prevailed because this is the job I was cut out for,” says Michał Młynarski, SRM Division Deputy Head.

For an employee to successfully stay with one employer for a long time, the key is to find a suitable role that makes it possible to thrive, achieve new goals, and take advantage of his or her unique skills set and traits. 

“My career at Asstra has always included a lot of variety. I started as a trainee in 2008 and this role gave me a good foundation for continuing to develop myself further later. This foundation still helps me a lot today. I know how to give my colleagues optimal support because I have experienced almost every situation they face in their day-to-day work. I entered a new career phase in 2016 when the Express Delivery team was formed. Since then, I have been jointly responsible for leading many people. Taking leadership was a major change that also involved many obstacles. As of today, however, we have been able to develop a great unit within the EU. We aim to handle 13,000 shipments this year and have ambitious goals. Soon we will have an on-the-ground presence in over 10 countries so as to be closer to our customers and carriers,” says Christian Eckstein, Head of the Express & Partial Load Division in Magdeburg.