Kata Jóna is an Android Developer who left Hungary in 2018 joining MHP Lab — A Porsche Company Berlin Office. A few months ago we contacted her, and offered an opportunity to get a job at SumUp, a card payments processing company operating across 32 markets on 3 continents. She was hired, and went through the onboarding process remotely during the times of quarantine.

We talked to Kata about her relocation choice, some effects that COVID-19 had on her work and aspects of the recruitment process that she'd like to be changed.


Reasons to choose Germany
What made you pick Berlin in the first place?


- "I knew that there would be some problems with going to the UK so I picked Berlin where salaries are much higher than in Hungary. This city is so international, and it has a really nice atmosphere. Plus, the climate is quite the same."

How was your adaptation in a new country?

- "At MHP almost all of my colleagues were German. At first, it was really hard because I could not speak this language, but the company offered me German lessons. The environment was helpful, and now I am much more self-confident."

Kata's positive experience fits perfectly into statistics. According to the 2016 Rosetta Stone Business Impact Survey, 70% of employers feel more confident when working with teams or partners after completing a corporate language course. Results also showed that this practice can improve business operations, increase your team's productivity and engagement, and drive company loyalty.
While the markets become extremely globalized, language training for employees is no longer a fancy workplace perk but rather a necessity. It's not only a way to raise your profits, though companies that provide inclusive training programs have 218% higher income per worker, but also an excellent instrument for retaining your employees. Seven out of ten surveyed in a 2016 poll indicated that job-related training affected their decision to stay at their current job.


Experience with recruitment agencies
How do you like cooperating with agencies?

"In general, I like agencies because sometimes it's really hard to find a new job, and agencies always have a list of positions. Besides, it's a lot easier as I don't have to care about all the hiring processes.

However, some agencies can be too pushy, and it frightens me. I don't like it when agents insist on having a call while I don't even know what this call will be about. I need time to prepare for a call that's why I prefer to do as much as possible through a chat.

I would like an agency to make a list of job options so that I can have a look and decide to proceed further or not. Also, it's very useful when agencies give companies' locations at the very beginning, at least the districts. In Berlin, it can take one and a half hours a day to get to work, and I would not consent to that".

Tough commuting has always been one of the top reasons for candidates to decline a company's job offer. Moreover, it often happens at the last moment or even after the start of the onboarding process because at first applicants tend to underestimate the inconvenience of daily transportation.

The results of Redline Group's research (2017) demonstrated that nearly 20% of all offer rejections were caused by a company's location or need to relocate. In a post-COVID world, this is obviously less relevant but if you can't provide such candidates with WFH opportunities, it's worthy to consider travel compensation.


Impact of COVID-19 on the working process
How big was the impact and what have changed in your routine?

"I wouldn't say that my work has been extremely affected by the pandemic because I'm used to working online at least for half of a day. The only unusual thing was that I never met my teammates. It's really hard to put a face to a name when someone's saying something or reviewing my work. For me, it would be better to come to the office. It feels more personal than video calls."

The lack of in-person communication is quite a common complaint among those workers who had to go remote. As stated in a new report by Okta, more than half of surveyed 6000 employees across Europe miss having in-person conversations with their colleagues. However, remote working saves time that people usually spend on commuting and office-related distractions thus productivity has barely decreased after the total shift to WFH.

More than 75% of UK and US employees don't want to return to offices on a full-time five-day-a-week basis, but only 17% of British respondents would prefer a completely remote-working arrangement. So it seems like the COVID-19 pandemic reminded us that there wasn't only one way to keep all your employees both productive and comfortable. Perhaps, now it's time for companies to provide workers with maximum flexibility where possible so that every team member can pick the most effective and safe option for them.

Here at Recruitty we are striving for diversity in the workplace. This is our fourth article on hiring female developers. Don't forget to check out the first story if you haven't done it ye!