Interview with Human Resources Manager, Sintija Degle

No team is complete without a dedicated HR Manager. Not only do these talented individuals deal with literally EVERYONE in the company, but they also are your first line of contact for any issues you may have (not that we ever have any, obviously!). There are many laws and regulations and it is an HR professional’s job to stay on top of them, so if you’re looking to keep your business compliant, help influence culture and keep your staff happy — well, you need someone like Sintija.

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough. So dream big — as we do.” — Sintija Degle

Here at Hash Rush, we’re no different — that’s why we’ve got Sintija, our super-personable, ever-helpful - HR Manager! But enough about that, to the interview! (Here’s an audio cue if you need one).

• Hi Sinca, thanks for taking the time for this interview! I can see you were hard at work, so before I interrupted you, what were you up to?

I was stretching and getting my dose of satisfaction by eating chocolate! You’ll often hear me saying: ‘’Save the Earth, cuz’ it’s the only planet with chocolate!’’

• I mean, if there was ever a way to get people to recycle, that could be the way! I think we’re on to a slogan here!

Hah, that might be a good slogan for some chocolate factory or those who are dependent on chocolate as I am. Well, anyhow this is a great idea Matthew, we could encourage recycling even more at our office too!

• OK, so, chocolate aside, could you give us a brief introduction of yourself?

Well, I’m Sintija! I’m joyful, smiley-ish, lovely-ish and somehow a crazy, yet calm person at the same time, who is always keen to get closer to myself. Overall — I’m playing different roles in this life as we all do, but specifically at Hash Rush — taking care of the Human Resource (HR) related matters is my role!

• I think we could probably drop the “ish” from those! So, how did you come to hear about the Hash Rush project?

Well, this time Hash Rush found me first, so I was lucky and honoured to hear the story of the project from passionate team leader and my future boss — Archie

• Don’t you just love it when things like that happen! So how do you fit into the team and what are your main responsibilities?

I would say — building a bridge between the management team and employees. Although sometimes their interests might be on opposite sides, I’m always there smack-bang in the middle acting as a mediator to create a win-win solution for everyone. My goal is to help the organisation grow through its most valuable asset — people. To me, humans are the most precious asset in any company. Sure, you can have the technology, but that’s not the sole driving force behind your success.

• Well, speaking of human - who do you work with most, on a day-to-day basis?

Hmm, I consider myself very lucky to work with basically everyone at the company. The person I see and interact with the most is undoubtedly my office roommate — Riga’s Office Manager Dita Burve. I’ve known her for several years and hold the same ethos as to how we want to deliver success to our clients. Also, I just really admire her — she’s a great inspiration, plus, she’s got an amazing personality!

Oh, apart from her, in terms of work — I spend a lot of time communicating with our Accountant and Executive Assistant.

Left to Right: Sintija, Laura, Dita

• That’s amazing, I think it’s always good to work with people who inspire you! So, what does a regular day look like for yourself?

A Regular day? Well, it consists of being agile and flexible as I’m accustomed to colleagues changing their mind on the spot or swiftly having a new idea that we need to accommodate.

However, you’ll most often find me working on contracts, internal policies, offers, Excel spreadsheets (there’s no escaping them!), and developing strategies to ensure we’ve got a happy and knowledgeable workforce. Essentially making sure we’re doing the best that we can and remaining a profitable business! That’s what my regular day includes.

• That sounds like a lot! Especially as the team isn’t all in one location — have you ever worked with a distributed team before and how do you manage working with some many time zones?

Before I used to work at one of the“Big 4” companies, which has given me amazing experience. Mainly I worked within CEE and EMEA cluster, so the time difference wasn’t so noticeable. And yes — distributed teams are common practice to me. Here working over several time zones makes it just more challenging. But for us — nothing is impossible, maybe just a bit harder to achieve ;)

• Spoken like a true HR Manager! So what is it you like most about Hash Rush?

The free snack bar (laughing).

A well-fed team is a happy team!

• I can’t argue with that!

But really, probably the diversity and integrity that we have. We’re an absolute cultural cocktail and I purely believe it gives enormous added value work-wise. Also, I find it challenging from a business perspective — to combine different expertise, backgrounds, generations, religions, working styles, genders and much more. I just love our team of 18 people coming from 8 countries and 4 continents.

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• I can’t disagree, I think we all bring a little something extra to the table and it’s what makes us amazing as a team! I know a lot of our team are gamers, so I’ve got to ask the question - you a gamer yourself?

Honestly, no. This role and industry is a whole new world to me. But I believe all the most amazing experiences in life start with being outside your comfort zone!

• Great, thanks so much Sinca. Is there anything else you would like to share with the Hash Rush community?

Work hard, play harder — which fits perfectly with the Hash Rush team! Overall — if your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.

So dream big — as we do.

Thanks Sintija, I’ll let you get back to work now!

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