I know, I know, by now you’re probably tired of seeing software houses brag about how cool they are. Multisport cards, medical care, team retreats – we’ve all heard it a dozen times. There are two things, however, that are pretty unique to every company: the working space and the distinct vibe of partnership it creates. Thinking about our office, we’re not afraid to say that it plays a major role in making Merixstudio one of the best places to work at. But you don’t have to take my word for it – read on and you’ll see it for yourself.
Let’s go back in time
Before I show you where we work (and have fun), let’s go back in time. At the beginning of our journey, we were a rather small team of IT professionals who didn’t need much space – three floors in a flat in a tenement were just enough for us.
However, as Merixstudio grew, our beloved Wilda office turned from cozy to crowded. Not only was there little room for a truly modern design but – even more importantly – there was simply not enough space to accommodate the entire growing team. The moment we started conducting client calls in the hallway, we knew relocation is a must.
Finding a perfect office space wasn’t easy, however. Price, square meterage, distance from the city center – these were the most important factors we had to take into consideration. Fortunately, in 2017, we found a place that met our high expectations. And so we moved.
Małachowskiego 10: the house of Merixstudio today
Our current house is Podwale Office Center. If you look at the map of Poznań, it may seem like a distant location. Truth is, however, the public transport connects it with all major city districts. And if you’re more of an active type, you can always bike to work, like Piotr, our Senior Project Manager, does.
I cycle to work regularly and the cool thing about office is that I can leave my bike in a dedicated space. It’s pretty convenient because it keeps my bike safe and dry. Plus, there are a couple of showers available which is nice especially in the summer.
Wondering where out office is? Right next to Ostrów Tumski and Warta river.
Not fond of commuting or biking? You can always follow in the footsteps of Wiesław, our PHP Developer, and take a walk. It’s good not only for your health but also for catching Pokemons ;)
If you’re a numbers person, on the other hand, you might be interested to learn that our office is comprised of two parts: the first floor, which spans 1174 square meters, and the recently opened ground floor that covers 879 square meters. Wait a minute – isn’t that TOO spacious? Well, technically yes, but that is bound to change sooner than you think.
Just like any other company, we have certain plans concerning future employment as well as building brand awareness. And with a roomy working space we can be sure to implement both of them.
Just what our employees and clients need
When we moved to Małachowskiego, our team consisted of sixty-something people who would fit into a smaller office. Even if you visit us today, you’ll notice that some desks are empty and a significant amount of space is taken by the infamous bean bags or plants. At the same time, however, we know that our company is going to grow substantially soon. Just to give you an example: this year, we’ve started working towards growing our team to at least 200 professionals by the end of 2020. Taking this number into consideration, it’s safe to say that a bigger office is an investment in our future success.
Back at the tenement, we didn’t have much space for holding meetings, not to mention running product design workshops. Fortunately, the relocation to Małachowskiego solved most of our problems in this respect. On top of that, a couple of months ago we inhabited the ground floor of the Podwale Office Center as well. And believe me when I say that the conference rooms located there allow to truly bring out what’s best in our design team.
What I really like about our conference rooms is how flexible they are. If we need an informal space, we just fold desks, exchange chairs for bean bags, sit down, and work. There’s also plenty of space for hanging large sheets of paper, sticking post-its, and drawing on glass boards
– says Maria, our UX Designer.
Here’s how the workshop rooms benefit our clients and designers alike
Speaking of conference rooms: with 19 of them located on both floors, we felt the need to facilitate the booking process. To attain this goal, equipped our new office with Chamberlain – an IoT booking system which we envisioned already in Wilda. Sounds interesting? Here’s an account of how we upgraded the system during an internal hackathon held at the beginning of 2019.
Sharing the knowledge and the unique Merixstudio vibe
Another reason for renting over two thousand square meters is linked to the way we engage with the community. We love holding educational events like Dev College for a couple of reasons: they spark youngsters’ interest in new technologies, give us a chance to exchange opinions with other IT professionals, and allow us to convey the positive Merixstudio vibe. With a bigger office at our disposal, we finally got a chance to share our knowledge while simultaneously showing the events’ attendees who we really are and where we work on a daily basis.
Our conference rooms have proved perfect both for workshops...
… and full-blown meetups or conferences.
Poznań, Poznań everywhere
Before I introduce you to all the office-related benefits, let me tell you a bit more about the interior design.
We consider ourselves a truly international company; at the same time, however, we feel strongly connected to Poznań. After all, that’s where Merixstudio was born and where our headquarters is located. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that the fondness of this city underlies all our office design decisions. Here’s what Marcin Staszak, our COO, has to say about them:
The longer you live in the city, the harder it gets for you to notice how exciting and vibrant it is. You realize it only once you start showing other people around. That was my case as well.
As I was introducing Poznań to our foreign clients and employees who relocated to work at Merixstudio, I got to see my birthplace with fresh eyes. I suddenly began to perceive all the historical landmarks and seemingly ordinary spots in all their glory. And I thought to myself: why not display them in the office? After all, these are the places where we spend most of our time and which make us proud. And that’s how our Poznań-themed interior design came about.
Can you name the landmarks behind Natalia’s and Kasia’s backs?
If you visit our office today, you’ll find the traces of Poznań everywhere: in the dynamic photographs (most of which were taken by Marcin himself and Aydin, our PHP Developer) as well as the large geometric stickers and murals by Paweł Stepanow, our former Game Artist.
Fun fact: each of our conference rooms has been named after a prominent location in Poznań. So when visiting us, don’t be surprised if you end up in Okrąglak, Bałtyk, or Półwiejska.
Why we hold the office dear to our hearts
Now that you know the main idea behind the design of our office, it’s time you understood what makes us fall in love with it every day.
Open space which isn’t as scary after all
Working on different projects, we appreciate the pros of open space such as flexibility and ease of quick space reorganization. Of course, it’s hard to deny that the open concept is getting a lot of bad rap because of the noise, distractions, and the lack of privacy. However, we’re not turning a blind eye to these drawbacks. On the contrary, we’re doing our best to outweigh them with aesthetic touch-ups and practical solutions that make our office comfortable to work in.
The thing that many find most disturbing is the open space buzz. How are we fighting against this unavoidable interruption? First of all, we’re putting in every effort to educate our colleagues on the importance of preserving a strong company culture of mutual respect. Then, those of us who can’t focus in a noisy environment can choose to work in quiet rooms. Finally, if we need to discuss an urgent matter with the rest of the team, we’re always trying to do so in a conference room rather than at a desk.
Forget about tense atmosphere and stiff back
Being inspired by industry big fish, we chose to make our working environment as welcoming as possible. For that reason, we filled the open space with bean bag chairs and plants. While the former allow to stretch and relieve the sore muscles from time to time, the latter help clean the air and boost our creativity.
Who said you can’t get comfy at work?
Speaking of sore muscles: if you’re anything like us (and since you’re reading this article, you most likely are), you’re spending the vast majority of your day sitting in front of a computer. This can sooner or later cause you neck and back pain. Not to mention how doing nothing but staring at the screen for a couple of hours can make you run out of creativity pretty soon. There’s one thing that helps us deal with both of these problems at once: the Zamek chill room. Equipped with a massage chair and a fine view of the Poznań Cathedral, it quickly became my personal favorite. And trust me - you’ll love it too.
I almost forgot to mention one really important thing: when in the office, all of us wear slippers. How cool is that?
Work hard, play hard
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, right? That’s why our office space is packed with perks that we use after hours or when taking a break from writing, coding, testing, and designing.
At this point it’s worth emphasizing that when designing the Małachowskiego office, we wished to make it a reflection of who we are. Sure, hiring an acclaimed interior designer saves time and produces stunning effects. However, it rarely results in the creation of space as personalized as we wanted our office to be.
To achieve this goal, our EB team conducted a survey asking about employees’ preferences concerning the chillout area. Having counted the votes (and eliminating ideas with an EHS-violation potential), we decided to put racing simulators (both fun and safe) in one of the rooms.
The real chillout kingdom, however, is located on the first floor where you’ll find PlayStations and a foosball table. In fact, these two forms of entertainment are so popular that we created dedicated Slack channels for their users. At the same time, if we had to choose the favored one, it would definitely be PlayStation.
We play FIFA almost every day, really. It’s a great way to unwind in the middle of a workday – says Rory, our Business Development Executive, who surely loves a good match. But there’s one person who’s so fond of FIFA that they have a special slot in their calendar devoted to it. Who am I talking about? Well, you’ll need to find out for yourself ;)
So, is the Merixstudio office really that impressive?
Writing how cool our office is and what the members of the Merix team think of it is one thing but hearing what strangers have to say about it is a completely different story. Fortunately, our HR department gets a daily dose of candidates’ reactions to our orange and black working space during job interviews and informal meetings.
Most people like our modern interior design, hand-drawn murals, silent rooms, and chill spaces. Not to mention how astonished they get when I show them the racing simulator or tell them how our booking system was developed
– says Wanessa, our IT Recruitment Specialist.
Are we going to add your picture to this wall soon?
Of course, you don’t have to believe me when I say that our office it one of a kind and that it makes our work much more enjoyable. But if you pay us a visit, you’ll see for yourself that the welcoming atmosphere is not just a gimmick made up for this article. And since we’re holding informal meetings, there are no strings attached.
So what’s it gonna be – will joining Merixstudio’s ranks be one of your life-changing decisions in 2020?
Eager to find your spot at Merixstudio? Check out our job offers!