Meet Reaktorians
“I got to know some Reaktor employees when I was in a project that Reaktor was also involved in as a contractor. I noticed that Reaktor’s people were very capable and got interested in the company. My first visit to Reaktor was also a positive surprise. The atmosphere of the whole office was really pleasant.
Most Reaktor employees work at customer sites. I myself work as a project manager in an Agile software project with a telecommunications operator. Most of my work involves coordination and communicating with people. A typical problem a team faces requires several people’s skill and contribution to solve. I then try to find the right people to discuss the issue and solve the problem. In my current project, customer representatives and subcontractors work on three different continents, which creates additional challenges.
Many Reaktor employees have a highly technical role. My role is slightly different: I have a technical background but my current job is mainly about working with people. I like a facilitative and people-oriented way of working. I believe that when people enjoy themselves and the working conditions are good, technical problems are also easier to solve. Technical expertise is also needed, of course. Reaktor is on the cutting edge of many things, and you have to work hard to keep up with your colleagues.
The company’s clubs, for example, are good for getting to know colleagues. Last winter, after a skydiving course and some road cycling, I got interested in cross-country skiing. About twenty of our skiing club members completed the Finlandia Ski Marathon for the first time last winter. In my spare time I make music with computers and practice Bujinkan, a school of japanese martial arts that I’ve practiced for almost 15 years.
I think the secret of Reaktor’s success is that we genuinely treat each other as human beings and everyone is accepted as they are, with their strengths and weaknesses. When people trust each other, it is easy to learn new things from on another, and there is no reason to hide your weaknesses.”
“I have worked for Reaktor for over four years now. My tasks have varied from coding to large-scale Agile transformation coaching. In the last few years I have coached our customers’ employees all around the world, facilitated large but agile planning meetings, and gained valuable knowledge about scaling Agile methods.
Reaktor doesn’t have traditional career paths, and instead we focus on actively developing ourselves. We are free to move to different roles. Next I would like to return closer to practical team work again.
Reaktor trusts its employees, so we also have a lot of responsibility. Reliable colleagues act as a support network so nobody is left behind. But big responsibility does not mean working extra-long hours, it means focusing on what is essential.
Bureaucracy is noticeably absent at Reaktor. We have no official processes or technology solutions. We question everything and attempt to improve things all the time. This also applies to the company’s business operations and in-house practices.
Perhaps the single most important reason why I enjoy working at Reaktor is the non-existent hierarchy. We do have management, of course, but they are more like colleagues than bosses. There is no need for unnecessary kowtowing.
Reaktor has a broad range of different people and skills profiles. From the beginning, the focus has been on software development on a practical level, so a vast majority of Reaktor’s employees are hardcore programmers. However, especially in the last years, experienced coaches, product specialists and facilitators have also found their way to Reaktor. User interaction design, better know as functional specification at Reaktor, is also highly valued here. This wide range of different professionals has given me the opportunity to broaden my own skills to different areas. In addition to everyday learning at work, we also organize in-house training where we can spar with each other.
We spend a lot of our free time together with various sports and club activities. I participate in running events with Reaktor’s running club Askel. From time to time I cast lures with our fishing club Catch-And-Release, even though I am not an avid fisherman. In my free time, I also sing in the death metal band Embreach and do improvisation theater.”
“I have worked as a software engineer at Reaktor for about five years. The company has changed and grown a lot during this time. Projects are even more interesting than before, the expertise of Reaktor employees has expanded, and the company’s reputation has grown.
The original Reaktor atmosphere is still there, though. Joining our clubs, for example, is easy for new and old employees alike, and our organizational hierarchy is as non-existent as before. You can still text the CEO and ask for his burger patty recipe, and there is no need to go cap in hand climbing to some ivory tower.
I work as a software engineer and I get to do exactly what I want, which is focusing on coding. In my previous jobs I have felt that if you do not move on to managerial duties it seems like you are somehow stuck in place. But here you learn new things all the time and get to develop as a specialist. There are so many talented people around it’s easy ask for help and advice.
Over these five years my own life situation has also changed a lot as my family has grown with three children. It has been nice to find other Reaktor parents with young children, and together we have launched a club called Reaktor Heirs. We had a family Christmas party, for example, and dozens of Reaktor employees and their families came there to celebrate. The party was arranged in a kids’ adventure park, and we also had a visit from Father Christmas. The club’s own IRC channel is a great way to exchange daily news and talk about parenthood and children with others in the same life situation.”
“I used to work for a company that was trying out Agile methods, but the attempt wasn’t very successful. To gain real benefits from the methods, the company should have invested more in applying them. I wanted to work for an agile company that would let me enhance my technology skills. Reaktor was exactly what I was looking for.
At the very first job interview, I was told that here no one should feel unhappy with their work situation. If there are any problems, I should bring them up immediately, and the problems will be dealt with. This has really been the case.
Once you start working for Reaktor, you are very unlikely to leave. I think it’s because of our close-knit community: We are more than just colleagues here, so no one wants to let go of this workplace. And in terms of technology skills, moving elsewhere would mean a decline in my professional development.
At Reaktor, I have worked with banks and telecommunications companies. Currently we are planning and implementing a system for a telecommunications company. The teamwork takes place at the customer’s premises where we have decorated the space to suit our wishes and needs.
In my previous jobs, I have noticed that when encountering a problem, it’s easy for some to say that this can’t be done. Here however, everyone works together to solve a problem, find a solution, and succeed.
In January 2008, Reaktor was chosen as the best workplace in Finland, which didn’t surprise me at all. My friends, however, have been asking ever since if it really is such a great workplace. It really is.”
Lasse Koskela
Author and agile coach
“I enjoy being part of this group where everyone is a top expert in their field.”
“Reaktor was an obvious choice of workplace for me, because years ago I understood that Agile methods are the best way to do software development.
When I joined Reaktor in 2005, it was one of the few companies in Finland with this kind of expertise. Over these years, we’ve continuously worked to advance and evolve our methods and tools. To me this is very important, because I want to work with top people and use the best methods we know of.
Reaktor offers me great opportunities to develop the skills and expertise I am interested in, whether it be the latest technology, presentation skills, professional coaching, or use of voice. The support I got from the company and colleagues was also a great help when I was writing a book about test-driven development. Test Driven was published in 2007, and it has been very well received worldwide.
We always aim to use the best and most suitable technology in a given situation. That makes work so much more meaningful. I enjoy being part of this group where everyone is a top expert in their field and always at the top of development. This shows particularly well in my work as a coach - my colleagues are world class professionals, and working together we learn something new every day.
It has been great to see how the ideas that we used to talk about within Reaktor have now started to come through in our client organizations all around the world. Projects using Agile software development methods used to be rare, but now almost all of Reaktor’s projects are carried out using Agile methods. Our customers trust us, and we are happy to accept this responsibility.”
