We’re stronger by working together
SEB encourages an environment where employees can be themselves and aren’t afraid to ask questions or make mistakes.
Lina Simonaviciene works as an HR Advisor, focusing on areas like learning and development, talent management, labour law and supporting managers with complex HR questions.
What do relationships mean to you?
“Empowering each other really rings true for me. What I’ve experienced here is that we’re stronger by working together. We have created a self-organised group of employees who have a high interest in diversity and inclusion topics. We have actually started organising events to create awareness about important questions around belonging, inclusion, and diversity. We work with sensitive topics in order to create a shift. We’ve had panel discussions and invited a Lithuanian artist to explore tolerance through art. It’s not part of our job descriptions, but it’s so amazing how people are involved, and it keeps growing.”
What makes SEB a friendly and welcoming environment for you?
“I’m quite a new employee at SEB and have only been working here for a year. I’ve had a lot of ‘firsts’ while I’ve been here. All my colleagues have encouraged me to try things I’ve never practiced before. I had my first coaching experience and my first project for reskilling which was led by me as well. We have a culture of support and trust which encourages new skills, and there is always someone to turn to.”
In what ways do you feel like your colleagues show respect for each other?
“We collaborate a lot in SEB through different functions and you always have support and understanding, whether you are a new or existing employee. You don’t have to have a lot of courage to say yes at SEB because the environment is so friendly and collaborative and you’re not afraid to fail here.”
How important is curiosity and growth at work?
“As I mentioned I’ve had a lot of first times at SEB and I feel the company is constantly transforming. This transformation enables us to explore new skills to grow and learn something new. In this volatile world we can never stop upskilling our competencies as there is constant change in technologies and ways of working. We as an organisation can keep pace with this permanent change only by enabling our employees to gain new competencies fast. That is why our continuous learning culture is key.”
What has been the biggest driver of your personal development at SEB?
“It’s been the support of my colleagues and the trust of my manager which have allowed me to try new things and learn a lot. I’m continuously gaining valuable experiences by working with managers who have worked in this organisation for 15, 20 years, and even longer. I feel inspired to see all these examples of hard work and living the purpose of SEB. In general, our managers are so independent and conscientious, and SEB is so strong in leadership, which means that, managers are the ones bringing the HR magic to life. As an HR professional, I am so proud to see managers taking the front lines and truly caring about their employees.”
What role does SEB have in positively impacting society?
“We are leading in the sustainability transition, and it brings to mind the statement: today, and for generations to come. We are always thinking about the future and how the things we are doing today will impact us and others in the future. I participated in coaching training with employees from different countries and based on the topics that we discussed you can really see that we are all focused on sustainability and that it rings true for all of us.”
How do you practice sustainability in your everyday life?
“I believe that small things matter, so I do my yoga online in order to reduce travel. In the summertime, I grow vegetables in my garden, and this autumn we also set up a solar power plant on our house rooftop. Also, I tried our SEB CO2 Footprint app, it was fun to see what impacts my CO2 Footprint and to think about how I can reduce it.”