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Visma Summer Interns: Working in an empty office

Every year, we invite a handful of interns to work with us during the summer. This year has naturally been a little different, with most of our employees working from home. So what has it been like for our summer interns this far?

Visma Summer Interns 2020
Visma Summer Interns: Working in an empty office

Despite the exceptional situation, Visma has numerous summer interns working at different locations. We asked the Norwegian summer interns Amalie, Anna Christina, Henrik, Lars, and Morten what it has been like to work at the office so far this summer. 

Interview with this year’s summer interns

Visma summer interns 2020 outside the headquarter in Oslo

How does the exceptional situation caused by the coronavirus show in Visma?

The situation has affected life at the Oslo office in many ways. Some days we see more bottles of hand sanitizers than people. Also, we have gotten to know the cleaners well, as all door handles get disinfected four times a day. It feels strange not to be able to shake hands with new people, and everybody is very careful about keeping a safe distance. 

Luckily for us, Visma has done a great job of finding the balance between preventing infection and making us feel welcome. For instance, the cafeteria has remained open and serves delicious breakfast and lunch. Naturally, they can no longer serve buffets but have their meals packed in portions. 

What is it like to have a summer job when the office is almost empty?

After three months of studying from home, we were very happy when Visma announced that we would be able to be at the office during our internship. There are fewer people here than usual, however, both project owners and the Management Trainees have made an effort to spend time at the office to get to know us.  

An empty office also has some advantages; it is very easy to find available meeting rooms and we have probably spent more time together than we otherwise would have. That being said, it would be nice to meet more of the people working at Visma as this would give us an even better understanding of Visma’s company culture. 

How were you onboarded? Remotely or at the office?

We were onboarded at the office and spent the whole first day getting more information about the program and the different projects. We were fortunate to get a warm welcome by CEO Merete, as well as from the Management Trainees and HR, with the latter taking us all out to dinner after work.

In general, the whole onboarding process has been both informative and social, with a bunch of courses in Project Management, Sustainability, IT Security, and Visma Structure to name a few, as well as after-work activities.

In Norway, private parties with up to 20 people are allowed, so during the first weeks, we have been to both Gokart and Paint’n Sip, organised by the very welcoming Management Trainees. We are grateful to be in a situation where we can meet up and spend time together even after office hours.

Also read: “This is my dream job”.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of working remotely?

Most of us have mainly been working at the office, but some have also taken the possibility to work from home. We have therefore experienced the advantages and disadvantages of working in separate places. 

Working from home gives more flexibility. For example, one of our colleagues is working remotely from his boat, meaning that he can easily go for a swim in the lunch break. In theory, we could work from anywhere, which is an exciting idea. 

Another benefit of working remotely is that the meetings tend to be somewhat more efficient. Less time small talking and more time focusing on the challenges to be solved are shortening the length of the meetings.

One of the disadvantages of working remotely is that you don’t see your colleagues and therefore don’t get all of the social aspects of working. Working remotely also requires more self-discipline and one doesn’t get the perk of eating in Visma’s great cafeteria. 

The lack of social interaction with coworkers can especially be challenging when starting at a new job like we did in June. Although flexibility can be great, it is nice to meet our colleagues in person.

Would you like to continue working remotely later on?

Altogether, we are really happy that we have gotten the opportunity to work at the Oslo office. Most of the group would strongly prefer working at the office over working from home, while some would have liked working remotely a few days a week. 

Interested in starting a career in Visma? Visit our Career pageswe are always looking for new talents.

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