Marijana Kandić is a mountain climber who makes sure the employees at Softhouse Balkans are happy and on the same track when it comes to our corporate culture. When she is not setting up communication strategies, planning activities or talking to her colleagues, Marijana practices yoga or explores nature. She is very passionate about protecting and preserving  the environment, so you’ll always see her finding ways to avoid any plastics.

Marijana works as a Communications and Culture Officer at Softhouse Balkans, our office located in Sarajevo. Her job is to make sure that our employees are happy and that everyone is on the same track when it comes to our corporate culture

– When you hear “corporate culture”, it is not only table tennis on the lunch breaks, it is the values that we at Softhouse work and live by, says Marijana.

In consultation with her colleagues in the marketing team at Softhouse, she helps implement the organization’s goals, set the tone in communication, and communicate it to the outside world. Internally, Marijana’s goal is to create strong bonds between the employees by carrying out events focusing on team building and making sure the communication between colleagues stays open and honest. Currently, Marijana is working on creating an event and content calendar for 2021 and a communication strategy for Softhouse Balkans that is in line with the overall marketing plan. In between, she organizes outdoor events, makes waffles, and yes, writes down new ideas and makes more plans.

Softhouse has the preferred corporate culture

Marijana is new at Softhouse and started a little more than a month ago. Before joining us, she worked as a freelance interpreter for 10 years and at a later stage joined the Communication team at The Delegation of the European Union to BiH. 

– I joined Softhouse because I really like the culture. The most fun part of my job is building relationships with my colleagues spontaneously and exploring their desires and shaping them in a way that suits them and the company.

She continues,

– I am a true people person, so I really love talking to my colleagues, coming up with ideas and suggestions, and then using my creativity and developing plans, content, and events that really communicate the Softhouse culture!

Marijana thinks that the best thing about Softhouse is freedom (to organize your time, to express your creativity, and to do the job you have been entrusted within the way you consider best). She adds:

– All the laughs we have together every day and having an ear (or two) that is always ready to listen to an idea. Softhouse nourishes the culture of openness and trust in its employees that I really like. In addition, the company’s culture and values are in line with my own which does not happen often.

Trying to work closely with all employees and create a community with interesting events and team-building activities is a challenge during these times.

– In the times of the global pandemic, it is a huge challenge to build a community when most people work from home and they actually do not know me because I recently started working at Softhouse. Despite this, we have done a lot – beautiful Olympic mountains are 40 minutes away from Sarajevo so we organized a skiing and snowboard training for our colleagues who have never tried it before. And we did some proper team-building in the cold (followed by hot tea). Introduced occasional joint waffle breakfasts in the office, found excuses to organize fika every now and then, and have been trying to have a quick coffee and a chat every morning before meetings and this is only in the one-month time since I joined the office. I must also say “thank you Slack” for being a great communication “partner”.

From the office to the mountains

In her spare time, Marijana enjoys climbing the mountains of Sarajevo and is also a yoga teacher who is passionate about sustainable life and the environment.

– I would call myself a “zen hyperactive mountain addict” who loves to bake cakes, says Marijana and smiles. But my secret talent is still waiting to be discovered.