Companies grow, and so do employees. It's kind of the dream scenario — you get a job early in your career at a company, and then you flourish together. Your hard work at the company pays off, and the company grows. That growth, in turn, propels you to take on more responsibility and a bigger role.
But what's that process really like?
We caught up with Kayla Villanueva, a Human Resources Business Partner at Fareportal. Villanueva started with Fareportal around five years ago as a Receptionist and Administrative Assistant. A year later she became a Human Resources Associate, before eventually taking on the role of a Human Resources Business Partner. Today she is a key member of the company's HR team. Here's what she had to say about growing with the company:
How long have you been with the company? Close to five years.
Has the company grown much since then? Tremendously! We've since grown to have more than 10 offices and over 3,500 employees worldwide. We're constantly bringing new talent on board to keep up with our progress of expanding into new markets and launching new products.
How does your current work experience compare to when the company was smaller? Working for Fareportal when it was a smaller company allowed me to step out of my structured job description and gain experience in different areas and roles and at a much quicker pace since we were growing so quickly!
Are there any benefits to working in a smaller company? Sure. Smaller companies often offer more flexibility and exposure to employees on an individual level. Processes are at times more malleable and the individual employee voice can naturally make more of an influence due to company size. Smaller companies offer employees opportunity to help shape the company as it grows into a more established company.
Are there any benefits to working in a larger, more established company? Of course. Larger, established companies offer more structure and process — tasks and procedures are more clearly defined and there's often less confusion and hiccups on a day-to-day basis because the groundwork has already been laid down. Goals on both an individual and organizational level are likely to be clearly defined in this kind of setting.
Which do you prefer? They both have their perks, but I think it's important to find that middle ground between the two. Work culture has changed a lot lately, especially in tech environments. People expect order and process in a working environment, but also that flexibility and innovation push that startup cultures offer. I've been with Fareportal for almost five years and have experienced its transition from a startup to a well-established company. Despite our growth, we still operate with a startup mindset and I think that's what helps drive our success.
