Adrian T - Project Manager, Global Operations

Title: Project Manager, Global Operations
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Joined: 2016
Preferred pronouns: He/Him/His

From Italy to Warsaw and training to global operations! Hear what Adrian is working on, and his favorite dish to whip up in the kitchen!

What was your first role at Groupon?

I was a Resolution Team Representative and from there I became a trainer for both our Customer and Merchant Services teams. I came to Groupon after getting back from Italy where I finished the last year of my undergraduate studies. I wanted to find a job before starting my next adventure at the university. I talked to some of my friends, and eventually one of them told me about Groupon looking for linguistically talented candidates. That’s the story.

What’s been the most challenging thing you’ve worked on?

When I was a trainer, I worked with a lot of people internally including all the newbies that ended up in my classroom right after joining Groupon. I must say I put my social and communication skills to the test. I always wanted to create a unique connection with every person I worked with so they would feel as comfortable as possible in my company. I believe this is a key to building a solid foundation that eventually rewards us in future collaboration within the company—you never know when your paths may cross again. It’s not always as easy as it seems, but I really cared about that and believe that everyone—or at least a majority of people—felt that I was (and I still am!) there for them if they needed (or need) me.

Who or what inspires you?

People around me. There are a bunch of extraordinary personalities within Groupon that make me work to improve myself in terms of both professional and personal skills, to achieve my goals, and even to change my life starting from such basic things as daily habits. I’m so happy that I have had the chance to meet all these amazing people who not only make my work day so much fun as coworkers but also became friends who I can always count on.

Describe the proudest moment you’ve had at Groupon.

The last day of the new hire training in August 2017 in Katowice. This was my biggest group of trainees ever (26 sic!) In spite of unusual training conditions, I did all my best to train all of them as efficiently as possible. In the end, everyone passed the final exam with an excellent score which made me even more proud of them. I’m so happy I could cover that training even though I sacrificed a lot to be in Katowice at that time. And most importantly, I’m still proud of those people, because I know they are doing a great job for North American teams and any other team some of them have joined eventually.

Have you won any awards in your time at Groupon?

Sure! I’ve won four awards so far.

• A Groupon Green Award for supporting the Italian Front Line team on the very first day of its existence in our Warsaw hub when we didn’t have any trained agents yet
• One for my personal contribution for training employees during the buildout of our new Katowice site
• And two spontaneous awards: one as a Resolution Team member in 2016, while the other one was for supporting our Italian Front Line team when we had a huge backlog in Customer Service queues in December 2017

What do your parents think you do?

My father hasn’t stayed current with my career path from the very beginning of my journey with Groupon, but he believes I make use of all the languages I know to do something really important. And that’s what makes him so proud of me!

You probably have a life outside Groupon; what are you up to when you’re not at work? What are your hobbies?

Spending time with my friends, running and swimming, biking, exploring new restaurants, attending cooking workshops, cooking at home, reading a lot about LGBT culture (just so you know, I’m currently working on my master’s thesis about one of the gay dating apps), going to cinema and galleries, and spending time outdoors as often as possible. I don’t really like staying at home.

If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be and why? A life sciences teacher in primary schools! Some of you may even know that I finished one year of studies at the Faculty of Agriculture and Biology of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

Tell us about your involvement with Pride@Groupon.

Recently, I’ve joined Pride@Groupon. I’m looking forward to spreading positive energy around the office and proudly represent our group. I want to prove to everyone, internally and externally, that Groupon is a great place to work for LGBT+ people. Our employer respects all of us regardless of one’s gender identity and makes our career growth possible without prejudice.

What’s your favorite local business?

I was introduced to Korean food not too long ago. It was a love at first bite! There is this place called “Miss Kimchi” not so far from our Warsaw office that I strongly recommend. Exquisite food at a very fair price. And more importantly, every time you visit this place, you can create a unique composition given that you can choose what gets onto your plate.

What advice do you have for those interested in joining Groupon or those who have recently joined?

Don’t be afraid to share your ideas from the very beginning—even those little ones that you may think are not worth someone else’s attention. Besides, for those who are a little bit impatient, you should know that sometimes it takes a while to implement a change. Don’t be discouraged! Eventually, you will achieve your small successes one by one.

What initially drew you to join Groupon vs. other companies with a similar line of business?

Presence of people from all over the world, possibility to speak multiple languages on a daily basis, no business dress code, friendly environment

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.

I make an amazing pasta fresca!