Larysa Sayapina: «Working with numbers can be fun. The main thing is to love what you do»

Read about how the economist manages to find creativity in her work, what are the peculiarities of Maxnet's corporate culture and how the company developed in our interview.

— You've been working at Maxnet for more than ten years. How did your professional path at the company begin?

— Before I came to Maxnet, I hadn't worked for a very long time, I was raising a child, and then when my daughter was already in eighth or ninth grade, I realized that I was doing something wrong and it was time for me to go to work.

Before that I worked as a chief accountant, but at the time when everything was done manually, without computers. Then I graduated from 1C courses, but I didn't have a chance to work. It turned out that I limited myself to theory and sat at home. All the skills were lost and I was very scared to go to work.

I remember that I made a resume, the essence of it was something like this: «Help people, I want to work» (laughs). I posted it on some resource, and literally the next day I got a call from Maxnet.

I remember my first day at work, it was a nightmare, I sat there and could not remember anything. And then somehow in the head something moved, went, slowly creaked (laughs).

At first I worked in tandem with the chief accountant, and then, when the company began to grow, took another employee. Now I have two accountants and two storekeepers in the department. And I feel this is not the limit, because the company is growing and the need for personnel is increasing.

— What was the company like when you first came to work here?

— It was small, and there wasn't much work compared to what it is now. Things were very different before. There were only about ten contractors. I did everything myself, I went to the post office myself, I typed up the documents myself. What we had before and what we have now, it is heaven and earth.

— What exactly has changed in the company over the years of your work?

— Very much, it is even difficult to single out something. I remember when I came, there was one person in technical support who answered the phone. Now our service and information center has dozens of employees who work in several shifts. And that's about how it was then — one person was responsible for an entire area. Now we have several employees or entire departments.

I don't remember exactly when this development took place. As they usually say: «First qualitative changes accumulate, and then they are expressed in quantitative changes». That's roughly what happened to us, too. Everything is constantly in flux with us. Alla Stanislavovna is constantly learning, she gets ideas, she starts to implement these ideas, and they push the company forward.

— Has your life changed since you joined Maxnet?

— Yes, I have become a more confident person. That is probably the most important thing. I feel involved in the company, I contribute to its development. And this gives me some additional satisfaction. I also feel more confident about the present and the future.

— Have you learned anything new during your work at Maxnet?

— Here you are always learning something. I have become more communicative, and I find it much easier to deal with people than it was before. I think this work and people around me have had such an influence on me. I have also learned responsibility here, consistency. Sometimes I think I could have been a completely different person if I hadn't come to work here.

— What can you call your main achievement during your work in the company?

— Probably accounting as it is now. We have normal warehousing and accounting. We have changed the accounting system, automated it. We have mastered all the programs used by accounting in Ukraine, we are making progress, trying to keep up with the times. Now we are trying to transfer the legal entities that are our subscribers to electronic document management. This is difficult, because many are not yet ready to change the format of work.

— You have devoted many years to Maxnet and the company has probably become more than just a job for you. What is Maxnet to you?

— Yes, I have grown attached to this place, I can hardly imagine myself in another company, it's my life, my family. I go to work with pleasure, and when I go on vacation, I already miss it in a week. Of course, it varies. Sometimes you get so tired that you think, «That's it, I can't take it anymore». But nothing, the night is over and you go in the morning with a different mood. I have something new every day, there is creativity in my work, so I'm interested.

— Is there creativity in the job of an economist?

— An accountant is a more monotonous job. You sit and pick at numbers and accounts. It's different for me, someone from my colleagues is always throwing something at me. Sometimes I have to study and analyze something, or take part in the development of some project. That's interesting. I have something new all the time, I go to work in the morning and I may not know what questions and tasks may arise. So my work is not boring at all, but very much alive and fun.

— You talk so enthusiastically about your work, it feels like you love what you do?

— Yes, I do. I like that there is always order in the program, that there are no deleted documents anywhere, that all advances are closed. It's hard to explain, but I like it all. For me it is important that everything was in order and systematic. I like numbers, I even have a favorite game — Sudoku. I just need to find a place for numbers, to put them in order, I'm drooling (laughs).

— What can you say about the company's staff?

— It's great that we have a young team. Here I feel that I am getting younger, I get charged with this energy, mood and fresh ideas.

I also very much like that we have our own corporate culture. When I joined the company, it was only in the beginning. Now there is a lot going on — we have bowling competitions, we ride bicycles as a company, we participate in marathons, and something new is being added all the time.

— What do you like to do in your spare time?

— I'm a homebody. You know, like a cat who sees an empty box and immediately hides in it. I'm about the same way (laughs).

I was always doing something creative. I drew, then embroidered cross stitch. And last year on Youtube I got to a master class on soap making. And I was so carried away that I do it for eight months already. Now at home I have everything in boxes, a lot of molds. I like it so much that I can't even put it into words. I realized that I have always had an affinity for creativity, which is why I see my work that way.