When in Rome…

By Marta Maia, Centre for Power and Energy Systems

Out of all my “beginnings”, this was the most unexpected. Starting a job during a pandemic, with the country in lockdown and the jobs limited to teleworking, was far from what I imagined when applying for a position at INESC TEC.

Since the beginning of April, most of you are faceless names to me. I know your last names; I try to guess your features, age and character by reading your emails. However, I’m not that successful…

Conversely, there is a greater challenge than trying to associate faces with punctuation: understating the organisational culture. Just like any other entity, INESC TEC has a culture, a set of unwritten behaviours that all of you adopt instinctively; they can range from something as simple as knowing who tells the best jokes, to complex aspects, like knowing that certain people always sit on the left side of the table during meetings.

Our quickness to learn (and grasp) the organisational culture tends to dictate how easily we familiarise ourselves with a new job. Nobody wants to be the only one wearing jeans in a place where everyone wears a tie. The concept of “taking up the cudgels” also includes attitudes, and one can only learn them through observation.

Keep in mind that I was not able to observe anything. In this sense, and thanks to Teams, Skype, Outlook and many documents from the repository, I was able to create my own portrait of INESC TEC. I still have no idea if said portrait is either photographic or surrealist…

Eventually, I will need to complete my virtual portrait with an actual experience. However, all that matters is that you, my INESC TEC colleagues, know that there’s a culture that unites you, rather than a line that separates you. Every day, during each interaction, each one of you personifies this culture – which actually helps me learning who tells the best jokes and who sits on the left side of the table, even though I have never been to a physical meeting, and I never laughed out loud during a break.

It’s hard to start working from afar; and it has nothing to do with the job itself. However, I feel that I was very lucky to arrive at INESC TEC, rather than anywhere else. Either through bits or decibels, our organisational culture makes us unique and special. Let’s keep taking up the cudgels!