Best tech company I've worked at in Cologne so far
Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich
- Ambitious company
- Flexibility (remote, working time, no micro management)
- Cool colleagues
- Cool colleagues (yes I wrote this twice)
- Very multiculti, 20+ nationalities
- Workation
- The company is not stingy
- There is an epilot song you sing during your onboarding
Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich
- There is an epilot song you sing during your onboarding
- If you do not drink alcohol (like me) sometimes you can feel a bit lost
- Communication can always be improved
Verbesserungsvorschläge
Honestly, compared to where I worked before, epilot is already doing things much better than most of the German tech companies. I would improve the communication. Two or three colleagues or more needs some soft skills training, but in the end it’s something I can work comfortably with.
Arbeitsatmosphäre
Unlike other companies I’ve worked for in the past, at epilot I get a lot of trust and freedom to do my work. Being independent and taking ownership of what I do is essential for me, and I can feel that trust here. I also like that it’s a flat hierarchy, and that I feel comfortable speaking out or reaching out to anyone if I need help or have ideas. At epilot, I’m basically the captain of my own ship (and I love it that way), but I also have a team behind me that I can count on when I need support.
Kommunikation
Communication can be improved at epilot. A lot of colleagues work remotely, so sometimes there are misunderstandings. Also, not everyone has strong soft skills, but at the end of the day it works out. The good news is that modern tools like Slack are used to communicate, and many events are organized throughout the year to meet colleagues face to face and get to know each other better.
Kollegenzusammenhalt
Cohesion is excellent within my team. Company culture is essential. We eat mostly lunch together and after work we do sport or have dinner etc together. It is not required by the company, it is just human dynamics. As a foreigner working in Germany it is perfect for me because I can also makes friend and experience Cologne with native Germans or with international colleagues. I mean the pictures are talking for themselves, I guess.
Work-Life-Balance
As I mentioned above, epilot empowers me and gives me ownership of my tasks. I know my goals and what I need to achieve to be successful. No one will ever ask you to stay late at work, and no one looks at you weird if you come in at 9:30, leave the office at 17:00, or decide to work from home because you feel like it. At the end of the day, what matters is the outcome. So you have a lots of freedom but you must understand that epilot has ambition, so you have to deliver. It’s a fair give-and-take situation in my opinion.
Vorgesetztenverhalten
In my team I don’t work often with C-level but thanks to the flat hierarchy I can speak to anyone when needed. In my team my manager is always there but I feel like people here are colleagues first not managers C-level or working students. One thing though: I wish we had more women as heads of or within the C-level.
Interessante Aufgaben
Well...how can I say it? At epilot I never get bored ^^ I am doing various tasks and can feel the impact/contribution that I can have from within. What I love here is that there is no top down. No one tells me what to do. As I explained above, I have my goal. I know exactly what is expected so I can plan my days as I want. My days are never boring
Gleichberechtigung
As I said above, I wish we have more women as Head of or C levels. I witness that advancement and promotion are given at epilot based on merit.
Umgang mit älteren Kollegen
I am amongst the top 10 older colleagues at epilot :p I have the double of the age of a colleagues who is a working student. Age here is not a problem, it is just about the mindset. epilot is an ambitious tech company. I feel confortable here and part of epilot.
Arbeitsbedingungen
One of the best working conditions I ever experienced. We use Macbook with M chips, office is super confortable, fridge is always full of foods, drinks, ice cream... Maybe if you are on a diet like me, then it is not the right working environment because colleagues always bake cakes or brings sweet stuff back from vacations ^^
Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein
I guess epilot can do more here, but it’s also up to all colleagues first. For example, writing names consistently on water bottles would help so we don’t have to throw them away because we don’t know who they belong to. Same for the foods: three yogurt pots are opened at the same time, they are not closed properly, and then we throw them away because they are moldy.
Gehalt/Benefits
Comparing to other tech companies out there, I can say that epilot is not stingy. If you come with the right mindset and the right skill you will get well paid for your position.
Image
Before joining epilot I had never heard of the company to be honest. Only after I joined I found out that epilot is very well known within the German energy market.
Karriere/Weiterbildung
It really depends on the direction you want to take your career and if it’s relevant to epilot. If that’s the case, then the sky is the limit. The Head of Engineering started as a simple tech employee few years ago. Some colleagues started at working student and now are working full time etc