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Step inside PepsiCo’s headquarters in Krakow, Poland, where Global Business Services associates — like team lead Filip Sielka — use data-driven tech to plan and define goals domestically and abroad.
I joined PepsiCo as the KBS (Krakow) GBS lead during the pandemic. Basically, I organize and manage an entire sales team that we’re still in the process of building out. Where I work is a bit of a twofold answer: Obviously, I’ve worked from my bedroom office a lot over the past year, but I’ve also worked from our Krakow office. I’ve loved getting to meet our growing team in person.
Definitely the brand. The stories you hear and read online are true: PepsiCo’s culture is amazing. The energy, the smiles, the support — I feel it every day, even when working remotely. I took my role as a GBS team lead because I love building things from scratch. And I’m able to do that while building upon my previous professional experience.
As a GBS associate, my focus is increasing sales. A lot of what we do is based on reporting and analytics, from handling reports on equipment and routing to promotion. My goal is to streamline processes and procedures across territories. That way, key account managers and stakeholders should have a more in-depth understanding of what success looks like in, say, Germany versus Poland. To do that, I hire amazing people — we’re currently a team of 75 associates — that take us to the next level. We also come from a variety of backgrounds. That diversity allows us to provide top notch service in multiple languages, including Spanish, German, Turkish, Greek, Serbian and Romanian. There are also teams focused on pricing and digital solutions supporting teams throughout Europe.
The office is a cool loft-style building. There’s a lot of exposed brick with colorful walls — it’s a very cozy, warm environment. A lot of different types of spaces facilitate work and fun. For example, I can choose to sit on a quiet sofa or play a game like FIFA in a more social area. Or I can head to the ninth floor, which has an amazing view of the city, and have lunch or dinner. On top of that, I can enjoy all the Pepsi and snacks I want!
I’m kind of old school. I always need a pen and notepad. Obviously, we have shared drives and collaborative technology, but I still have my to-do lists written down in pen on paper. I love crossing out items on my list before moving to the next thing. Having innovative technology day to day helps, so my must-have is blending modern ways of working with old school systems that work for me.
Yes. You can sense the energy, right? PepsiCo is all about creating smiles. And the entire office is set up that way. How the office is designed is just really energizing. But the office itself would be nothing without the people. Overall, it’s just a great office with great people — a winning combo to me.
First off, Work That Works has been very well received. It’s just been a very positive message for everyone, given our current reality. At the time it was introduced, we were working remotely due to the pandemic. And a lot of us, the GBS team and beyond, unfortunately, have issues with that, like not having enough space for a separate in-home office. So being able to go in is beyond helpful for a lot of us. Currently, 50 associates are allowed in the office at the same time. We have a special app to book seats and parking spots, which is helpful.
I think about something as simple as having pizza with someone. It feels amazing to finally meet in person and talk face to face, have meetings and go to lunch. The past year reminded me of how powerful simple things — like having pizza and smiling and laughing — can be.
PepsiCo is great because we say what we’re going to do, then we do it. We hire and retain great people. In the future, I’m excited about how we can push our teams even further with bots, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Collectively, we want to unleash this potential and fly in ways we never thought possible.
This article is part of “Check Out My Workspace,” an ongoing series that highlights the coolest PepsiCo employee workspaces around the globe, including research farms, factory floors, design centers, flavor labs and test kitchens.
