Why I Joined the Warsaw Landing Team: A Journey of Growth, Connection, and Opportunity

When Asana announced the opening of their newest office in Warsaw, excitement buzzed throughout the company. The prospect of finally having a strong and dedicated R&D presence in EMEA was particularly thrilling to me. The opportunity to be part of this new venture was too good to pass up, and so I packed my bags and rushed off to Warsaw (literally – I signed the contract and four weeks later I shipped my life to Poland). Being the second person to join the office on-site felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a meaningful impact from the ground up. Here’s why I decided to join the Warsaw landing team and how this journey has been invaluable both professionally and personally.

Co-creating a better customer experience side-by-side with R&D

Working in Technical Support, my role is intrinsically tied to understanding and solving our customers' needs. So when the opportunity came, I saw it as a unique challenge to bring customer issues closer to where they can get solved directly – the product. Being the bridge between our customers and the engineering team has not only enhanced my understanding of the technical underpinnings at a deeper level but also allowed me to understand our product development process meaningfully. 

Closer to home and heart

Another significant motivator for joining the Warsaw team was the cultural and geographical proximity to my family in Austria. The move to Warsaw brought me closer to home – not just physically, but culturally as well. Celebrating cultural differences and similarities as well as being able to visit family more frequently have all contributed to a renewed sense of balance and happiness in my personal life. It’s incredible how much your work can flourish when your personal needs are well met, too.

Building a team and culture from the ground up

Joining a small office in its nascent stage is a thrilling experience. In Warsaw, every team member has the incredible opportunity to shape not just the work, but the very culture of the office. From setting up processes, to cultivating an inclusive and collaborative environment, we are laying the foundation for what is destined to be a vibrant and dynamic space. It’s fulfilling to see how every small effort accumulates into creating a positive, innovative, and supportive workplace.

Such efforts can be as small as having lunch together on a daily basis, ceremonially introduced with our remarkable office gong (as shown below), or as engaging as bringing the whole team together for a “Ryan-welcomes-you” selfie during a new hire’s first visit in the office. However, these efforts can also be more significant, like chipping in as a team to provide special birthday surprises. Most importantly though, I love to see the team grow closer together through our internal “Toast, Boast & Host” meet-ups, where each week a team member shares a personal story on our small DIY stage in our large common area. This is further strengthened through external “Integrations” (the Polish term for team building activities) and privately organized meet-ups such as board game nights, badminton matches, rooting for Poland during the European Football Championships, and many more things to come.

Joining the Warsaw landing team at Asana is one of the best professional decisions I’ve made. It’s an adventure filled with growth, learning, and the satisfaction of contributing to something larger than myself. Balancing my technical support role with the chance to shape a burgeoning team, and the joy of being closer to my family, makes this journey not just a professional milestone, but a personal triumph as well.

I hope Warsaw will continue to grow, thrive, and inspire, just as it has already begun to do!

About the Author: ​​Claudia Scheinecker is a Customer Support Program Lead. She spends her day working with support agents and engineers on unblocking customers and advocating for sustainable product solutions. She has been at Asana for four years and moved from Dublin to Warsaw to be part of the landing team.