Emma Brink - Working on financial-administrative tasks and still feeling part of ONE team!

Emma works as a financial accountant in our office in Halmstad, Sweden. When there are monthly closings, her schedule is tight, and Emma has little time for other important (very Swedish) tasks such as making sure that there is “fika” in the kitchen for the employees. During slower periods, and when she is up to date with all the figures, Emma really enjoys making a happy day for everyone. Even if she has different tasks than her colleagues Emma feels part of one big team where they are having a lot of fun.

Could you please describe yourself a bit?

I live in Halmstad, Sweden, and this is where also our head office of Sweden is located. I have only a 15-minute bike ride to the office, but it depends on the kids if I go by bike or take the car. When I am not working, I spend time with my family doing a lot of things in the nature. I also teach competitive gymnastics for children and like to go for a run to clear my head.

I joined the company one and a half years ago. I took over the position of a financial accountant from a woman who retired. Before I was an auditor for 10 years. I joined BE-terna because I felt that I needed a change from the audit, and this was a great decision. I really love my job and what I do at BE-terna.

What did you want to become when you were a kid?

Till the age of 12, I wanted to become a hairdresser because I loved when my mom went to the hairdresser and got her hair styled. The permanent waves were popular at that time, and I used to help her hairdresser that was an old lady when she styled my mother's hair.

What did you study and why?

I have a master’s degree in accounting and controlling from Lund University. I studied for four years, and I always liked numbers. In the beginning, it was math that dragged me into studying accounting but then it was the debit and credit part that I thought was hilarious and make me choose to specialize in the accounting part of my studies.

How does a normal day look for you? What task do you have?

My work is different each day. Now, when we are talking, it is the monthly closing. Then I am occupied with all the vendor invoices, I prepare the invoices for the customers, there are a lot of debit and credit reviews - this needs to be summed up to finish the monthly closing. I also take care of all the administrative tasks and the payrolls that must be done after the monthly closing. Moreover, I am a part of the HR department for Sweden. I also do some travel bookings, make sure that the garbage men come to clean our trash, and so on.

As I said, there are different tasks I take care of, also depending on what my coworkers need from me. I like to help wherever I can, and I believe that part of my job is to support the team to do a great job.

How is it to work in an administration part of an IT organization?

It is fun because I am a part of the team, even if I am not holding a consultant role. I can plan my day easier and make schedules that fit my tasks. I really like to be in the administrative part of the organization and at the same time I get to know so much about the Microsoft system. Having the competence in-house is also great for me, because if I have a question, I just make an appointment with one of the consultants, and they help. We do tasks together and I can learn about our products even better.

What are the pros and cons of your work?

I really like that there are so many different areas in my job. Like besides the accounting part there is the HR part with the payroll, and a lot of intercompany matters. I like to get into the numbers and follow up on the outcome compared to the budget. The budgeting processes and the discussions on how to steer the company in the right direction are also interesting. I also contributed to the foundation process of our Norwegian subsidiary. This was exciting as well and I learned many things – some in the course of time. I love my job even though it sometimes can become stressful.

Which 3 things could you not live without in your position?

Coffee, my calculator, and my pen and paper. I usually take notes by hand because then I remember the lists better than if I just see them on the screen – it is somehow a bit old school.

If you should choose three words that describe, BE-terna Sweden, what should they be? Why?

Challenging I feel that I get a chance to evolve and challenge myself, it is not repetitive work all the time as one could think with accounting and monthly closings. My work differs from month to month with some tasks being the same and other are new, as with the foundation of our Norwegian entity. There is always the possibility to learn new things if you want and to take the time for it.

Offices since I like that we have offices we can go to, and it is not only remote work. That suits me a lot. During the pandemic, I was working from home, and I thought I was satisfied with working from home. I got used to that but when I came back to the office, I realized: “Oh my God, I have missed the office atmosphere so much.” It is fun, even though there is not always everyone here. Just having a coffee break with colleagues and not doing the laundry or anything else that I do when I take a break in the home office. The fact that we have an office is a real strength for me.

Hospitality, because all the people - even though we are starting to get quite big - are caring and helping each other and try to make sure that no one is left out. That is a real strength in my opinion. We also have a fun together at work here in Sweden and I like that!

Anything else you would like to say?

I am working in the administrative part of the organization. My other coworkers are mostly consultants. We have different tasks, and in this sense, I am not part of their team. Someone might think this is a disadvantage and that you might be excluded, but not here at BE-terna! I feel part of the team and it does not matter if we have different tasks, we are one team, and we have fun. That matters a lot to me and brings me a lot of joy.