FAQ

• Projects

  What kind of customers do we work with?

  The short answer: a wide range. We work with several different industries with different business processes. You can familiarize yourself with our customers by browsing our references. Typically, our integration customers are already utilizing the Frends eiPaaS integration platform and purchase consulting services related to continuous development and sometimes also project deliveries.

  Is the work done in the own Frends teams or as part of the customer's team?
  

  Usually, we work in our own permanent DevOps teams or project teams assembled for a project to deliver solutions to our customers. Thus, our consultants rarely work under the client’s direct supervision or as part of the client’s teams. But even when these types of opportunities sometimes arise, we always ask volunteers to work as part of the client’s teams.

  Our DevOps teams works together; customers change - your closest co-workers don’t.

  What size are our projects usually?
  

  Most of our development work is small-scale, but there are also projects from time to time. For example, our integration projects are usually not very extensive and are typically shorter than 100 days of work and can be measured in weeks or months. However, sometimes our customers may also undertake more extensive work projects. The most typical example is upgrading an ERP system. In those cases, the integration project’s duration is usually hundreds of days and can last a year or longer.
  

  What kind of projects are we working on?

  The types of projects depend a lot on the customer’s business, and usually, data is often moved between the customers’ different systems. For example, a typical and business-independent type of integration is HR integration. Data is exported from the master system to other HR systems such as a work time tracking system, payroll system, etc.

  The Frends eiPaaS platform has also been used as a backend for various mobile applications and websites. In this case, the project retrieves data from the backend systems for use by the website or application.

  A third typical project is when our customer offers order interfaces to their own customers. Frends push orders to the ERP system and sends the customer information about status updates as the ordered work progresses.

  Can you influence what kind of clients or projects you work with?

  We always strive to offer our people the opportunity to work with customers that interest them.  We also aim to share larger projects evenly with those who wish to work on them. Most of our consultants work with more than one client, so it is relatively easy to adjust the workloads to your preferences.

• Self Development

  How can you develop your skills?

  We primarily believe in learning alongside work. It’s pointless to take courses if you can’t immediately put those new skills into use. That is why we strive to ensure that everyone works with different customers and access other technologies for working with their customers.

  In addition to this, we have, e.g., online platforms via which you can study at your own pace or when you don’t have any customer work. We also provide in-house training on the functionalities of our Frends platform, for example.

  Learning is also enhanced by our practice of working in small teams. When working in small teams, it’s easy to ask your co-workers for help. 

  Is it possible to complete certifications while working for us?
  

   Yes, you can! We have a list of recommended certifications for both developers and service and project managers. Although the certification is yours, it is also beneficial to the company that we have certified experts. That is why we are happy to pay for your certifications. We also encourage frendszies to go through our Frends Academy and get certified by Frends. 

  Do our people readily share information?

  Of course! We hold monthly Tech hours. The goal is to keep the presentations techy (or tech adjacent) and practical. Sometimes there is a demo of a new Frends feature, a cool use case, a tricky problem, or some new information about Tasks.

  You can also always ask your teammates for help; everyone will be happy to help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help because your co-workers will let you know if they’re busy and recommend someone else you can ask. We also have digital channels where you can ask for advice on your problems. You always get help because helping others is fun!
  

• Culture and colleagues

  What kind of roles and teams do we have at Frends?

  We have many types of roles and teams at Frends. People on the consulting side work in teams in different positions: integration developers, integration architects, service managers, and project managers. The consulting teams work according to the spirit of DevOps and deliver solutions to each team's customers. Usually, everyone has their sub-team.

  In addition, we have the Frends eiPaaS platform R&D - and the Frends Operations teams, which handle the product support of the platform, the integration support service, and the product development. We also have salespeople, account managers, pre-sales architects, and other supporting roles and teams (e.g., marketing, HR, finance, IT support).

  How do we support people in different life situations?
  

  Your work should be flexible according to your life situation, and we strive to take this into account both in the planning of work and in the employee benefits we offer.

  We have part-time students working for us who complete their degrees alongside their jobs. We also offer topics for theses; our more experienced colleagues can act as thesis supervisors.

  Your working hours are flexible in any case: the most important thing for us is that things get done, so you can do them where and when suits you because you have flexible working hours and remote opportunities. We also offer the option of working part-time if family, hobbies, or as other responsibilities require it. We have a very family friendly culture, and we support families in different ways.
  
  

  What’s the Frends culture like?

  Our company culture is like our employees. It is relaxed, open-minded, and we have strong faith in what we do. We conduct staff surveys regularly, and they have repeatedly raised two things that our people value:

  • Friendly teammates with whom it is fun to work and even spend some free time
  • Skilled co-workers you can trust and be proud of

  We believe that people perform at their best when they are enthusiastic about the work that they are doing and feel that they are good at what they do. That’s why we always strive to play according to everyone’s strengths and give everyone the right level of responsibility. And when someone wants to take on more responsibility, we support it.

• Benefits and salary

  We offer our employees comprehensive IT house benefits and a comfortable work atmosphere where you can develop and grow professionally. But, for us, the individual's personal goals and aspirations matter - we want our frendszies to be happy at work and in their free time.

  We offer e.g. sports and culture activities, gym, massage, occupational health services, and health insurance. Benefits vary depending on the country.

  Communality is crucial to us, and we also spend time together, for example, on culture and sports activities, after parties, breakfast mornings, sauna evenings, team nights and company events. We also have a family friendly culture and we want to support families in different ways. Flexible work mode is one big thing, and we also arrange family events.
  

  Are our salaries competitive? And do we raise the salaries?

  Yes, they are, and yes we do!
  

  We have researched the subject, and, of course, we are constantly monitoring developments. We offer fair salaries and proactively audit them too on a yearly bases. We raise the salaries proactively if we notice that one has developed in his work.

  In addition, our culture encourages our people to raise any issues that may concern them. So here we hope that if you have any concerns about your salary, you will raise the matter with your supervisor as soon as possible.