In his new interview series, Wardy had the opportunity to converse with a new key member of the WeWard team. Today's conversation introduces us to Surya, an already well-established Back End Engineer at WeWard. Surya provides us with an overview of her role within the company, as well as her personal vision of the importance of walking in our society.
Wardy: Hello Surya. I'm very pleased to speak with you today for this interview series. What do you do at WeWard? How long have you been working here?
Surya: Hello Wardy, it's a pleasure to exchange with you as well! I'm very happy to follow in Jessica's footsteps in your new series of exchanges with members of the company. I'm Surya Sylverius, and I've been working at WeWard as a Back End Engineer for two years now!
Wardy: The exchange with Jessica was very enriching. I'm sure ours will be just as insightful! Can you introduce your role to us? What does a Back End Engineer do?
Surya: The term "back end" refers to the part of the application that operates behind the scenes, handling processes and data in the background – everything the user doesn't see. I handle tasks related to the actions taken by the application and everything related to servers and databases.
Wardy: Can you provide more details about the composition of your team?
Surya: I work with Aurélien Moreau, the CTO (Chief Technology Officer, responsible for a company's overall technology strategy), and all members of the Back End, Front End, and Full Stack teams.
My closest colleagues are Dorra Dhioub (Senior Software Engineer), Jean Le (DevOps Engineer), Charles Parent (Software Development Engineer), Julien Rousseau (Head of Mobile), Julien Henry and Frédéric Dinand (Mobile Developers), not to forget Tanguy De la Villegeorges and Nicolas Hardy, two of the three co-founders of WeWard. In short, it's the entire technical team! (Smile)
What I particularly like about WeWard is that every team is regularly encouraged to work together. That's why my department often collaborates with other colleagues like Marie-Charlotte Dautel (Marketing and Business Development) and Valentine Lesueur (Key Account Manager).
Wardy: What attracted you to WeWard? Did you use the app before joining?
Surya: I'll be honest with you, Wardy, I knew very little about the app before working here. I got to know the tool by developing it, you could say! (Laught)
When the opportunity to work here presented itself to me, I was immediately drawn to the project of encouraging people to walk more. In my view, issues related to sedentary lifestyles are among the major challenges of our time. It's a personal mission that everyone should undertake because it's everyone's responsibility. I try to walk more myself and find moments to put on my sneakers and go for a run. WeWard, through its model, manages to involve all of us, whether we're occasional or regular walkers, in the fight against sedentary behavior. To reach that, we put in place several features, such as walking allowance and championships. The goal is truly to gamify walking.
Wardy: What is your fondest memory since joining WeWard?
Surya: My answer will be very simple: lunchtime! Our discussions are always very enriching and diverse, and we laugh a lot while maintaining a professional environment.
Wardy: How does lunchtime work at WeWard?
Surya: We have a kind of bar at our disposal. Everyone is free to choose what they want to eat, either around our desks or by bringing something from home. Teams mix, and we get to discover new worlds and new ideas. These are little breaks in our days, but they are immensely important for the smooth functioning of the company. We sometimes like to add background music. With the view of the Eiffel Tower, we always have a great time.
Wardy: Why WeWard and not elsewhere ? Do you see yourself here in the long term?
Surya: I definitely see myself continuing to contribute to this project in the long term! My goals are a bit challenging to explain in a simplified manner, but I would like to stay up to date with new technologies as it's a crucial goal in my field. I'd also like to enhance my skills in areas more focused on group life within a company and improve my managerial skills.
Wardy: Finally, what's your record for steps in a day with WeWard, and have you been walking more since joining WeWard?
Surya: Once, I reached 33,000 steps in a single day!
Wardy: Incredible! Was it for a specific occasion?
Surya: I achieved this feat during an internal championship organized by WeWard. I loved this concept, as it aligns with the gamification aspect of the app. I put in a lot of effort, walking from a distant metro station to my office on foot! The day I exceeded 30,000 steps happened to be during a weekend in a forest not far from my home. I'll let you in on a secret, Wardy – I even brought an external battery with me! One might have thought I was hunting Pokémon, but no, it was definitely the wards! So yes, of course, in general, I walk more since I have the app.
This exchange between Wardy and Surya reminds us of the importance of collaboration within a team and how it contributes to creating a stimulating work environment. Ultimately, Surya expresses her desire to remain involved in the WeWard project in the long term while seeking to evolve in her field and deepen her team management skills. Her personal story of intensive walking thanks to the WeWard app reflects the positive impact this company has on the lives of its employees and users.