Q: How do you feel about Kvadrat as a workplace?
I have been here for many years already, but I am still not tired of working for Kvadrat. Normally in China, people like to jump to new opportunities if their workplace isn’t attractive enough. Kvadrat helps people to be more independent but at the same time care about teamwork and working together. Kvadrat has a simple structure, which makes it easy to interact with other colleagues. We are a global company, but we are made up of small teams, and people always take a lot of responsibility and are very efficient.
Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing while working at Kvadrat?
Our team did a lot for the Chinese market, and of course I am very proud of that. Behind the team is the strong HQ of Kvadrat. I am proud of working for Kvadrat because they don’t just care about themselves. They care about the impact they have on the world. They care for their customers and for the environment. We don’t do unsustainable business to make quick money. We spend a lot of money developing new sustainable ways, which is important for the future. It is risky, because sometimes we lose money, but this is the right direction. I am proud of that.
Q: What is important to you in your work?
Work is so important as it takes up at least half of our lives. Therefore, it is very important to choose workplace that is the right platform for you. The most important part to me is enjoying my work, learning, and improving myself every day. This is living my potential for me. I am happy that I have this opportunity at Kvadrat. Kvadrat guides me to learn and helps me improve myself, find meaning and contribute more to people. That is coming true here.
The platform is important. It is not easy finding a good environment for work that can give us enough nutrition to make us happy and healthy. So many people and companies focus on superficial things. For example, they only want to make money, or grow the company. It is difficult finding the right place. Like finding your soulmate to marry. But you must agree with the values of the company to be happy. This agreement gives us the strength to handle all the difficulties, because it makes us solution makers and team players. If you work for a company that only uses you to make money, or does bad things, this wouldn’t be joyful. You need to find a soulmate both for your private life and for your work life.
Q: Do you see Kvadrat as an inclusive workplace?
There is an old Chinese lesson by Confucius, that we learn from when we are very young: A good person needs to allow that everyone is different but still work together. It is very important to understand people’s differences, and that all the people of the earth are equal. Language, culture and background, everything is different. Not only for our global company, but in each office. It is because of our differences that so many interesting things happen. We work together, help each other, and walk the same path. We hire local people and respect the local cultures and are very tolerant. HQ always tries to understand, be patient and are very open minded. Some companies want to control, but Kvadrat always give the opportunity to speak up and be listened to.
Doris Yang is the Sales Manager of Kvadrat China, in Beijing.