Back to Work SamplesErika Benadom

International Operations

Poland Office Setup & Regional Operations

When GPTW survey results surfaced serious concerns from the Poland team, I flew to Warsaw to listen, understand, and turn what I heard into an actionable roadmap for the executive team — then rolled up my sleeves to set up the first Zensai Poland office.

Team size
26
1:1s
11
Survey response
20 / 26
Location
Warsaw
Warsaw sign — Zensai Poland office setup

The challenge

GPTW Poland feedback revealed significant dissatisfaction, and concerns escalated after a key departure. Despite prior visits from executive leadership and HR, frustration remained and became more vocal. Resolving it required going to the field — spending time with the team to see, hear, and experience what they were contending with daily.

"Effective leadership is less about exercising power and more about fostering a positive culture through a people-centric methodology."

Plan of action

  • Pre-visit survey to all 26 team members on what was working, what wasn't, and open commentary — 20 responded.
  • 11 one-on-one conversations (4 virtual, 7 in-person) to understand individual perspectives.
  • 2+ hour review with EY covering the full service scope with transparent process discussion.
  • Meeting with recruitment to explore local HR support and ongoing resource needs.

What I found

Strengths: gratitude for the relocation opportunity, deep bonds between employees who relocated together, strong internal communication, and access to a co-working space.

Challenges: unfulfilled promise of private medical insurance, missing social package, need for Polish language classes, taxation complexity, and no on-the-ground HR support.

Root causes: missing procedures to operationalize repeatable processes, eroded trust from unanswered follow-ups, and no perceived on-the-ground leader in Poland — leaving the group feeling like remote employees rather than a cohesive team.

Recommendations delivered to the executive team

  • Deliver on outstanding promises — health insurance, social package, language classes — with a named owner accountable to delivery.
  • Bring in an HR contractor or agency to immediately support hiring and onboarding, and to codify procedures.
  • Explore a regional leader who can bridge Nordic/Western management styles with Eastern European culture.
  • Refresh malfunctioning equipment that was actively impacting productivity.

On the ground in Warsaw

Poland office setup at WeWork Mennica Legacy Tower
Office setup — WeWork Mennica Legacy Tower
Poland team in their new office
The team in the new office
Team bonding dinner in Warsaw
Team dinner
Team selfie in Warsaw
The Warsaw team

On-the-ground impact

Beyond the recommendations, I set up the first Zensai Poland office in partnership with WeWork at Mennica Legacy Tower, hosted the team, and spent real time breaking bread together. The goal wasn't just to solve the immediate problems — it was to help this group of colleagues feel like a true team.