Do you take the time to truly get to know the people you work with? Is it important to you?

For me, it’s absolutely essential. I believe that investing in relationships at work strengthens team bonds, enhances collaboration, and builds a genuine sense of camaraderie. It creates better teams — and better experiences.

Smartbear Software

In December 2022, I took a self-funded trip to Wroclaw, Poland to meet and work alongside my then-colleagues at SmartBear Software. As the only product designer based in Ireland, I was eager to connect with the rest of the design team, who were all in Wroclaw. So I made it happen.

A week later, I drove a three-hour round trip to Galway to attend the Christmas party with my Irish colleagues. That’s how much I value connection — and how much I appreciated the people I worked with.

Eight months later, I was unfortunately part of the 8% global layoffs at SmartBear. Despite that, I look back on my time there with real fondness. The culture was friendly, supportive, and values-driven — everything I look for in a workplace. The team I was part of was brilliant. We worked hard through some challenging moments, shared a lot of laughs, and ultimately built something amazing: SwaggerHub Portal, SmartBear’s first-ever product from scratch. That’s something I’ll always be proud of.

Eir Ireland

Before SmartBear, I spent seven years as a software engineer at Eir (then Eircom). Sitting beside the same teammates every day for years created strong bonds that still hold today. We continue to meet up at least once a year — sometimes more — and it's a reminder of how those everyday connections can turn into lasting friendships.

Relationships matter - at work and beyond.
A strong team is built on more than just skills - it’s built on trust, empathy, and connection. Whether it's hopping on a plane, taking a long drive, or just having a coffee chat, investing in people is always worth it.

‍