What it's like to work at OpenWay Cyprus

“Over the years, we have cultivated a family-like culture within our organisation, where people support and respect each other and everyone is free to share ideas, create meaningful relationships and enjoy a team spirit,” Stephanie Soteriou, HR Manager at OpenWay Cyprus reveals.

OpenWay Cyprus is part of OpenWay Group, a top-rated provider of digital payment software solutions. The company started three decades ago and has grown into a global organisation with its HQ in Belgium and multiple offices around the world. “Our office in Nicosia was established in 2008 and today it hosts around 65 employees in the R&D, technical support, implementation, business development, administration and other departments,” Soteriou notes.

According to the HR Manager, OpenWay Cyprus takes employees’ growth very seriously, investing in its people from the very first day they join the team. “Believing strongly in young talents, we tend to hire fresh university graduates for a variety of roles,” she elaborates. “They spend three to four months in training to obtain both the skills and confidence to achieve their personal and professional goals.” As part of its evaluation process, the company organises team discussions and identifies specific gaps to be covered by training, and then follows the relative roadmap.

As Stephanie Soteriou says, when it comes to recruitment, “We give high value to referrals, because who better to refer a qualified prospect candidate than one of our very own employees? We trust our people’s judgement and they’re the best ambassadors of OpenWay since they know our values and mission.” She adds that the referral programme also works as an incentive for the team to promote the recruitment process. From the first week of onboarding, the company holds several induction meetings for new employees. They meet with the various stakeholders and department heads and learn about the business, its organisational structure, who does what, and OpenWay’s best practices for everyday work communications. “In parallel, we have introduced a personalised training plan, with an assigned mentor and tutor. This creates a sense of cooperation and support for newcomers, and also engages those existing employees who are willing to be mentors,” Soteriou adds.

During their time at OpenWay, meanwhile, employees can look forward to having their achievements recognized and their relationships nurtured. As noted by Soteriou, “Communication is key, so our managers are encouraged to provide constructive feedback, discuss and listen.”

During what she describes as “the challenging period of COVID-19,” Soteriou says that OpenWay’s top priority was the well-being of its employees and their families. “To minimise contamination risks, we moved to remote working even before the lockdown. At the same time, online meetings and chats became more frequent, and we encouraged our staff to share their thoughts and ideas, even about non-work-related matters. We also organised remote fun events, like online coffee/lunch breaks or sending surprise gifts to our people’s homes,” the HR Manager discloses. Ongoing work benefits, meanwhile, include free medical insurance for employees and their families, a provident fund, discounts at various vendors, free parking, free in-house snacks and refreshments and annual gifts.

Employees also profit from being part of a global team. As Soteriou underlines, “OpenWay software solutions are used by Tier 1 and 2 banks and processors, and ambitious fintech start-ups. This keeps our employees at the forefront of innovation. For many, it provides a sense of contributing to the world in general. Together we are simplifying the digital payment experience for individuals, communities, corporations and financial ecosystems.” She adds that, since the company has multiple R&D, delivery and business development hubs around the world, the Cyprus team is also part of the global OpenWay team. “We enjoy a mighty mix of cultures, educational backgrounds, skills, ages, local and international work experience. Thanks to this diversity,” she concludes, “each of us is on a path of constant professional growth – across functions, domains, regions and agile payment projects.”

(This interview first appeared in the February 2023 issue of GOLD magazine. Click here to view it.)