Daily routine at Beeline, Part I

Armenia is a home to a large number of IT companies. They vary in size, field of operation and work environment.

Itel.am’s new series reveals specific features of the work routine at Armenian IT companies.

Telecommunication company VEON Armenia (Beeline trademark) was founded in 1995 by the decision of the Armenian Ministry of Communications jointly with Trans-World Telecom, an American company.

Since 2008, VEON Armenia provides GSM 900/1800, 3G (UMTS) and 4G (LTE) standard mobile communication, fixed telephony and Internet access based on CDMA, ADSL and FTTB technologies under Beeline brand nationwide.

VEON Armenia is a part of VEON, one of the world’s largest integrated telecommunications services operators. The Armenian office employs around 2000 people.

Andrey Pyatakhin, Beeline Armenia CEO

I usually arrive in the office at 8.30 a.m. I work in the open space with others. I like it better in the morning, because there are fewer people and it’s easier to work with a fresh mind.

My assistant Irina puts together my schedule for the day. Any employee who wants to contact me goes to Irina. I look through the schedule every morning and see what should be done on that day.

Andrey Pyatakhin
photo © Mediamax

I try to reserve the toughest meetings for the morning. Sometimes I hold discussions at lunch too in order not to lose time.

When I get a moment to myself, I take up the Armenian dictionary and continue my lessons. Learning Armenian is hard, but I am trying (smiles – Itel.am). I greet everyone in Armenian in the morning.

I stay late in the office sometimes. For instance, if we have a call from the Amsterdam office, I stay until 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. in winter. As you can see, it is difficult to say when my working hours end.

Whenever I have free time, I take fitness classes. I also play tennis before work. Waking up that early isn’t easy, but I have to do so much in one day, I want to manage it all.

I try to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, but it doesn’t always work. Days-off and vacation are for sleeping in, although I never stop thinking about work.

You could say I only stop thinking about work when I’m driving or during sport activities, that’s why I love those two things so much (laughs – Itel.am).

Andrey Pyatakhin
photo © Mediamax

I try to get out of the country for vacation, otherwise I will just come to the office again. You need to stay away from work occasionally, it helps you recover and then work more efficiently.

I spend at least an hour a day in social networks. Unfortunately, I spend much less on reading, so I try to fill that gap when I’m on holiday.

We have created an open space environment where everyone works in equal conditions. I love that. Of course, noise is a disadvantage, but on the other hand, exchange of information happens very quickly. You simply contact the employee you need and everything is transparent.

I think open space is a great asset, you just need to get used to it.

Arus Mkrtumyan, Head of General Secretariat

I have worked for Beeline for ten years and managed the secretariat for six years now. I oversee the documentation, business trips and the archive of the entire company. I have a staff of nine.

Arus Mkrtumyan
photo © Mediamax

The day starts a bit differently for us. Sometimes I work from home, because we have the Be free system installed. This means free working schedule. Upon an agreement with my manager, I can join the corporate network and work remotely starting from 9 a.m.
We have no fixed place to work; one can work at desks or on sofas.

The company provides healthcare and travel insurance packages.

Beeline is a sustainable company and major taxpayer, so you can grow professionally here.

The company offers great opportunities for young specialists. For example, I started my career at the company as a translator.

Sona Hovhannisyan, Head of Beeline University in Armenia

I have worked at Beeline for more than 10 years. Our team involves 4 employees and another 20 trainers.

We provide Beeline employees with education and development programs, as well as alternative education methods.

Sona Hovhannisyan
photo © Mediamax

Self-education is among the strategic directions at the company. Employees can choose the methods of their development.

In addition to trainings, the company offers a number of technologies for education and development, intended for elaboration of interactive methods and self-improvement. For instance, they can self-educate with our tools through Coursera, Lynda and other platforms.

We elaborate an annual education and development plan, within the frames of which employees are asked to define their preferred improvement directions in accordance with their business goals. Based on the final data, we propose trainings.

If the employees need certain deep knowledge that we cannot offer but the company still needs, given employee is sent to a working trip abroad. Then the employee returns and shares experience with the colleagues. This relates not only to short trainings, but MBA programs as well. 

Davit Tonoyan, Business Planning and Analysis Expert

I have worked at Beeline for a year and half now. I deal with business, mainly revenue and budget planning and analysis. Beeline’s Commercial Unit is on the same floor. We try to be near each other to facilitate the working process.

Davit Tonoyan
photo © Mediamax

We also have an opportunity for a break. For example, there is a table tennis on the 8th floor of the building, and we try to relax by playing the game for several times a week.

Shushan Margaryan, B2C marketing

It’s been 3 months that I work for Beeline. Improving the company’s image among private customers and contributing to product development is one of my main responsibilities.

Shushan Margaryan
photo © Mediamax

Earlier I worked for different other organization, but Beeline is a large company, which implies a number of particularities. The open space allows create a special atmosphere for good working relations, when employees feel comfortable.

Our team often visits pubs and clubs together.

The management welcomes every idea and proposal of the employees.

Narine Daneghyan

Photos by Emin Aristakesyan