Barbora Murinė: At Vinted, the Culture of Openness Is Thriving

What’s your name and job at Vinted?

I am Barbora Lazauskytė, a Manager of Member Support in the Payments & Safety domain at Vinted. My job consists of working with customer support projects and outsourced partners to improve the payments system at Vinted.

When and how did you join? Why? (Be honest!)

I joined Vinted over a year ago. To be honest, working at Vinted was my dream. I’ve been a Vinted member for 12 years – I joined when it was still called "ManoDrabužiai" in Lithuania. I remember thinking about how exciting it would be to work for such a company. But I was a teenager, so it was not possible at the time.

Years later, I still had the same dream, and I applied for a job at Vinted for the first time, but I did not get lucky. So, I applied again, and here I am. I learned not to give up. Remember: if you don’t get in on the first try, it does not mean that it’s not the place for you. Try again!

How is Vinted’s mission important for you?

I’m all for it because I am very interested in mindful living strategies. I think we live excessively in the modern world. So it’s up to us to choose how much we use up and if we want to do something good for the planet. Vinted’s values align with mine because I’m always looking for ways to live more sustainably.

Besides, thanks to Vinted, you can do both – live mindfully, and look good! All by reusing clothes and finding things you’d never find in first-hand places. Overall, the idea of second-hand is simply amazing.

Tell us about your typical workday? Do you have a morning ritual?

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is take a stroll in the forest with my dog. It is my morning recharge. Then it’s time for coffee. And after that, I have half an hour where I plan my work for the day.

Every day at Vinted is different. For example, Vinted is not a place where you only do analytical work. I have plenty of meetings and sessions where we organise our future projects. Teamwork and collaboration happen every day at Vinted, and they’re part of our values. However, I do have some analytical work to do on my own. So I try to split my day into two halves – one for meetings and another for analytical tasks. Then, at the end of the week, I summarise my week’s work and plan for the next one.

What do you find meaningful in your job? 

Like I said earlier, I admire the second-hand approach. So I’m happy to work in a place that emphasises the importance of sustainability. Another thing is the team I work with. The whole department is incredibly supportive and motivates me every single day. It doesn't matter if sometimes some tasks are not really the most exciting things, it’s pure fun to work with a team like this. Also, I find Vinted’s culture very meaningful. We are open with each other because we don’t feel the hierarchy. Everyone can share their ideas and be heard.

How is Vinted different from the last places you’ve worked? 

My previous workplaces were okay. But when I started working at Vinted, I realised that my past ways of working were different. I had to learn the culture and Vinted’s way of working. At Vinted, everyone has freedom and fully trusts each other. We get to choose how we’d like to deal with our tasks. The most important thing is to get the job done. This kind of approach is not something I’d experienced in my previous workplaces. 

But even with so much freedom, everyone is passionate about their jobs. People here are professionals who are eager to do their job perfectly. And as I mentioned before, everyone is equal at Vinted. In general, the openness of Vinted, no matter your background, creates a space where everyone treats each other well. It’s even better if you are different. Vinted is full of helpful, motivated, and team-oriented people who care about the product they create.

What are the key things you have learned at Vinted?

As a specialist, I came to Vinted without really knowing what project management is all about. But during my year here, I’ve learnt a lot. I have had plenty of opportunities to challenge myself as I’ve worked on many different projects. Now, I even contribute to leading a project! So all the challenges I’ve faced taught me a lot about my area of expertise.

From my perspective, transparency was hard to get used to. It’s about being who you are – it means that how you feel is alright, and you can be your true self at work. At Vinted, you are welcome to talk about your emotions. It’s okay if you struggle sometimes. There's nothing wrong with that. Here, honesty in personal and professional life connects. It’s a wonderful feeling because we spend quite a lot of our time at work. So it’s better to be in a place where you can be yourself.

What are the most memorable projects that you have worked on?

The team I work in, Payments & Safety, grows fast, and new challenges often emerge. We get to work on a great variety of projects. For example, I had a project with Vinted’s PR team. At first glance, it might seem that payments and the PR domain are not that related. But it was interesting to me, as we did a campaign with influencers in France. I had no previous experience in PR, so it was nice to get to know the backstage of this domain.

Also, for more than six months, I have been working on a project called Process Mapping. I am the main point of contact for it. So it’s exciting because it is a unique customer support project. We are trying to document and map all customer support processes. It’s a huge task, but we grow and scale fast, so we need to organise everything better. I’m thrilled to learn from every new project – it’s an invaluable experience.

What was the biggest challenge you overcame during this time? 

Vinted grows fast, and a lot of challenges come with that. Growth is a challenge on its own because in a scale-up like Vinted, there is a lot of innovation, as well as uncertainty. During my first six months here, I had to get used to this dynamic pace. I have managed to do that, and now I’m excited to work in such an environment. I’ve become calmer as I understand that I will not change the world alone, and it’s okay not to be perfect. This aspect of growth is the most important to me.

What are the principles that you follow at work?

First of all, I believe in teamwork. If you do not know something, consult with the team, discuss it, and you will manage to find a way out. Also, I do what I can, but it’s okay if I cannot achieve a perfect result every time. Lastly, I try to be as honest as I can about my work, emotional state, and everything else. It helps me personally and professionally.

How do you seek improvement for yourself?

Improvement means a lot to me. It’s boring If I do not grow. I believe if you don’t go up, you go down. What I admire about Vinted is its learning budget that every employee gets. You can use it for your personal and professional improvement. We have excellent growth plans at Vinted – we are the ones who get to decide which area we want to develop in. I have done courses, conferences, and many other valuable things.

Besides, at Vinted, the culture of openness is thriving. Cross-functionality is everywhere. If you’re interested in another department's work, you can write to them and ask, and you will get all the answers. 

What tips would you give to someone aspiring to work in customer support?

I think one of the most important things is empathy. At Vinted, in general, but especially in customer support. You have to care about people, Vinted members, and our product. Also, it’s good to have analytical skills because we are always looking for ways to improve. The third thing is passion. You need to have the urge to make things better and be passionate about what you do.

You said you use Vinted yourself. Tell us more about that!

I am a huge fan of the app! I have been using Vinted for 12 years. When I started, I had a limited budget, but I wanted to look good and find something different. So Vinted was the best place for that. Also, during my teenage years, I met one girl when buying/selling on Vinted – we are still friends after 12 years. So Vinted even helped me to find a new friend!

One fun fact about you?

By education, I am an opera singer. 

Please pick one piece of media to recommend. Why do you think it deserves someone’s attention, and what role does it play in your life?

It’s hard to pick just one. But I can say that I admire the band Queen, which is the constant soundtrack of my days when I need to lift my mood. Speaking of TV shows, I recommend After Life, a tragicomedy. And if you are in search of a movie, see The Worst Person in the World. It changed me, at least for a few days.