Spyrosoft Zagreb office: interview with Luka Vretenar, Senior Embedded Software Engineer

Step into the shoes of a Spyrosoft team member in Zagreb and get a first-hand account of what a typical workday looks like. Together with Luka Vretenar, our Senior Embedded Software Engineer in Croatia, we talk about the well-being elements of the office, opportunities for professional development, morning routines and the importance of coffee in the workspace.

Could you tell me a bit more about where the Zagreb office is located? What do the employees think about it, and how are they commuting to the office?

The Zagreb office is located in the city’s business district. The building itself is a huge office space shared with several different companies. Outside there’s access to public transport and a lot of restaurants. Most of Spyrosoft employees come to work by car, even though Zagreb tends to have quite heavy traffic at times [laughs]. We also have several people coming by bike.  

How is the office organised? How large is it, and what areas are there?

We have smaller office rooms where three or four people work and a small kitchen where you can make your coffee. There’s a large conference room that’s often used for company lunches and events with a larger group of people. Right by the entrance to the building, there are also two small coffee places with coffee to go. As you can see, coffee is very important to us [laughs].

What are the well-being elements of the office? How would you rate the chillout room, the food places around it, bike rooms and parking spaces?

The building itself is located at the intersection of two major roads, so there’s a big market nearby and several coffee and food places as well, so you can easily find a spot to eat.  

What does an individual desk space look like?

Each person gets their own desk. You also get a chair and equipment of your choice, including a computer, keyboard and a monitor. Of course, you can decorate your space as you wish, so, for example, on my desk, there’s a little bonsai tree. I would say that the office itself is quite green [laughs].  

Do you have any activities that you routinely do in the office? How would you describe the overall atmosphere?

Our team in Zagreb is quite tight-knit as we currently have just 8 people working from our office, so the atmosphere is very open and informal. As I’ve mentioned, we do have company lunches in the office space when we all eat together. We also organise parties to celebrate release dates and such. And obviously, we do drink coffee together during short breaks during the day.   

Could you tell me a bit more about what a regular day at the office looks like?

I come to the office in the morning. I may be a bit late because of the traffic, but eventually, I arrive at the office. Then I prepare my coffee and read my emails, and then we have our morning meeting. After that, I do some alone work, and we go out to lunch together. Once we’re back, there’s more work with small coffee breaks, and then I finish my day at the office. Depending on the day, I may go to the gym or stay to work on my personal projects. I try to avoid sitting all the time, so I get up from time to time to stretch my legs and relax a bit. 

What type of people want to work at Spyrosoft? What type of people do we attract as a company?

I would say that we definitely do attract people who love technology and are into engineering. We mostly work on automotive projects, and I know that for some of my colleagues, this is the first time they have worked in this sector. As a team, we have expertise in various programming languages, but another thing that connects all the team members in Zagreb is the fact that we really like sharing what we know with others. Some of us know each other from other companies too.  

Let’s talk about our specialists right now. What type of expertise do they have? What type of projects are you working on in the Zagreb office?

We work on automotive projects in multiple subfields, but I would say that our strength lies in embedded programming, C++, developing high-level applications and testing. We’re also mostly generalists.  

What type of professional development can you expect once you start working at Spyrosoft?

I would say that joining our office in Zagreb is perfect for any engineer who would like to know about automotive tools as the access to this sector itself is quite closed/restricted, so it’s hard to get to know it and gain experience once you’re still at the university. So, it’s a good entry point into the industry. There’s also a possibility to specialise in the future, after you’ve gained some general knowledge and got exposed to many technologies. 

What are the benefits at the Zagreb office, and which benefit is the most important to you?

From my perspective, the main reason why I’m here are great colleagues I can work with. As for the benefits, we do have access to the gym that’s in the same building, and that’s partially paid for by the company. That’s perfect for me. We also do have free coffee in the office, which I also really appreciate [laughs].  

If you want to experience the day-to-day work-life in the Zagreb office, check our open positions on the career page.