Martina at Tutus

Ask anyone at Tutus what Martina does and the answer comes quickly: everything. She's the office assistant who loves Melodifestivalen (Sweden's Eurovision selection) and makes sure the coffee never runs out, the lobby looks good, the friday Swedish fika is sorted, and that 400 miniature ducks are strategically hidden across the office just in time for Easter.

– I'm everywhere and nowhere, she says with a laugh. I don't think people notice much of what I do. But I think they notice when I'm gone.

Martina is 32 and lives in Åkersberga. Outside work she's just as active as she is in the office, gardening, interior design, painting and model houses. Sitting still isn't her thing.

– When I haven't been able to be creative for a while, I notice it straight away. I need to express myself and get everything out of my head.

It's a trait that suits the role perfectly. As an office assistant, she works with pretty much every department: marketing, sales, finance, security and HR. No two days are the same.

– It suits me really well, precisely because I like doing different things. I get to switch between roles, sit in on purchasing and be part of renovations, the kind of thing I really enjoy.

Alongside looking after the lobby and handling purchasing, Martina mans the switchboard and receives visitors and deliveries. So she's usually the first person you meet when you call or visit Tutus.

A background in conferences

Since Martina joined Tutus two years ago, she's been welcomed with open arms.

– You feel heard. It's hard to put your finger on exactly what it is, but it feels like people here genuinely care.

One thing that struck her early on was just how much her background could actually contribute to her day-to-day work. She came from a conference venue and brought with her experience that proved valuable in the role.

– How to receive guests, set things up, make a person feel warmly welcome, those were things I could contribute straight away. And it showed pretty quickly.

What is she most proud of? Without a doubt, the renovation of the lobby.

– It really did turn out so well.

Tutus's growth

As Tutus has grown, Martina's role has become increasingly important. More employees, more floors, more people who don't naturally cross paths every day. That's when you need someone actively holding the culture together.

– The more of us there are, the further apart we actually end up. So it's really important to link all the floors together and do things as a group, says Martina.

Every Friday she sorts fika for the whole office, a fixed point in the week where people from different departments actually meet.

Then there are the bigger touches: at Christmas her room is transformed into its own festive window display, and most recently she organised a fridge contest where staff had to guess whose fridge belonged to whom. Halloween parties, summer parties, games and quizzes, not for their own sake, but because a good culture is something you actively build together.

– We've still got the chance to keep everyone here close. That's something I want to protect.