DocuWarians is a new blog feature that introduces you to the people behind the product. This month, we’ve asked Operations Specialist Mike O’Leary to share his perspective.
My tasks and responsibilities at DocuWare are …
I report on the progress of marketing campaigns we undertake, supporting our demand generation efforts by building automated workflows and implementing other methods for improved efficiency, and coordinating with my lead management colleagues to create new processes and enhance our existing ones.
My background prepared me for this role because …
Much of the work I do requires a keen eye for detail. In building reports or designing marketing processes, it’s important that the right information is included and excluded and that steps of these processes occur in just the right order.
My education is in journalism and earth science, and both subjects put me through the ringer when it came to being precise – precise with my words and grammar in the case of journalism and with data when it came to earth science.
I’ve worked in a handful of different marketing functions, from graphic design and copywriting/editing, to email marketing and now marketing automation, and this exposure to a wide variety of roles has given me a good holistic understanding of how marketing works
My favorite DocuWare feature is …
Electronic signatures! Paperwork seems to be a constant aspect of modern life and the requirement for actual, in-person signatures is something I could do without. Especially during COVID, getting actual paperwork and physically signing it can be a real hassle.
Having the flexibility to sign things electronically just makes so much sense and makes everyone’s lives easier.
A DocuWare team-building activity that I enjoyed is …
The group activity in which we built our own toy-sized cars. We were tasked with putting together a car created from household items – some cardboard tubes, rubber bands, a few small wheels, etc. – that we’d run down a ramp and compete against the creations of other teams. We also built and raced solar-powered cars.
Regardless of my team’s vehicles’ success (really, a lack of success) in the races, it was a fun exercise and a day well spent outside in the summer along the Hudson River.
To cap it all off, the entire effort was also an opportunity to assemble solar car kits for local students at Newburgh Armory Unity Center. The kits were used by students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs at the Armory. The STEM programs held there teach skills that prepare students to pursue careers in technology. Hopefully they built cars that were better than my team’s were – and learned about how to succeed as a member of a group.
DocuWare’s corporate culture is …
From my perspective, DocuWare is a collaborative and supportive workplace. I’ve always felt empowered to present my ideas for solutions to problems we’re looking to overcome and know I can rely on the skills and knowledge of my colleagues when I need it (which is often!).
I appreciate DocuWare’s desire to try to make a positive mark on the communities it operates in, specifically in the Hudson Valley of New York, and the Munich area in Germany, through contributions to local non-profits and simply by being a good corporate citizen.
My favorite quote or motto is …
Not all those who wander are lost.
My typical workday is …
Even before COVID, many of my teammates were in other offices, and we collaborated through video chat, email, and instant message. Given that arrangement, my typical day hasn’t been totally upended during the pandemic.
My mornings tend to be pretty busy, as I often have to jump on a call with my colleagues in Europe (where my beginning of the day is toward the end of theirs).
Afternoons are a good time to catch up and collaborate with some of my American colleagues on things we may have discussed in our earlier calls, or to tackle some of the to-dos that emerge from those conversations.
One interesting thing I’ve learned from my colleagues is …
Because DocuWare is an organization with offices in the United States and Europe it offers employees exposure to diverse business cultures. My immediate team is split about 50/50 between the two continents so it gives me a chance to “spend some time” in both places.
As a result, I’ve learned quite a bit about how business is conducted in Europe, especially as it pertains to marketing and data privacy. Europe has much more stringent rules about data privacy than the US does at the moment, but I anticipate similar laws will make their way here soon.
I feel fortunate that I’ve been able to get an initial understanding of what the future of data privacy will likely look like in the US by seeing how things are already being done in Europe.
I’d like readers to know that …
I’m looking forward to being able to safely get back to the office and see my colleagues in person and think there are exciting things ahead for DocuWare and its employees as we make the move to a new office space perhaps this year!
