Malgorzata Gorska was 30 years old and married, when she was asked if she would be interested in a 2-year international assignment Schneider Electric’s headquarters in Paris.
Yet, Malgorzata discovered that taking on a new role and developing your career doesn't mean you need to sacrifice time with family.
Drawing from her experience, Malgorzata shares how she was able to find balance between work and family, and take ownership of her life and career.
Meeting great people
Malgorzata’s career adventure abroad started as a graduate of Adult Education and French language teaching. Looking to continue with her French speaking, she applied for a job in People Administration Shared Service at Schneider Electric.
Once in the role, Schneider Electric surprised Malgorzata with a two-week onboarding in France, which she describes as “amazing”.
Ten years later, and she still keeps in touch with colleagues she met during that time.
“You can hear very often that Schneider Electric is a place where you can meet great people, and for me it was just a beginning,” she adds.
Drawing on her network for support
Malgorzata’s next career move was with Schneider Electric’s Learning Solutions team in Global Supply Chain, where she put her knowledge to use and built training programs that supported employee development through dedicated learning paths.
Although there was a lot to learn, people in Malgorzata’s network helped her prepare for the new role.
The lesson Malgorzata learned from this experience was the importance of getting to know different parts of the company, even the ones you don’t work with directly. “That knowledge, and the network you build, may become very helpful in your future career aspirations,” she adds.
In Global Supply Chain, Malgorzata enjoyed working on innovative solutions and sustainable development through initiatives like Green Premium program or the Supply Chain Decarbonization Service.
“With great support and mentoring from my manager, I was able to expand my skills, better understand our business, and prepare for next challenges ahead,” she explains.
Accommodating Malgorzata’s family needs
On her international assignment in Paris, Malgorzata joined Schneider Electric’s Global Employer Branding team, where she experienced firsthand Schneider Electric’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy and how the company accommodated Malgorzata’s experience as a new mother.
Malgorzata’s first daughter was born in Paris and, after her maternity leave, she returned to work with a breast pump next to her laptop in a bag, while her husband was exploring the city with their newborn.
In the office, Malgorzata used a dedicated room for mothers, and a fridge. “Everyone was very supportive and welcoming. It made my return to work a lot easier,” she comments.
After Malgorzata’s assignment ended, her, her husband and their daughter returned to Poland, where their second child was born.
While preparing for her second return to work, Malgorzata started to explore job opportunities within Schneider Electric’s Open Talent Market.
“It’s natural that with time, your interests change and your skills evolve. You may want to try things that you’ve once dreamed about, but never had an opportunity to explore,” advises Malgorzata.
“You may want to have a “quiet” type of job, to balance the energy spent on work and family life. Or, you may want a challenge to step outside of your comfort zone and push your limits,” she adds.
“It’s one of these moments when you need to navigate between options and advices but stick to your course. It’s your career and happiness that are at stake.”
Deciding to try something new
After two maternity breaks and a successful career in HR, Malgorzata wanted to learn something new. She decided to work in global marketing and join Schneider Electric’s Digital Communications team, where she now explores energy efficiency solutions of Ecostruxure and open ecosystem Exchange, writing about digital transformation, IoT and, data analytics - all while being a very busy mom of two little girls.
Her last piece of advice? “Ask yourself: what do you want to achieve? And don’t be afraid to go for it. It’s your life.”
Take ownership of your career at Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric encourages its employees to take career risks, to face new challenges, and to go on new adventures.
Plus Schneider Electric has two work from home days per week as the global standard across the company
If this sounds like a culture best suited to you, search jobs at Schneider Electric.
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