Working at Bechtle Aveiro

Mariana told me that work starts at 9 AM. So we met at that time. Following that was the introduction to colleagues and the facility. The office spans two floors. The ground floor features a large open office with about 16 workstations and the “Estodiama”: a small auditorium (https://www.behance.net/gallery/187314707/Escritorios-Bechtle-Aveiro) as a meeting area. I find that really cool. There is also a large break room with a kitchen area. All workstations are equipped with 49-inch monitors – muito bem.

The upper floor consists of two units, accessible through the ground floor and stairs. However, you can only move from one part to the other through the ground floor. Here there are again about 12 workstations, a meeting room, and a relaxation room. The latter is equipped with a table tennis table, climbing wall, video game, punching bag, among others.

At Bechtle direct, work is from 9 AM to 6 PM. A 1-hour lunch break typically occurs between 1 PM and 2 PM. Colleagues take their breaks alone or in small groups, which unfortunately makes it a bit difficult to get to know them better during breaks.

But now, onto work! There are no assigned seats, so you can sit anywhere. Here began a longer struggle for me to connect to the internet. At the various Wi-Fi spots, the internet cuts out intermittently, and I keep getting disconnected. The network doesn’t work at all. So, I move to another spot that is at least connected to the house network. But even here, nothing works. There isn't much help available since everyone is busy with their own tasks. So I try back and forth. My phone has a direct internet connection! So maybe a HotSpot? Yes, but the connection isn’t stable, and the usual VPN tunnel isn’t found. After some back and forth, I manage:

1. First, I disconnect from the Wi-Fi (BCN-Corporate)
2. Then I connect to the internet using the SIM card (which I fortunately still have)
3. Now I can log into the Bechtle network (VPN)
4. Once you go back to Wi-Fi (BCN-Corporate), you are in

After that, working is as usual, perhaps except for the keyboard with the Portuguese layout. During my first support call, I realize that a headset would be quite helpful. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my headset but was given one to borrow. Better to take your own headset...

Additionally, it can be quite chilly in the office during winter. Therefore, working with a scarf, jacket, or otherwise warm clothing is not unusual.