August 31, 2022 will forever remain an iconic milestone in Mistral’s history. It’s on this day that we joined HTEC Group to become Bosnia and Herzegovina’s largest IT company and part of a global powerhouse, with 600+ teammates in BiH and over 2,000 globally.
Now, half a year later, we’re fully immersed in the integration process. Slow and steady wins the race, they say, and that’s no different when it comes to merging the two companies together to get the best of both worlds.
Here’s a peek into what we’ve done so far, what are the next steps, and what full integration entails.
Going all in for a smooth transition
Big changes require a lot of time and devotion, especially when you want to ensure everything goes to plan. From the get-go, Mistral and HTEC shared an immense number of similarities, especially when it comes to a culture that puts people first, dedication to providing outstanding services to our partners, a great work experience, and access to world-class opportunities for stellar professional growth.
To accomplish ultimate synchronicity in other areas as well, it was vital for us to create working groups around the same business areas to develop detailed integration plans that encompass best practices from both sides, as well as an integration team that would oversee the progress and give updates to the entire community.
Over the last six months, these working groups have collaborated to identify and implement the next steps. Together they’ve ensured that no area of the business is left in the lurch and that processes and procedures are put in place to create a clear way forward.
Getting to know one another
Of course, the best way to meet in situations like this is face-to-face. In those first few months, the road from BiH to Serbia might as well have been named the HTEC superhighway. Project teams and working groups went back and forth to spend time together working in the same spaces, while also getting to learn each other’s way of work.
Coming together like this was not only vital for creating solid roadmaps for the integration process and implementing mutually beneficial plans for going forward. It also served as a way to get to know one another on a human level, to meet our new colleagues and bond over a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
All these months later, there are already some well-formed work friendships. What had felt like the unknown is now a friendly face on the other line, eager to continue growing as one team.
Coming together in one space
Even before the official announcement, both Mistral and HTEC already had a presence in Tuzla and Banja Luka, and plans were already in the works to open offices in both cities. The integration provided the perfect opportunity to join forces —this time in a physical space.
So, we scrapped plans for our Tuzla office and instead the HTEC and Mistral teams moved into a new space together. A much bigger one than originally planned by Mistral.
Not long after, the joint Banja Luka office followed. In the meantime, while HTEC did not previously have a presence in Sarajevo, they did have many employees working remotely from there. With the acquisition, all these people were welcomed into the Sarajevo workspace whenever they wished to work from an office.
Naturally, with 21 development offices in 7 countries, the opportunity to visit and work from any of these locations opened up for everyone in the company. Remote work has always been possible, but now it’s been made even easier with actual office space in some of the region’s most storied and beautiful cities.
All work and no play…?
One of the guiding principles of a people-first approach is providing the space and means to spend time together and bond. As already mentioned, being able to spend time face-to-face enrichens personal relationships and creates a collegial atmosphere. In short—we’d like our people to have fun together, create memories, and nurture a positive and friendly culture.
What better way to do it than through HTEC’s end-of-year party, which was put on for all 2000+ of its people. Held in Belgrade, this event was a unique chance to have all of HTEC under one roof to let loose, celebrate, and meet each other in a casual environment.
It was the perfect catalyst for the new year and many more events together. Though we’d already started to show up to conferences and job fairs as one, the dawn of 2023 opened up even more opportunities, culminating in HTEC Days (a 3-day conference). This event brought together experts from many different fields and engagements to share their experiences. Among the presenters were several of Mistral’s key people, including a project team on a highly prestigious engagement.
Keeping everyone in the loop
Something that is often overlooked when two companies come together is how important it is to keep everyone in the loop. Oftentimes, decisions are made and rules changed overnight, then simply served to employees as a given.
Sure, changes do need to happen, but taking the time to explain the reasoning and answer everyone’s questions is crucial. We were built on a culture of trust, and trust is earned by being open and transparent. Our goal was never to keep anyone in the dark. From the onset, communication channels were set up to keep everyone informed of what’s going on.
From meeting HTEC’s founders, to learning all about the company’s history, its principles, how teams are structured, what the potential career paths are—we pulled all stops to ensure everyone had all the information they could need.
Of key interest were two very important sessions on role mapping and company organization, where everyone got an insight into how the company will be structured from now on and how their roles will fit into the new organization. And of course, there were several sessions with both of Mistral’s founders, the HTEC CEO, and company-wide all-hands meetings, where we got to see the broader picture.
To top it all off, we introduced biweekly integration newsletters, which included all the most important information regarding the integration process. As we settled in and once much of the most important information was relayed, they became triweekly. Each newsletter also included a form for people to ask any questions they may have, and every one of them was answered either through dedicated sessions or in regularly updated FAQ documents.
The biggest changes
As a company that puts people at the center from the very first day, we’ve always strived to create a supportive workplace, focused on personal growth. Over the years, we also introduced various perks and benefits to give back to our internal community, to the people without whom the company wouldn’t exist.
Now that we’re part of a much bigger story, there’s so much more to offer. New opportunities abound as we jump from 30 to 130 projects—giving everyone a chance to work with some of the biggest clients in the world on amazing projects. Numerous new roles have also been introduced, opening the door to exciting career paths. Plus, we now have the opportunity to work alongside leading experts in the fields of med-tech, embedded, and much more—just imagine the knowledge-sharing!
Our new benefits package ties it all together. Here’s just some of what’s been made available to our team:
- Solidarity allowance for those moments when life doesn’t go as planned, such as prolonged illness, accidents, medical treatment, natural disasters, and more.
- Get-well soon days: up to 2 consecutive sick days that don’t require a doctor’s note and can be taken whenever its needed
- Fully paid 12-month maternity leave, from the moment the baby is born, including 6-hour workdays upon return to work (until the baby is 18 months old).
- 10-day paternity leave for new fathers, as well as 6-hour workdays until the baby turns 2 months old.
- Financial support in times of need through interest-free loans.
- Additional private health insurance, with access to medical services at private clinics across BiH, including for families of those with 3+ years in the company.
Add to this many more new perks and a wide variety of healthy snacks, a professional coffee machine, and year-round fully stacked ice cream and drink fridges, and you have a winning combination for those days spent in the office collaborating with colleagues.
What next?
The next few months will be the most exciting. We’re upping the pace of the integration, and by the end of April everyone will have officially taken on their new roles within the HTEC Group.
We will be united as one team, one brand: HTEC Group.
There’s plenty more in store, and we invite you to stay tuned. We can’t wait to tell you more about the HTEC Group journey.