What our learning and development benefits mean for our TomTom’ers
Christian Lynn·Nov 06, 2024

What our learning and development benefits mean for our TomTom’ers

Christian Lynn
Staff Writer
Nov 06, 2024 · 4 min read
What our learning and development benefits mean for our TomTom'ers | TomTom Newsroom

It’s one thing to provide company benefits. It’s another thing to know whether they actually work. We’re always talking to our people to make sure that what we’re doing for them is and remains impactful. That led us to the stories of three TomTom’ers who took significant steps forward with our support.

TomTom knows the importance of its role in making it easy for TomTom’ers to learn, grow and lead. This is the philosophy that drives the “Grow and Develop” benefits, which include a development budget and dedicated leave for TomTom’ers to take on growth opportunities like in-person courses. Additionally, TomTom has recently launched a new career framework to provide flexibility, so its people can take on opportunities both within their team and outside of it. In summary, TomTom is actively investing in the ambitions of its people. This includes Olena Artiushenko, Engineer – Geospatial Data, Alina Oancea, Manager – Product Management, and Wouter van Heeswijk, Software Engineer.

Moving in new directions – Alina, Wouter and career flexibility

There are many advantages to becoming settled. This logic applies to a home, for example – there’s comfort in familiar surroundings. Alina and Wouter on the other hand have proven it’s equally beneficial to try new things, whether they’re in their area of expertise or not. In Alina’s case, it was a permanent transition into a new position; for Wouter, it was a temporary switch.Alina describes an interest in product management. “I realized I wanted to be in their shoes,” she shares when describing her work with product managers. Rather than resting on this and carrying on as normal, she was encouraged – as is the TomTom way – to take ownership of the situation and apply for a role.

Picture of Alina sat down for an interview
TomTom values this internal mobility – for TomTom’ers to feel capable of transitioning into something else if it’s right for their career, while still helping TomTom move forward as a business in the process. That flexibility kept Alina feeling excited about her TomTom experience. “There were a couple of moments when I wondered if I needed a bigger change, maybe even outside of TomTom,” Alina admits, “but each time, new opportunities opened up within the company. I felt supported to take these on and received a huge learning boost as a result.”Ultimately, it’s about making it easy for TomTom’ers to find their impact; this is exactly how Wouter refers to his experience of job rotation. Once he’d decided on his desired destination, all Wouter had to do was complete a simple application process and then, “I was working in a different team for the next three months,” he shared.

Headshot of Wouter van Heeswijk outside of the TomTom office
In his new temporary team, Wouter got to sharpen his understanding and application of AI. He learnt Azure Databricks, while improving his Python skills. And, thanks to a whole new team dynamic, Wouter recalls how it challenged and ultimately helped him: “I really enjoyed this small trip outside of my comfort zone and it gave me a boost to my personal growth.”Joining TomTom is not simply settling into the seat of your role. There are options within new teams or units entirely. If a move fits a TomTom’er, TomTom backs that decision and gives them the flexibility to make it happen.

Active investment in growth – Olena and the development budget

How often have you thought about taking on training or attending a conference, but wondered whether it would be worth the personal investment? The development budget replaces any doubt with a guarantee that all TomTom’ers have something to put towards their learning.

TomTom Benefits growth and development

Olena did just this. She started as an interpreter – with her linguistic experience, she translated data points on TomTom’s map into Slavic languages such as Ukrainian. Her role evolved naturally, as she developed her programming skills. Then, with the budget, Olena tells us that she started Data Science and Machine Learning courses. And she visited European Women in Tech to absorb the experiences of her peers, particularly TomTom’s very own Manuela Locarno Ajayi. Now, a career that began with linguistics has exploded in multiple directions, adding a ton of strings to Olena’s bow so she can reach her ambitious heights. As Olena clarifies herself:

“Often, we get excited about opportunities but wonder how we’ll reach them. Having access to this development budget means I can invest in myself and my growth outside of work, becoming a better TomTom’er, a stronger leader, and more.”

Olena Artiushenko

Engineer – Geospatial Data

To make an impact, people need support

Working at TomTom is a naturally impactful experience – our goal to engineer the first real-time map has never been achieved, so we’re actively reshaping the way people see the world.However, it’s not enough to allow the work to speak for itself. TomTom’ers need to feel like they have the backing to grow beyond the scope of the role: to learn new and hone familiar skills, take the lead in their team and lives, and more. After all, to be an innovator, you need to be open to endless possibilities. Our TomTom’ers are innovators; the directions that they can take their career are endless.

Achieve your ambitions. Find your impact. Learn more about what a career at TomTom looks like.

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