Our Day In The Life series spotlights a typical day for various Rulesware team members.
Isabel is a true Rulesware original, having been with the company since the early days in 2011. She originally joined us in the role of office administrator and thanks to her dedication, her career has been on an exciting upward trajectory ever since. Today Isabel is Rulesware’s People & Culture Business Partner for Rulesware in Latin America, and she oversees HR related matters for 144 employees.
Isabel’s duties range from managing daily employee relations, conducting check-in interviews, end-to-end performance reviews, developing core value and development programs and much more.
We recently chatted about her time with the company, and the evolution of her role over the years.
RW: Hi Isabel, can you describe the early days at Rulesware?
IL: For sure. I first joined in 2011 when the office was just in the process of opening. We started with just five engineers. For context, we now have almost two hundred employees living in four countries—a lot has changed! My original role included tasks like making sure construction was ready at the new office and organizing all the systems that needed to be set up. I wore many hats—it was a great experience and I learned so much.
RW: Since then you’ve grown professionally in such a tremendous way—you’re now a key leader in the People and Culture department, focusing on our Mexico and El Salvador offices. Can you talk a bit about your current role and responsibilities?
IL: Well, my title is People & Culture Business Partner. I handle too many things to list but an easy way to explain it is that when a team member has a question about their position or needs help with something HR related, I’m likely the one they reach out to. I’m always looking at what people need and how we can help them professionally. I represent the company when it comes to making sure everyone feels included and able to share concerns or questions.
RW: Can you walk us through a typical day for you?
IL: My day always starts with a BIG coffee. I do not work without coffee <laughs>. Once I have caffeine in my system, I pull out the list I made the day before to see what I need to focus on—I always have a list ready so I can be efficient. I look over my calendar to get an idea of the day’s meetings and whether I need to prepare anything for them. I could be working on projects or spreadsheets or having conversations with employees to resolve their requests for things like paid time off (PTO) and more. The whole day I am moving from task to task, helping employees who have reached out and working to move HR related projects forward. It is certainly never boring!
RW: And how about when working hours are over? What do you like to do with your free time?
IL: After work, it depends. Now with the current COVID-19 situation, all stores close at 6pm so I run out to do any errands. I try to do some exercise—I used to go to the gym or do pilates or yoga, but these days I do cardio or weight training at home. And of course, I love spending time with my family and boyfriend. I also really enjoy stories so I like watching TV shows (and have been known to binge watch the ones I love) but I’m trying to do less TV and more reading lately—I’ve read eight books this year, and my goal is to read one book per month. I just finished reading Freedom at Midnight, and I seem to gravitate to mystery novels too.
RW: You’re in a unique position at Rulesware in that your role has evolved through the years; you’ve been promoted and consistently taken on more responsibility. Why do you think you’ve done so well in the company and been able to grow so much?
IL: From the beginning, Rulesware had trust in me and my work. They gave me the chance to shine. I always saw my role here as an opportunity to learn—I wasn’t sure where the path would lead though. I’ve found I love operations but HR is my sweet spot. For me this is an area where every day is different and you can develop quality relationships with people.
RW: You’re a woman at a technology company. What’s that like?
IL: This is the first technology company I’ve worked for and I don’t know what it’s like elsewhere but here, as a woman, I feel my voice is heard. Everyone is treated equally at Rulesware—both men and women can grow professionally and are listened to.
This is the first technology company I’ve worked for and I don’t know what it’s like elsewhere but here, as a woman, I feel my voice is heard. Everyone is treated equally at Rulesware—both men and women can grow professionally and are listened to.
RW: For anyone considering joining Rulesware, can you share from your perspective what the culture and day-to-day feeling is like?
IL: I have liked the culture here since the beginning. There are no walls or barriers, we are all free to talk to executives and the CEO—we can approach anyone whenever we want. This is a company that is very considerate of work life balance and very family focused. It isn’t just work work work. There is freedom and trust here—all you need to do is deliver on time and be on the meetings you need to be on—that’s something I really like about it here.
RW: What kind of person do you think succeeds best at Rulesware?
IL: Everyone can succeed here. We have introverted people who are very quiet but are still growing, and we also have the opposite—extroverted outgoing people who have grown as well. For example, me, I’m an introvert. I can be super quiet at the beginning with people but once I feel comfortable I make jokes and feel more relaxed. Everyone has their strength in the way they are.
Someone who loves a challenge is well suited for Rulesware. Every day is a new challenge, but we tackle it as a team.
RW: What does the future hold for you Isabel?
IL: For me, I want to keep learning more about Human Resources. I plan on taking some certifications in HR to understand the area and people more and more. There is so much to learn and I love it.
RW: Thank you Isabel, we are so glad you are on our team!
