Traditionally, SmartLynx Airlines recognises and rewards exemplary performance with the yearly awards for the value of the year team members at the company's annual conference. In addition, from the beginning of 2021, SmartLynx Management Board introduced Letters of Acknowledgement as another incentive to show employees their work, efforts and contributions to teams success are seen and valued.

Working in difficult circumstances with low-resource teams, they have shown true diligence, dedication and commitment to work. United in the statement that team spirit, people and collaboration is the greatest motivator for obtaining desirable outcomes, delivering better performance and improved business results.

Olegs Zamahajevs, our Logistics and Purchasing Manager, had to roll up his sleeves and get stuck in with the troops on day-to-day business while delicately negotiating agreements. As recognition of his diligence and efforts, Olegs received a Letter of Acknowledgment from our Management Board for exceptional performance in the previous period.

The recognition came unexpected for Olegs: "I work with a great people around who would deserve such acknowledgement letter therefore I feel honoured to be the first one who got it.“ A belief that any crisis ends sooner or later, but to get through it you need to make a bit more than you usually do is what motivates him to do his utmost in difficult circumstances. Olegs says as his fellow colleagues are the ones that have allowed him to achieve great results, he wants to motivate others: “Life is cyclical so you should always remember that all bad things end sooner or later. I also recommend looking at this situation from the positive side because any crisis is a new opportunity.”

Jurijs Peskovs, NCC Manager, received a Letter of Acknowledgement thanks to his full commitment to work and managing his low-resource team during the time of crisis. When asked what kept him going during these hard times, Jurijs says: “Smart Team always dictated the highest performance standards. Being a part of the team, meeting the standards (at least!) – this is the best motivator. Hard times just “raised the bar” even higher and pushed EVERYBODY to the limits.” As we are slowly coming out of the crisis, it is important to understand what really motivates each and every person, so Jurijs also shares his thoughts on how to continuously motivate everybody: ”These times will be over soon. We just need to overpower this period together. Hard times bring not only challenges but a lot of opportunities as well. Use them to become stronger, more knowledgeable, more experienced, more skilful.”

Her organizational skills, teamwork, tenacity and focus on target dates while doing it all with a smile on her face, are the qualities of Olga Arbatska, our Engineering Manager. For this receiver of Letter of Acknowledgement biggest motivator is success. "Knowing that my hard work and perseverance will help me achieve greater professional success is what keeps me going. I feel that aligning the company’s vision and values with my own is one way to achieve that. When I know that my efforts are following the correct path, it encourages me to push more. Hence, for me, success is important both at a personal as well as at and organizational level. There might be instances of failure or stagnation but it does not demotivate me anyhow. The taste of success after a failure is what keeps the fire going within me no matter what the circumstance. As a second point, working in a team and leading one, is my motivation to do a good job. United we stand, divided we fall. Working in a team has taught me so much more. The confluence of ideas, thoughts, and opinions encouraged me to know and learn from my peers. There was a time when I believed that I could do everything on my own. With time I realized the magnitude of achievement possible by teamwork. It took me some time to get used to leading a team of varied individuals. Gradually, I realized that it was more about dealing with their personalities and less about their skill sets. As a leader, it is imperative that you trust your team members and support them.” 

When asked how she would motivate fellow colleagues, Olga has very significant advice: “To understand and empathize with people is crucial. You do not want to make them feel inferior or incapable of solving their own problems. I simply try to show them an alternate and less resistant path as a solution to their difficulty. This not only makes them feel better but also allows them to introspect and to think logically. I try to be positive myself. This allows me to instil the same optimism onto others when they need it the most. Lending a helping hand is about making the person feel upbeat, energetic and positive.”