Team
Linux Team Lead: Christian Orth
Meet Christian Orth, centron’s new Linux Team Lead, and learn more about his goals and key areas of focus.
At the end of July, a pretty big adventure began for Christian Orth (Linux Team Lead). Together with his two children, our colleague set off for Spain. Around 2,000 kilometers for a one-way trip lay ahead of them, with temperatures reaching 38 degrees at times. “Get up early, take longer lunch breaks, and also drive until late in the evening. That was our strategy,” he says.
Their own electric car had to make the move as well. After all, Christian wants to use the inexpensive solar power there, he says. A hotel without air conditioning in southern France and two wildfires along the route made the journey somewhat more exciting than planned at times. But when the family finally arrived at their destination between Valencia and Alicante, the feeling of home quickly set in: “Once we got here, we switched on the air conditioning, filled the fridge, and immediately felt at home,” Christian says happily.
Not a Spontaneous Decision
The idea of moving to Spain did not come about spontaneously. Christian has been considering it for almost three years and has already been learning Spanish for two years. The most important reason for the move, however, is his health. Christian lives with a severe histamine intolerance. Fresh food therefore plays a particularly important role for him. In the agricultural region he and his family have now moved to, he has much better access to it.
“For me, it makes a huge difference how fresh food is. So what I hope for most from life here is a better quality of life in terms of my health.” This is also why Spain was his favorite early on. At the same time, the move gives his children the opportunity to learn the language directly in everyday life and later, for example, to obtain an official Spanish certificate.
For Christian, deciding in favor of another country explicitly did not mean deciding against his employer. On the contrary, his workplace is simply moving with him.
The Plan Takes Shape
In fact, Christian had almost given up on his plan at one point. The Workation options offered at centron were already an important plus for him. Then, in a conversation, he mentioned rather casually that he could imagine working from Spain permanently. The reaction surprised him. “My request was received positively and constructively right away. In no time at all, I had verbal approval from management that this could be made possible.”
For centron’s management, taking responsibility for employees does not just mean good working conditions in the office. “We work with people whose life circumstances can change. If we have the opportunity to find a solution that gives an employee a better quality of life in the long term and works for the team at the same time, then we want to make use of that opportunity,” explains CEO Dominik Seucan.
Same Job, New Outlook
Surprisingly little has changed in Christian’s day-to-day work at centron. “I still have a height-adjustable desk and use the same equipment. I guess I’m a creature of habit in that respect.” Except that today, this desk is around ten minutes from the sea.
He has also taken technical precautions in the meantime: fiber, mobile network, and satellite internet, together with a power station, form a setup for work with multiple layers of backup. The time zone also remains identical to that of the German team. Christian therefore does not expect any new organizational challenges.
What has changed happens mainly away from the screen. The constant temperatures do him good, the new language is suddenly part of everyday life, and the first contacts in the neighborhood were quickly made. Shortly after his arrival, Christian was already invited to the local town festival.
Only when the computer is closed at the end of the workday, the end of the day that awaits today is simply not the same as before.
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