“My role is not just to create and maintain communication channels and content. To a large extent, it is also about building connections between people” — conversation with Julian Mazur, employer branding expert at Inter Cars

The Role of Employer Branding 

To a large extent, it is also about building connections between people, facilitating dialogue and helping to ensure that good initiatives and projects are properly promoted in the organization. 

Wiktoria Ozimek, Editor-in-Chief Jobs Door: Let's take a closer look at your personal perspective and position at Inter Cars - what does your “typical day” look like - if anything like that exists in your role at all?

Julian Mazur,  Employer Branding Expert at Inter Cars: In an organization of the scale of Inter Cars, it is difficult to talk about a “typical day” in the classical sense. On the one hand, as in any position, there are certain fixed elements. On the other hand, it is a very dynamic role. Often a day that begins calmly suddenly turns in a completely different direction.

One of the moments that shows what my work looks like is when a colleague from one of the companies of the Inter Cars Capital Group approached me asking for marketing and communication support for a certain initiative. Formally, this is not my responsibility. There was no briefing or time to plan. But there was a real need and people who cared to promote their actions. Of course, I helped despite the short deadline, and the whole action was successful.

When there is a request for quick communication support, an additional newsletter, for graphics or help in organizing the message - I do not refuse if I have the space for it. Sometimes someone comes forward for support on a project that is formally quite far from the HR area I am a part of, but has real meaning and impact on people. In a situation where it requires more commitment on my part, I set up my time possibilities with the HR director and we act. Quite often, not only strictly communicative topics come to me, but also requests for help in very diverse issues. I then try to help as best I can: sometimes by directing the case to the right address, and sometimes by using the network of contacts that I have built up in the company over the years. This shows that my role is not solely about creating and maintaining communication channels and content. To a large extent, it is also about building connections between people, facilitating dialogue and helping to ensure that good initiatives and projects are properly promoted in the organization. 

In summary, it happens that in one day I go from writing an article, to attending a company event, to a communication consultation for an initiative that is just being born. Recently, I also supported the activities of the Inter Cars Foundation, then employer branding is naturally combined with activities of real social value, which gives an additional sense of meaning. This diversity is of great value to me. Employer branding in practice rarely falls within a rigid framework. In my opinion, it is rather a willingness to react, connect the dots and support initiatives that strengthen the organizational culture. And that's probably what describes my “typical day” best: it's never quite typical, but it always revolves around people, communication and organizational support.

Employer branding activities at Inter Cars 

Victoria: Which EB initiative is your favorite and why?

At Inter Cars we carry out a fairly wide range of employer branding activities. Both external and internal. Behind us are smaller and larger film productions, photo shoots or external image campaigns, including activities carried out on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the company. These are important and necessary projects that support the recognition of the employer's brand. However, if I have to point out the initiatives that are closest to me, they are undoubtedly those aimed at employees. This is no coincidence, because I gained my first experience in internal communication.

One of my key “internal” projects is the bilingual newsletter “What's new?” which I have been running and developing since 2017. It is a tool for all Inter Cars employees, both in Poland and abroad, that helps to organize communication, gives a broader perspective on what is happening in the organization and builds a sense of community despite its scale and geographical dispersion. I recently published the 100th issue of the newsletter. Such longevity with this type of initiative is rare, but at the same time it confirms that consistent, qualitative internal communication has real value and long-term impact on the organization.

An initiative that is equally close to my heart is the development of the Worksmile platform (formerly known as Fitqbe) in our company, which I actually implemented on my own at Inter Cars. Initially only as a platform for sporting challenges. Over time, this project has developed significantly - both within our organization and on the side of the solution itself, which in parallel evolved on the market and expanded its capabilities. Today, Worksmile is a powerful, multifunctional tool that serves a number of people on the Inter Cars side. This platform supports not only employees' sporting passions and well-being, but also internal communication and important HR processes. And, which is very important for me personally, it is available to every employee of our company. Regardless of the country in which he works and the positions he holds. The only condition for using it is access to the company's mailbox, which makes the tool truly integrate the organization at the international level and affect the daily experience of employees.

People — the driving force of the organization 

Julian: Although the conversation about employer branding often focuses on tools and communication, at Inter Cars the starting point is always people. It is their knowledge, experience and commitment that really drives the organization and determines its development. The company consistently builds a work environment based on responsibility, openness and cooperation. Employees are encouraged to look at their areas as owners — for effects, meaning and impact on others.

Communication process 

Victoria: In internal communication — which is more difficult: to create a good message or to make people really want to read it?

Julian: A good message can be written relatively easily. Getting someone to read it is already a driving school. The level of attention of employees is limited, they are often tired of excess information, and internal messages compete not only with each other, but also with social media, which accompany a good part of people, to a greater or lesser extent, actually throughout the day.

In such conditions, it is really difficult to break into the consciousness of employees. It may be banal, but you need to know your recipient, you need to know who you are writing to and adapt the message to their expectations. If you know even a little bit of the people you are addressing (and their needs, work context and mindset) then you have a chance to write a message that will actually reach them.

Values in everyday work 

An important part of our organizational culture is  

Victoria: Company values often sound good on paper, but are more difficult to implement in everyday life. How do Inter Cars values translate into real decisions, behaviours and work culture?

Julian: Currently, our values are evolving a bit, moving in a direction more closely related to the implementation of the company's strategy. Hence, in the future, the nomenclature will undergo some change. Whereas Values such as passion, commitment or partnership are not just declarations at Inter Cars. It can be said that they really shape the daily decisions and behaviors in the organization. A good confirmation of this is for example the title “Friendly Workplace 2025 and 2026”, which show that we consistently build a work environment based on a modern approach and concern for the well-being of the team.

Our passion for motoring and sports translates into very concrete actions. We support grassroots initiatives of our employees: from the Inter Cars Running Team, through the “Cheap Pursuit”, where our colleagues jointly repair and modify cars for amateur racing, to the IC IT Football Team. Relationships are equally important to us, which is why we organize events integrating employees from different countries, such as the International Tournament for the President Cup of Inter Cars in Football.

We also implement our corporate values and assumptions of organizational culture, for example by promoting an “ownership approach” — we encourage employees to take responsibility for their areas and report their own initiatives, which the company supports in the implementation. This approach also goes beyond business, for example, as part of the Inter Cars Foundation program “Inter Dobro Granty”, we finance the original charity projects of our teams. Supporting young talents is also an important element of our organizational culture. Both in the “Accelerator” program, where experienced managers engage in mentoring, sharing their knowledge and passion, and through the international Young Car Mechanic competition, which helps young car mechanics from many European countries to start their careers.  

All this, and many other initiatives show that the values in our organization are alive, and without a doubt translate into concrete decisions, initiatives and the way in which we build relationships both within the company and with the environment.

Victoria: How do the leaders at Inter Cars show this in practice, especially in the daily work of the teams?

Julian: Through everyday decisions, transparent communication, willingness to explain the “why” and support teams in their development. Our CEO maintains regular and transparent communication with employees. This can be seen very clearly in the example of onboarding, which we talked about earlier.

Victoria: How does the company build a sense of partnership and commitment among employees - regardless of position or location?

Julian: Through trust and real impact. Employees are encouraged to take the initiative, to come to their superiors with ideas and projects and to collaborate between areas and take responsibility for the results. This makes them feel like contributors to the organization and not just an operational part of it.

One of the proofs of our approach to building partnership and engagement among all employees is the fact that we have been receiving the Human Capital Investor Award for 5 years. This prestigious distinction explores how companies invest in people development, engage employees in decision making, and build a culture of collaboration, and we consistently meet these criteria. Achieving results above the market average in the study.

Good practices and concrete examples 

Employees themselves create clubs and groups around their interests - sports, automotive, technology and others. 

Victoria: Can you give an example of an initiative or development programme that demonstrates Inter Cars' approach to human capital particularly well?

Julian: A good example of an initiative that shows our approach to people is the employee passion support program and sports clubs. Employees themselves create clubs and groups around their interests: sports, automotive, technological and others. Clubs have their own leaders, they set their own rhythm of action. This creates authentic communities that connect people across departments, positions, and countries. Importantly, the program is inclusive, and therefore any employee can report to the club, and the company annually allocates financial resources to achieve its goals. The only condition is to gather 10 willing people. This is a practical example of how at Inter Cars we invest in people, giving them the space to develop their passion and build connections at work. This program supports not only wellbeing, but also competencies such as organization, communication, responsibility and bottom-up leadership, which is what is needed in an agile, entrepreneurial organization.

Variety of roles and teams 

Victoria: Inter Cars are warehouses, sales, IT, headquarters, foreign markets. What makes people feel like they work for one company despite so much diversity?

Julian: Despite the diversity, people at Inter Cars feel that they work in one company, thanks to shared values such as passion, partnerships eyes responsibility, which are universal regardless of department or country. This is facilitated by open dialogue with leaders, transparency and a culture of feedback, as well as initiatives to integrate employees. 

Of course, there are no shortage of challenges in this field. Not always all standards from the head office can be transferred 1:1 to the local, sometimes difficult, land of the branch. In warehouses, in addition, we often hire employees through intermediaries, which requires additional coordination and integration with the team.

Victoria: How do you ensure the quality of communication in such a large and distributed organization? What is the biggest challenge today, and what works really well?

Julian: In the organization, we take care of the quality of communication, basing actions on data and regular diagnosis of employees' needs. We check that the messages are understandable and that they actually involve people, so that communication supports collaboration, development and effective decision-making. Regular research and observation of trends allow us to adapt communication tools and channels to be as effective as possible and support employees in their daily work. SWe want this trend to continue throughout the Group.

Daily Challenges 

When it comes to managing diversity, the biggest challenge is building a genuinely inclusive culture. 

Victoria: What is the biggest challenge in the process of employee onboarding and diversity management?

Julian: In a general sense, in large, dynamic organizations such as Inter Cars, one of the biggest challenges is reconciling individual employee needs with business goals and ensuring effective collaboration across distributed and hybrid teams.

In the onboarding process, we are often faced with a huge amount of materials that need to be selected and organized in such a way that the new person does not feel overwhelmed by them, and at the same time quickly understands how the company works. At the same time, the challenge is the strong involvement of managers in the employee implementation process. When it comes to managing diversity, the biggest challenge is building a genuinely inclusive culture. One that is not limited to individual HR actions, but really affects the daily comfort of work of all employees. After all, there is no “all-in-one” solution in a modern organization. The key is flexibility and adaptation of processes to the diverse expectations of employees.

Awards and distinctions 

Victoria: Inter Cars wins awards as an employer. What specific actions or changes in the organization have had the greatest impact on these accolades?

Julian: Our awards are the result of consistent work over a long period of time, not individual projects. People development, wellbeing, communication, partnership and cultural cohesion - these elements reinforce each other and create the image of Inter Cars as a strong company and a reliable employer.

A look into the future 

Victoria: What areas of employee development will be key for Inter Cars in the coming years?

Julian: From the perspective of Inter Cars, it is crucial not to chase fashionable slogans, but to develop competencies that will realistically support our business, people and long-term stability of the organization. Reality is becoming less and less predictable, mainly due to the exponential development of AI. In this context, the concept of lifelong learning, the development of digital competences, easy adaptation to change and management of change or management in conditions of uncertainty are becoming increasingly important. In addition, the scale and pace of development of Inter Cars (both in Poland and in the Group as a whole) mean that many roles are evolving. It becomes crucial not only to have specialist knowledge in a given area, but to be able to learn quickly, to update competences and to find oneself in new contexts. The future will therefore most likely require investing in the development of a combination of digital, adaptive, technical, analytical and interpersonal competences.

Victoria: Why should you pursue a career at Inter Cars?

Julian: Inter Cars is a good place to work for both young and experienced employees, as it combines a large scale of activity with real development opportunities. Younger employees can quickly gain practical experience, learn in action (also from mistakes) and develop in various areas of business. On the other hand, people with more experience have the opportunity to work on high-impact projects, in an environment that gives a sense of agency, responsibility and space to make decisions. It is an organization that offers stability, but at the same time remains dynamic and open to change. Thanks to this, it allows you to build a long-term career, without feeling stagnant.