From Office to Golden Gate: Anna’s HR Journey

What happens when our HR manager Anna decides to work from San Francisco for a while? You get the perfect mix of early morning calls with Europe, deep focus on HR processes, and a healthy dose of inspiration from AI events. At Sloneek, Anna bridges hands-on HR practice with the development of our HR app. She takes care of people, processes, and culture—and her trip across the ocean brought us a fresh perspective on how HR is done elsewhere. In this interview, we talked about what can be managed remotely, what it’s like to work in HR at an HR tech startup, and why sometimes, a crochet hook can come in handy.

Anna, how did you end up working for Sloneek? Was it a “match made in HR heaven” or a fateful referral?

It really was a match made in HR heaven. I used to work for Presto Ventures—a VC fund that had previously invested in Sloneek. That’s where I first met Milan Rataj and Filip Lukáč. Later, when I was thinking about my next career step, we crossed paths again. It was the right moment—they were hiring, and I was looking.

Starting at Sloneek felt like a match made in HR heaven.

So you just bumped into each other?

Kind of! I was already helping them back then with some admin stuff at Presto—just like I do now at Sloneek. We also met at various founder parties, which I helped organize. So we already had a connection, but I was still on “the other side of the barricade.”

What do you enjoy most about being an HR person for an HR app? Do you ever feel overly “professionally biased”?

Maybe a little? (laughs) But honestly, it’s great. You’re working on something that’s close to you, that you actually use and care about. I get to test things early, see what’s being developed, and be right at the source. I’ve also developed a solid understanding of the technical side. So I see the real impact and benefits—and that’s something you don’t always get in other tech companies.

What does your typical workday look like—especially now that you’re working from a completely different time zone?

Back home in Prague, I like going to the office. But it does take some effort to get across half the city to our office in Dejvice. My schedule depends on the time of the month—if I’m recruiting, interviews take up a lot of time.

Here in San Francisco, it’s a whole different rhythm. I share a co-working space with people from Keboola and see how their engineers work. I usually wake up around 6:30 a.m. local time, jump on calls with Europe, then sometimes go back to sleep—and then I have a long, uninterrupted workday.

What are you working on in HR right now? What excites or motivates you the most?

Because I can’t meet my usual team due to the time difference, I focus more on process work. I’m planning a teambuilding, a careers page—things that don’t require me to be physically present.

Teambuilding isn’t just about food and beds—it’s about activities too. Last year we focused on company values; this year, we want to do something centered around feedback.

What’s the best part of working in HR at Sloneek?

Honestly, I love everything about it. It’s a fascinating mix of hard and soft skills. You need empathy and communication, but also structure and process knowledge. When you combine those effectively, you create real value for the people in the company.

In what way does Sloneek make sense to you as a product and a company? Do you feel like you’re influencing how other companies operate?

Absolutely. I think with Sloneek Intelligence, we’re way ahead of the game. I haven’t seen any other system offering what we do. Even here in the US, people use popular HR tools—but they just don’t compare.

How would you describe Sloneek’s company culture—its “DNA”?

It may sound like a cliché, but Sloneek feels like family. I love how Milan and Filip act like family—and treat everyone else that way. You can go to them with anything. It’s honest and human.

What would you say is your superpower?

I can quickly tune into the people around me. I pick up on energy and adjust my communication accordingly.

We know you love reality shows, pub quizzes, and the weird corners of the internet. What’s your current guilty pleasure?

Writing fanfiction set in the world of Horizon Zero Dawn. I’ve already written half of it—about 60 chapters! I’m polishing the logic and flow with the help of AI tools. And yes, I write in English—I want to reach an international audience.

What’s it about?

It’s set in the era when scientists were locked in underground bunkers working on the terraforming system. There’s love, betrayal, drama—you name it.

When you want a break from HR spreadsheets, what do you do?

PlayStation, board games, pub quizzes. Our pub quiz team is even ranked in the top 30 in Prague! I’ll be filming a quiz show called Kvíz, Please! Show that airs on Relax TV this fall. And I’ve really gotten into crocheting. I even brought crochet hooks on the plane and stocked up on yarn in the US.

If you had to organize a reality-show-style teambuilding, what format would you choose?

Definitely Zrádci! It’s a Czech reality show—like Werewolves on steroids. I’m even thinking about applying. It’s all about working together while trying to identify the “traitor” among you. Great metaphor for company culture (laughs).

What’s it like living and working in the US, even for just a month? Anything that surprised or shocked you?

The time difference is annoying, but it gives me focused time without interruptions. Sure, sometimes it’s hard to concentrate when there are a million things to explore outside, but I can plan my days well.

Nothing really shocked me—this isn’t my first time here. I’m used to the giant portions, cars, and candy. But Amazon Delivery? That’s magic. You order, and the next day a courier tosses your package over the fence and walks off. No fuss.

We also went to Vegas right after landing—of course we played a few slots. I won $48!

You love to travel—any place that completely enchanted you? And what do you miss from home?

Ironically, even though I don’t love winter, I adored Finland. I’ve been to both the north and south—each has its charm. The north is peaceful (but dark in winter, bright in summer), and Helsinki is just an amazing city.

The Finns are super chill. They like their personal space and don’t need to hug everyone like in the US. Personality-wise, they’re quite similar to us.

And what do I miss most? Bread. Good bread.

Also—self-driving cars in San Francisco! You order a taxi, and a Jaguar with no driver picks you up and drops you off. Wild.

Got a lifehack for staying energized while working remotely?

Sometimes a simple change of environment works wonders. Just ask David—he’ll tell you the same. I’m living in a house with some guys from Keboola. They’ve got their calls and work rhythms, so it feels like an office—just with a different company.

You get peace and quiet, but when you need something urgently, you wait. You write on Slack and hope the person replies… in 9 hours.