Ambassador of the Value of Openness Petras Bieliauskas: "After working in England, I returned to Vilnius Bread for the second time"

They say you can't enter the same river twice, but Petras Bieliauskas, the operator of the Vilniaus Duona line, has entered the bakery's work twice. And for the second time, he continues his career here for more than 4 years. A colleague who earned bread and tasted it in the United Kingdom says that he returned to work in his homeland without regrets for a minute.

What paths led to working at Vilnius Bread?

For the first time, a friend of the yard, Mindaugas Latukas, with whom we still work, was invited. It was here about 9 years ago. I was just looking for a job, he says, come to us for Vilnius bread, you will like it – you will stay, you will not like it – you will try elsewhere. I called, came, and was taken with a tow.

My job was to pull the boxes of bread on the pallets and take them to the right place. But then soon my work was noticed by the manager of the factory, transferred to the dough dispenser, where I became responsible for the weight of the dough. I worked there on the line for almost two years. Until I decided to try my luck abroad.

Where did the search for success lead?

I went to Great Britain. There I also found a job in the field of production. I stayed for about five years. I worked, it went quite well. The work culture both there and here is good for me. I'm adapting. But I was bitten by that foreigner. I have tasted it and so far it is full. I returned to Lithuania, I never regretted it.

Have you returned to the same position for the second time?

I called Vilnius Bread directly to see if there was a need for people. They say, come. At first, I went back to the tow position, in the pack. But soon the manager saw me again, remembered, and returned me to my former position, to the dough. When I came back, I didn't need to train anything, I knew everything, it even happened that I went back to my old shift.

Now I have been working here for about 6 years. A good team. Good leaders. I am satisfied with the work schedule when you have a few days off.

Has the team changed significantly?

It was renewed, but there were also a lot of old ones. Even my boss was unchanged. I like the team, we also have more free time sometimes, to drink coffee quietly, change each other, have lunch or take a break so that we don't get bored of the routine. But there are also busy days when there are a lot of orders.

What are you responsible for?

For the formation of the dough: to load the dough into the line, the weight of the dough is suitable to maintain the established shape and its size: neither too large nor too small, with an error of only a few grams.

What does your working day look like?

I change into special clothes. I accept the shift, tell me what innovations there are, maybe what faults there are, then I fill out the documents and start working: whether to pour the grain into the tubs, to push the tubs into place, to pour the dough, to help the line operator. I work after a 12 o'clock shift.

I see it at the same time and you do sports, you are so athletic. Is it hard work in shifts?

Really, you can say I do sports, instead of a sports club. When I'm used to it, it's not difficult, but strength and endurance are needed. You work two days in a day shift. Then one is free. Then two night shifts, and then I have 3 days off. I like it: you rest, you put things in order, you go to the doctors calmly, the city is free. Sometimes those three days off are too much for me, I get used to work, I can't sit in one place for a long time.

During the summer, I go to nature, go fishing, meet friends, because I live surrounded by three lakes.

So do you fish for bread and fish?

No, this fishing is not for food – for relaxation. What I catch, I release. A kind of meditation. Sometimes my brother and I go fishing, ice fishing or night fishing. When I get used to it, it's easy for me, and my brother is biting, drinking more coffee.

And how did you get used to night shifts – do you follow any special rest regime?

I learned how to regulate my sleep rhythm. When I come home from work, I definitely sleep for a few hours, from 7 at least to 12. Then I affect something and sleep again in the afternoon for a few hours before the night shift. And then they don't go to sleep at night. It is very important to follow a sleep routine, otherwise you become unbalanced and difficult to work.

You turn to bread all the time. Doesn't the sense of smell get tired of the smell?

The fact that after a while you don't feel that smell anymore. That's when I come back after a longer break or after a vacation – that's when I feel how pleasant the bread smells. And it's warm to work, the stoves are around, the heat doesn't break bones.

What kind of bread do you like?

Black bread tastes good to me. I also really like Beta's bread with seeds, I like roasting shaped bread.

When we work in a bakery, when we try new breads, experiment, they give us the first to taste it. We bring it home, oh, they say how delicious the bread is, when it will appear on the market. For example, Beta's horn, which is new now in stores, we also tested. We give advice, we bring it back to the family. We say, maybe there is a lack of sugar, maybe salt, maybe something else.

And how did you react when you found out that your colleagues had awarded you the title of Ambassador of the Value of Openness this year?

I was shocked. It was very unexpected. My colleagues invited me to go to the annual festival, and I still remember thinking about whether I would go or not. When they announced all the ambassadors, they announced the name of my very first one. I looked around to see what it was until I realized it was me! It's nice, I didn't expect it.

What is Openness itself about?

For me, openness is not just about sharing achievements. It is also about sharing challenges and difficulties, as well as accepting people from other cultures. We employ people of different nationalities.

Don't lock yourself in your box or work like a robot. I bite into each position little by little: dough bag, main line, packaging, my universal position. When I need lunch, I let go, replace the dough mixer, the operator of the main line or the one working on the robot, where he assembles the molds. I tend not to limit myself to what I do – but to try something new, to try new approaches.

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Every year, Vilniaus Duona awards ambassadors of three of our values: openness, drive, and an all-encompassing approach.

With these interviews, we want to honor our colleagues who live by these values.