Instead of working on a computer, Ruda initially worked in the accounts department, where he was in charge of issued invoices and the till. With the arrival of a new manager in 1982, he moved to a position in Lužice – “I used to sit exactly where the company canteen is today.” He processed wages, shift rosters, travel orders, piecework wages and work quotas. “The technological breakthrough came in 1994, when personal computers arrived at the company.” To process wages, Ruda learnt to use spreadsheets and Excel. For some, this would have been a nightmare; for him, it brought the opportunity to keep up with the times.

Family is important, even when life hurts

Ruda has a wife and two sons. Sadly, his older son passed away years ago, and his younger son has no plans to start a family yet, so grandchildren are a long way off. He speaks of this calmly and without sentimentality – as a part of life that isn’t always easy, but is part of it.

Music, cycling and life’s little pleasures recharge his batteries

Ruda’s hobbies include cycling and country music. He plays the drums and sings in the band El Dorado. A Friday spent with the band is a certainty for him – he recharges his batteries and goes to work on Monday with a song on his lips. His band used to play at MND corporate events or colleagues’ birthday parties from time to time. They still play at country dances to this day.

Apart from that, Ruda collects model cars. He’s almost always out on his bike – sometimes in the evening without a helmet (he insists it’s only across town to visit his mum), other times dutifully wearing a helmet on the train to work – “What if a deer strays into the path again…”

49 years in the same role and he still enjoys it

In almost 49 years at the company, Ruda has remained in practically the same role, and he doesn’t mind it at all. On the contrary. What he enjoys most about his work is the contact with people. As he himself says with a touch of humour: “I’m a bit of a company archive.” In short, he remembers what happened, who joined the company and when, and how things used to be done. And it is precisely this continuity that gives his work meaning and added value.

Ruda has never considered leaving the company. When he was due to retire six years ago, he told himself he’d just buy one last quarterly travel pass for his commute and then call it a day. But then came another quarterly pass… and then an annual one… As he cheerfully remarks: “I’ve no plans to retire just yet!” He does have one nice milestone in mind, though – in October 2027, it will be exactly 50 years since he started working at MND. And that’s certainly worth considering.

Above all, don’t lose your zest for life!

Ruda’s recipe for a healthy spirit is simple: take life as it comes. Don’t give in to sadness or difficult times. “There’s always something that makes it worth carrying on,” he adds cheerfully. Perhaps that is precisely why, after almost fifty years on the job, he is still happy and content.