One of the biggest perks of our new office space is the chance to catch up with colleagues—whether over coffee breaks or shared lunches.

After all, the people we work with aren’t just teammates we spend 40 hours a week with; they’re also the ones who truly understand the quirks, challenges, and inside jokes of our profession. They support us, laugh with us, and make the job all the more enjoyable.

One Thursday lunch, as the table filled up and plates reflected a mix of cuisines from around the world, we found ourselves deep in a fascinating conversation—one we think is worth sharing.

We talked about something many of you have likely experienced too: professional deformation, thehabits and traits our jobs have ingrained in us.

In other words, we started thinking: how did our jobs change our lives?

Kristina Stark, Deputy Complaints Team Lead: You know, I never really thought about it before, but it’s true—we all probably have some kind of professional deformation. How could we not? I mean, when you deal with player complaints every day, it just gets ingrained in your brain.

Even in my free time, when I’m hanging out with friends, I sometimes catch myself responding to their problems like I’m answering a player’s complaint. I’ll say things like, "I’m really sorry you’re going through this." [laughter]

And it doesn’t stop there. My job requires me to give players logical advice and explain the steps they need to take, but my friends? Yeah, they don’t always want to hear all my logical—but unsolicited—solutions. Honestly, I can’t listen to anyone’s problem without automatically trying to help.

Jakub Gustav, PR Specialist: That’s not a bad thing! It’s basically a public service. I catch myself turning everyday situations into crisis communication scenarios. Or worse—I start mentally drafting "official statements" in response to totally normal questions. [laughter] My PR brain just switches on automatically, and sometimes I can’t turn it off.

Kristina Stark, Deputy Complaints Team Lead: Exactly! You can’t turn it off. But you know what I can turn off? Ringtones. Because when 20 people are in the same room and everyone’s Teams notifications start pinging at the same time, you really start reconsidering your life choices. [laughter] Anyway, I bet Jozef has a lot to say after dealing with reviews for so many years, right?

Jozef Krucay, Deputy Head of Data & Complaints: Oh, for sure. Five years and almost 10,000 reviews later, I can’t make a decision without reading every single review available on the internet. Appliances, restaurants, hotels—you name it. If I’m picking a place to eat, I’ll spend ages reading through customer feedback. And I only go to places that have really solid ratings.

Silvia G, HR Business Partner: That’s interesting. Do you leave reviews too? Like, when you don’t like something.

Jozef Krucay, Deputy Head of Data & Complaints: Yeah, ever since I started working at Casino Guru, I really do. But not just when I’m disappointed. I make sure to leave positive reviews when I’m happy with something, because I know that’s exactly what I want to see when I’m on the other side.

Sara A, Marketing Specialist: I get you. It’s like whenever I see someone filming a video in landscape mode, I get this urge to tap them on the shoulder and suggest switching to vertical. That’s just something I’d like to see. [laughter] I know it’s ridiculous, obviously, not everyone works in social media—but still. Just so you know, vertical videos rule the world right now.

But honestly, I love what I do, even outside of work. Whenever I’m on a trip and someone asks me to take a picture of them, I really put in the effort. I find the best angle, adjust the lighting, do whatever it takes. I’m not just snapping a quick pic—I want to give them the perfect memory.

Radka Atomic,Social Media & Community Specialist: Don’t you kind of live inside your phone, though?

Sara A, Marketing Specialist: I wouldn’t say that. Okay, yes, my phone is basically glued to my hand at this point, but I need to be notoriously online to stay good at what I do. Every day, I see videos and think, "Oh, that’s a nice edit. I need to learn how to do that!" And then I go and actually learn how to do it. But that doesn’t mean marketing is the only thing in my life.

Martin Macrillo, Developer: I like that. I think as we learn how to do our jobs, our mindset changes. Take me for instance. Since I started programming back in college, I’ve become as efficient as possible—not just at work, but in everything I do. I break down problems into the smallest possible parts and figure out the most efficient way to solve them.

However, not everyone thinks like that, and I can’t exactly expect them to. I’ve had people tell me to "start talking like a normal person" because I go into too much detail. But hey, it’s just how my brain works now.

Silvia G, HR Business Partner: And do you think programming made you this way, or have you always had it in you?

Martin Macrillo, Developer: Probably a bit of both. Programmers are naturally lazy—we write code to automate things, so we don’t have to do them manually. It’s in our nature to ask, "Do you really need all of this, or can we make it simpler?" I don’t know if efficiency was always my thing, but it definitely is now.

Marek Bartos UI/UX Designer: That’s interesting because I feel like my professional deformation started way before I even had a profession. As a kid, I used to rearrange the furniture at home all the time. Whenever my parents went out, I’d change up the whole room.

Martin Macrillo, Developer: Bet the parents were thrilled, huh?

Marek Bartos UI/UX Designer: Oh, absolutely. [laughter] And now my partner has to deal with it instead. Honestly, my need to tweak and redesign things has only gotten worse since I became a designer. I spend all day at work creating different design variations, and then I go home and do the same thing with my living space. I obsess over colors, furniture placement—you name it.

Silvia G, HR Business Partner: Well, I, on the other hand, have adopted plenty new habits after I started working. After 15 years in HR, I’ve seen pretty much everything. Like all kinds of CV photos—everything from bathroom selfies with the flash on to group pictures from a wild night out. It’s taught me a lot about life, honestly. [laughter] Maybe that’s why I never put a photo on my own CV.

Even in my personal life, when I meet someone new, I automatically size up their "profile." Are they the kind of person who would put a bathroom selfie on their resume? What industry do they work in? Do we have an open position they might fit?

It’s like when I was looking for new tenants for my apartment. I actually found a really cool IT guy, and I so wished we had an open system admin position—because he would be a great addition. Well, we didn’t. But who knows? Maybe someday. I know where he lives, I can make him an offer anytime. [laughter]

Radka Atomic, Social Media & Community Specialist: Oh! Did I ever tell you about the time I accidentally gave an impromptu lecture on lottery ticket marketing at a store before Christmas?

Some guy was about to buy scratch cards as a gift because the cashier told him, "The more expensive the ticket, the better the chance of winning!" And without even thinking, I just said, "That’s exactly the kind of marketing trick they push during the holidays. But that’s not the truth." Sure enough, the cashier hated me. The guy didn't buy any scratch cards. [laughter]

But I wasn’t trying to change the guy’s mind, I am not against scratch cards—I was just pointing out the facts. I spend all day managing the Forum, reading, writing, explaining, and solving problems. Of course, I do the same thing in real life. It’s like muscle memory for my brain.

Lubomir Cerny, Project Manager: Funny you mention muscle memory. The first time I noticed my own professional deformation was at the gym. As a project manager, everything in my life has spreadsheets. Workouts? Planned down to the rep. Budget? Twelve different sheets with different versions of income and expenses. Interesting days? Logged so I can look back to see what kind of year I had.

Jozef Krucay, Deputy Head of Data & Complaints: You really log your interesting days in a spreadsheet?

Lubomir Cerny, Project Manager: You bet. [laughter] I also have all my activities written down in my calendar, so I don't forget an event, meeting, or beer. I just follow one simple rule—what's not written down doesn't exist. Working as a project manager will teach you. I also have a notebook for shopping, vacations, tips on good movies, books, gift ideas…

Denisa Vydumova, Content & PR Specialist: Hey, I just realized what my professional deformation is. While you guys were talking, I was Googling the origins of the term "professional deformation", and how is it used in different languages.

Well, it is French. And comes from the phrase déformation professionnelle. And did you know that in Sweden, they use Arbetsskada, which literally means "work injury," but it’s used ironically rather than to describe an actual illness? It’s similar in Slovakia, where we say choroba z povolania, which can mean both an actual occupational disease and a habit picked up from work.

The same applies in Korea, where they have ???, and in Dutch, where it’s beroepsdeformatie or beroepsmisvorming. In Russia, they use the shortened form profdeformaciya (pro-deformation). Doesn’t that sound pretty? And in Germany, they have Berufskrankheit, which is also used metaphorically—though it still retains its original meaning of a miner getting lung disease from working in the mines.

Funny thing, language, huh?

This interview is part of Casino Guru Insiders, a series of interviews during which experts from Casino Guru share their unique workflow, reveal insider information, and offer an exclusive overview of experience-packed know-how.