Outsourcing&More 49 November-December 2019

Created by Pro Progressio

www.outsourcingportal.eu

No. 6 (49) | November–December 2019 ISSN 2083-8867 PRICE EUR 6 (INCL. 8% VAT)

SUCCES AS A SERVICE Interview with Wojciech Karpiński, Center Head of Amway GBS | page 18 BUSINESS:

INVESTMENTS:

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT:

Will AI change the world? |page 22

What is internationalisation for a B2B business? |page 38

Employee’s market or employer’s market? |page 84

Antal is more than just recruitment S O L U T I O N S , C O N S U LT I N G , M A R K E T R E S E A R C H

Antal is more than just recruitment. Our range of services encompasses a full range of HR services: specialised recruitment divisions, RPO, Market Research, HR Consulting and Employer Branding.

No two projects are alike, and therefore we adopt an individual approach to every client. Using our knowledge and experience, we put together a dedicated set of solutions, which take into account the specifics of the given industry as well as the challenges and needs of your organisation.

We will be more than happy to provide you with the full details of our services.

INTRODUCTION

Created by Pro Progressio

Editor-in-chief Dymitr Doktór dymitr.doktor@proprogressio.pl Managing editor Katarzyna Czylok-Dąbrowska katarzyna.czylok@proprogressio.pl @DymitrDoktor

DTP Iwona Nowakowska Advertising reklama@proprogressio.pl Published by PRO PROGRESSIO Editorial address ul. Sobieskiego 104/29 00-764 Warszawa www.proprogressio.pl

P: +48 22 213 02 45 F: +48 22 213 02 49 editor@proprogressio.pl Print Drukarnia Jantar Legal support Chudzik i Wspólnicy An electronic version of the Magazine see the website www.proprogressio.pl Selected photos come from shutterstock.com website.

Circulation 3,000 copies All rights reserved.

No copying, reproduction or photocopying allowed without written consent of the publisher.

The views expressed in this publication as well as the content of the adverts are not necessarily those of the editor.

Partners

Authors:

Dear Readers, This is the last edition of Outsourcing&More Magazine in 2019.

It was a year of many changes on the outsourcing and busi­ ness services market, not only in Poland, but also worldwide.

For the official summary of the year we will have to wait for The BSS Forum and the Outsourcing Stars Gala, which Pro Progressio will organize on January 23rd 2020 in Poznań, and in the meantime I invite you to review the latest infor­ mation in the field of modern business services.

In the business part we have discussed two important legal topics – the Directive on copyright and related rights in the digital single market and a rapid respond plan for in the event of a data breach. These publications were accompanied by the text of Adaptive SAG describing the way to implement the GBS model. We also referred to GBS in the SSC Lions series and in an interview with Wojciech Karpinski, head of Amway Business Center Europe – this interview is our main interview, which I invite you to read.

In the urban part of Outsourcing&More we share a number of interesting publications from Warsaw, Łódź, Kielce, Często­ chowa, Lublin, Poznań and Bydgoszcz but also Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania and Emerging Europe. City of Często­ chowa appears twice in this issue, because on October 24th it was the city where Employer Branding Workshops were organized – unique workshops focused on the image of the employer and programs related to the process of employee appreciation.

Already in January, the jubilee, 50th edition of Outsourcing &More will be available for you. Enjoy a nice and valu­ able reading.

Dymitr Doktór Editor in Chief

Magdalena Kogut-Czarkowska • Marcin Fiałka • Justyna Szklarczyk-Wojdak • Marcin Witkowski • Wojciech Karpiński • Michał Żurawski • Marcin Zieliński • Mateusz Siwiaszczyk • Tymoteusz Myśliwiec • Loredana Niculae • Plamen Tsekov • Dalia Liesytė • Mariam Rachi • Paweł Prociak • Damian Kurkowiak

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

3

INDEX

6 8 10 14 16 18 22 24 26 30 34 36 38 40 4

BUSINESS NEWS Krakow and Częstochowa in the heat of knowledge exchange and networking The post-holiday season in the events of the BSS Tour series has begun for good.

Data breach – a rapid response plan Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), entrepreneurs have been burdened with many new obligations concerning the handling of personal data.

The journey from SSC to GBS: Expanding responsibilities and competencies of Shared Service Center organization.

Directive on copyright and related rights in the digital single market Opponents of the Directive argue that the Directive may lead to a restriction of freedom of expression on the Internet.

Success as a service Interview with Wojciech Karpiński, Center Head, Amway Business Center Europe.

Will AI change the world?

Technology appears and surprises us. However, it is much more predictable than human behaviour, because it must be structured and deliberate.

Yesterday’s helpline, today – how technology has changed the way contact centers operate The question is no longer: "do we invest in new technologies?"

Meeting requirements of employees for comfort and care for health: Employer branding or a must-have?

Transformation in Shared Service Centers When and why to do it?

INVESTMENTS NEWS

Office with a view over the Bydgoszcz Immobile K3 – the premium class office building located close to the Old Tow.

What is Internationalisation for a B2B Business?

JackMa found Alibaba on the philosophy that the future belongs to SMB.

Poles replace offices with office desks According to CBRE, the real boom in the flex-space market took place in 2017-2018, when almost 95,000 sq m of flexible office space was leased throughout Poland.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

42 44 46 50 52 56 60 64 70 74 78 80 84 88 Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Common efforts from Business and Authorities tackle the talent shortage in Bulgaria It’s been more than 20 years since we first started talking about the war for talent and the coming talent shortage.

Students and graduates as the driving force for the labour market in Lodz The labour market has been facing the problem of access to an educated workforce.

Klaipeda: a city with a vision that really means business This bustling coastal city is already an established maritime, logistics and manufacturing hub.

Foster a culture of openness and creativity will thrive Everything is continuously changing and becoming something different then it was before.

Warsaw, the capital of young talents 93% of students and 89% of foreigners consider Warsaw to be a good city to pursue a career, and 84% think that the capital city is a satisfying place to live in.

IT sector in Kielce Kielce offers many opportunities for the development of the IT / ITC / ITO sector.

We don’t need advertising This is the answer we hear when we encourage employers to take actions that sometimes go slightly beyond standard marketing activities. Nothing could be more wrong...

Considered moving to Lublin?

These days quality of life is one of the most important factors determining the choice of a given location for further business development.

Let's play in Wielkopolska!

Poznan Game Arena (PGA) and Game Industry Conference (GIC) are two Poznań events that have permanently entered the gamedev industry calendar.

Direction: Bydgoszcz; Specialty: IT Bydgoszcz is consistently and effectively building its image of a "city open to outsourcing" and a significant IT centre.

HR NEWS When a senior manager is looking for a job Top managers usually do not actively look for a job. This is due to the fact that usually, it was the job that found them, or the last time they did that was a long time ago.

Employee’s market or employer’s market?

Registered unemployment rate is currently the lowest it has been since 1990.

Why employees leave before the end of the first year of work The SSC/BPO industry is one of the industries that is most at risk from the outflow of employees.

5

BUSINESS NEWS IKEA CENTER FOR BUSINESS HAS CHANGED LOCATION!

COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL HAS ONCE AGAIN BEEN NAMED BEST EMPLOYER Colliers International has once again been named Best Employer. The award is given to organisations that create the most engaging environments to work in.

The Best Employers program is one of the few competitions in which the only criterion for evaluation is the opinion of the employees themselves. Four main aspects are analysed: employee engagement, engaging leadership, busi­ ness agility and orientation on people.

The competition has been run around the world for 20 years by the independent company Kincentric (formerly Aon).

– The title of the Best Employer is a special distinction for us, because it comes from the evaluations of the team itself. For years, we have been working on building an engaging work environment in which everyone can develop their competences and soft skills. We have introduced numerous solutions supporting pregnant women and parents, as well as proprietary training programs for all of the company’s employees, both in our industry and many other fields, including healthy living, raising children, or coaching topics – says Agata Błaszkiewicz, director of People Services at Colliers International.

6

After two years of operation of the world's spaces are furniture from a professional first IKEA Center for Business was moved series, covered by a free of charge to Aleje Jerozolimskie to the IKEA store 10-years warranty. in Blue City.

The new location, still close to the center The IKEA Center for Business is a place of Warsaw, allows quick and conve­ prepared to support entrepreneurs nient access to the point. This facili­ in creating functional, comfortable tates a well-developed public trans­ and attractively designed work space. port network and the availability The Center was established two years of free parking spaces in the shopping ago and has operated on Marszałkowska center. A new convenience for business street in Warsaw. Interior Designers customers is the opportunity to take and Sales Advisors are waiting for new advantage of the offer of IKEA Bistro and existing clients in the new loca­ and Cafe, located in the store. tion on Aleje Jerozolimskie. The team of the IKEA Center for Business invites The point will be open during business you to meetings in the field of arrange­ hours that are most convenient for busi­ ment and consulting. The basis for ness customers, from 10 AM to 6 PM from creating the implementation of working Monday to Friday.

– My dream has always been to create a work environment in which everyone feels good, which inspires and encourages creativity and development. I am glad that these efforts have been successful and appreciated by our employees. A 78% commitment level is a great result. We will certainly continue making Colliers an interesting and engaging workplace – explains Monika Rajska-Wolińska, managing partner of Colliers International in Poland.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

BUSINESS

KRAKOW AND CZĘSTOCHOWA IN THE HEAT OF KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND NETWORKING The post-holiday season in the events of the BSS Tour series has begun for good. The Pro Progressio Foundation organized already two events, the form of which differed slightly from typical conferences or business forums.

For the first time, the organizers decided to develop an element of the work­ shop, which met with very good assess­ ment of the people participating in it. Workshops in Krakow were directed to the group of people holding the posi­ tions of Team Leaders, while in Często­ chowa participants were specialists and managers whose main topic of interest is the area of ​​​​Employer Branding.

GBS Talks 4.0 was a conference that took place in Krakow's Nowy Styl Group inspi­ ration center. The event gathered over a hundred participants who debated and discussed the most important challen­ ­ges in managing and optimizing work in the environment of GBS operating centers. The talks focused on legal and personnel issues, as well as those related to Lean. For the first time Team Leaders representing SSC and GBS centers who are members of the Pro Progressio Club could take part in a closed workshop session, which was devoted to the scope of work and duties performed by Team Leaders.

This workshop was led by Mariusz Szałaj, President of 4Synchronicity. Participants of the meeting jointly stated that there is no such meeting formula on the Polish market, and Pro Progressio undertook to continue it.

8

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

The October event in Częstochowa was entirely dedicated to Employer Branding workshops. Four different educa­ tional sessions led by four outstanding trainers – Adam Wąsik (Pracownia EB), Iwona Grochowska (Nais), Agnieszka Wnuk (Sharebee) and Zyta Machnicka (Lightnes) – caused that the workshop participants spent the whole day on them.

The event was opened by the Mayor of Częstochowa – Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk, who in his welcome speech emphasized the importance of municipal programs supporting the development and image of entrepreneurs.

BSS Tour for the third year in a row proves how in terms of access to knowledge, exchange of experience and networking, events in the sector of outsourcing and modern business services are impor­ tant. This cycle adapts to the needs that the BSS market dictates, and is additionally enriched with such initia­ tives as the "Take a book" campaign or the "Event Tiger" meeting arrange­ ment system – both designed and created by the Pro Progressio Foundation.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

9

BUSINESS

DATA BREACH – A RAPID RESPONSE PLAN Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which entered into force at the end of May last year, entrepreneurs have been burdened with many new obligations concerning the handling of personal data. One of the obligations relates to requirements in the case of personal data breaches. As a rule, incidents of privacy infringement should be reported to the supervisory authority, which is the President of the Office for Personal Data Protection (UODO) in case of Poland, and in some cases also to the persons affected by the data related to the infringement.

WHICH BREACHES ARE SUBJECT TO GDPR? It should be underlined that the reporting requirements concern only viola­ tions that affect personal data (infor­ mation about individual persons), causing the loss of such data, accidental change or it being made available to an unauthorized person. Such viola­ tions may include, for example, a hack into a company server containing payroll data, accidental deletion of the data­ base of customers, or sending an e-mail with an employment offer to the wrong addressee. Violation may result from intentional human activity (e.g. hacker attack), but also from the negligence of an employee or a random event.

of personal data. The controller decides on the means and purposes of using personal data. It may be a natural person (e.g. an individual entrepreneur), or an organization (e.g. a company). For example, for employees – the control­ ­ler will be the employer, and for customers – the online shop where they buy things. On the other hand, an IT service company or provider of HR solutions will most likely not act in the capacity of a controller, as they obtain access to data and process it on behalf of another company and not for their own purposes. Such entities are referred to as "processors" and must only notify the relevant controller (usually their client) about a breach.

is to determine whether or not to notify the UODO. Not all incidents will require such a response. The reporting obliga­ tion does not apply to "low risk" inci­ dents, which means that they are unlikely to cause any danger or inconvenience to those affected.

An example of such "low risk" breach is a temporary unplanned inaccessibility of customer database if it occurred at a time when the data was not actively used by anyone. Temporary inaccessi­ bility of such database couldn't nega­ tively affect any of the persons whose data were in the database. Similarly, if a company loses a printout with a list of employees' names, which however did not contain any other data, it is unlikely WHO IS SUBJECT TO THE DUTY RECOGNIZING A DATA that this event could have negative TO RESPOND TO BREACHES? BREACH AND ASSESSING ITS consequences for them. Such cases do Not every company that becomes CONSEQUENCES not require notification to the authority. aware of a breach must report it to If we identify a breach and confirm that it However, the situation would be different the authorities. The obligations to report relates to personal information that our if the lost list of employees specified violations apply only to controllers organization is controlling, the next step their remuneration.

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Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Notifications to the UODO are generally made electronically (online) using a dedi­ cated form. The form requires a detailed description of the event, including infor­ mation on its nature, the approximate scale and foreseeable consequences for the data subjects. Potential negative HOW TO NOTIFY THE PRESIDENT consequences include, but are not limited OF THE PERSONAL DATA to, the risk of discrimination, identity theft PROTECTION OFFICE? or forgery, financial loss, damage to repu­ The notification should be made, if possible, tation or any other kind of damage, no later than 72 hours after the discovery whether of economic or social nature. of the breach by the controller. It is suffi­ cient if the breach comes to the atten­ If company has subsidiaries in other tion of controller's employee or even countries, it is worth remembering that another cooperating entity processing in the case of breaches involving data data on behalf of the controller. subjects in different countries of the Euro­ pean Union, the President of the Personal Therefore, a key element of risk manage-­­ Data Protection Office will not necessarily ment is the prior implementation of appro-­­­ be the appropriate recipient of the notifi­ priate procedures aimed at shortening cation. It may also be another EU super­ the response time, as well as the appoint­ visory authority. It is the responsibility ment of a coordinator or a coordination of the controller to determine the appro­ team to supervise the process. priate authority to make the filing.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

11

BUSINESS

Notifications to the UODO are generally made electronically (online) using a dedicated form.

The form requires a detailed description of the event, including information on its nature, the approximate scale and foreseeable consequences for the data subjects.

NOTIFICATION OF PERSONS AFFECTED BY A BREACH In addition to the notification of the rele­ vant supervisory authority, a decision must be made on whether to inform individuals who may have been affected by the incident. Such an obligation exists when a high risk of violation of their rights and freedoms is established. When assessing the level of such risk, we should take into account a number of circum­ stances, including whether the data was stored in encrypted form and what the probability of its decryption is.

In the event that the controller decides to take this step, it should be noted that on the one hand the information provided to the affected persons must be comprehensive, and on the other hand it must be presented in a way that is transparent and clear to the addressees.

If it is advisable in a specific situation, the information should also indicate recommendations on what measures the persons should take to mitigate the risk (e.g. changing passwords or using an additional method of authentica­ tion). If informing the affected persons would involve disproportionate efforts, the information may be presented as a public announcement or in another similar form.

with these procedures at the right time is essential for lawfully dealing with the breach and for avoiding liability for violations of GDPR.

UODO GUIDANCE ON DATA BREACH NOTIFICATIONS The UODO has recently published a report summarizing its experience with the first year of receiving data breach notifications. The report enti­ tled "Controllers' obligations related to personal data breaches" can be a valu­ able source of practical guidance. Incom­ pleteness and unreliability of the infor­ mation provided to the authority and routine filing of reports were indicated as the most frequent errors. Control­ lers should familiarize themselves with these conclusions and examples, because a wrongly submitted report may expose a company to serious consequences, including the inspection carried by the UODO, and even high financial penalties, which may even amount to several million EUR or up to 4% of the worldwide annual turn­ over. The UODO has already imposed its first penalty under GDPR for an incor­ rect response to a breach of personal data, so the risk of such liability is not only theoretical.

DOCUMENTATION OF SECURITY INCIDENTS AND NECESSARY PROCEDURES If a controller determines that a personal data breach has occurred, it must also document such incident in an internal register. Although this is not a rule, it should be borne in mind that there is The UODO has recently a possibility that the UODO may follow up published a report with an inspection after it receives a noti­ summarizing its experience fication. Therefore, it is crucial to be properly prepared for such an eventuality.

with the first year of receiving data breach notifications. The report entitled "Controllers' obligations related to personal data breaches" can be a valuable source of practical guidance.

12

The UODO recommends that each company should develop operating procedures in the event of a suspected information security incident. Such procedures should specify the prin­ ciples of conduct for detecting and responding to potential incidents, analysing the event and evaluating its consequences, as well as the principles of reporting them. Acting in accordance

Authors:

Magdalena Kogut-Czarkowska, Counsel, Baker McKenzie Krzyżowski i Wspólnicy sp.k.

Marcin Fiałka, Associate, Baker McKenzie Krzyżowski i Wspólnicy sp.k.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

BUSINESS

THE JOURNEY FROM SSC TO GBS: EXPANDING RESPONSIBILITIES AND COMPETENCIES OF SHARED SERVICE CENTER ORGANIZATION In recent years, we have more and more often heard about the concept of Global Business Services, which is mentioned in the same breath as Shared Service Center organization and Business Process Outsourcing. We are more and more often asking ourselves the question of what the GBS model really is, why the number of companies that aim at implementing it increases so fast, and who can provide support in the new strategy deployment.

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Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Unlike the SSC model, where Shared Services Center is a separate entity that has emerged from core organization and that is responsible for providing services to its local business units, the GBS model consists of setting up a global, inte­ grated and centralized organization that provides comprehensive and complex end-to-end processes (whereas in case of SSC, local business units continue to participate in process execution, as only some of clearly defined activities are transferred and consolidated in SSC).

In the GBS model, there is usually a hybrid organization, which means that services can be either delivered by a designed company unit, or that they can be outsourced – under the condition that the service delivery process is centrally controlled and managed by Global Busi­ ness Services. In addition, GBS is defined as the highest, the most advanced and the most sophisticated level on the SSC maturity scale, which can be achieved by a company only if it has: optimized and automated processes (standardi­ zation and harmonization in this case is not enough), optimized and modular designed IT systems, and experienced,

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

quality service-oriented and having in-depth process knowledge resources.

According to SSON report "Evolution of Global Business Services to 2017: The Story so Far", the number of compa­ nies which are handing over some of their processes to SSC / BPO providers and which have decided to implement the GBS model, has grown by nearly 80% over the past four years. What reasons are driving the decision makers to go one step further and to entrust the overall execution of not only transactional processes but also of those requiring much more specific competencies (just to mention here few higher value func­ tions, such as consulting and business analytics) to a separate business, instead of keeping them in the core organiza­ tion scope? Key benefits of GBS imple­ mentation are: significant cost reduc­ tion, focus on core business develop­ ment, process optimization and auto­ mation around the world (led by Global Process Owners) and finally, IT system integration across the whole company; GBS also include the ability to leverage best practices, to unify reporting and data management processes, to improve decision-making, and finally to analyze global transactional data for optimal resource allocation.

Number of companies which are handing over some of their processes to SSC / BPO providers and which have decided to implement the GBS model, has grown by nearly 80% over the past four years.

and forecast all changes, to identify risks and challenges, and to secure a successful implementation of new business model? In case the company does not have (or does have, but not enough) resources who would be suffi­ ciently experienced in order to manage the project, it might be worth consi­dering the option of engaging an external transition services provider.

Consulting companies operating on the market, specializing in busi­ ness architecture and strategies design, transformation programs management and process reengineering, offer a wide range of services for SSC&BPO sector.

It is crucial that the selection of an external partner is based on the premises such as: project methodology proposed, range of services provided, clients portfolio, company position on the market. More­ over, it is highly recommended to check each consultant’s managerial skills and his or her previous experience in trans­ formation projects management. Finally, it is worth highlighting that the flexi­­bility and adaptability of service provider is crucial for successful implementation of new strategy, and that it is extremely The last question that will most important to get the guaran­­tee of read­ likely occur, this is the one related iness to quickly adapt project resources to implementation of GBS model to fast changing and dynamic pro­­­­ject itself. Which strategy should environment. we adopt when the decision to further develop the SSC organization has already been Author: taken? How to estimate deploy­ ment time frames, how to assess if and when our company will be ready to adopt this new model?

Justyna SzklarczykWhat to begin with and who -Wojdak, Program should be assigned as a project Manager / Senior leader? Does the company have Consultant, resources and know-how that ADAPTIVE Solutions & Advisory Group will allow to plan all actions

15

BUSINESS

DIRECTIVE ON COPYRIGHT AND RELATED RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET – SELECTED ISSUES

The controversial Directive 2019/790 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on copyright and related rights in the digital single market and amending Directives 96/9/EC and 2001/29/EC (hereinafter referred to as the “Directive”) entered into force on 6 June 2019. Opponents of the Directive argue that the Directive may lead to a restriction of freedom of expression on the Internet. Supporters point out that the objective of the Directive is to enable authors, news publishers and journalists to benefit from online activities, and not to censor the Internet. The purpose of this article is to discuss selected issues regulated by the Directive.

A NEW RELATED RIGHT OF PRESS PUBLISHERS The Directive introduces a new related right for publishers of press publications such as newspapers, weeklies, general or specialised monthlies, including subscriptions to magazines, and online information services.

However, the Directive stipulates that the rights of publishers do not apply to private and non-commercial uses of press publications by private users and to individual words or very short extracts from press releases.

The protection afforded by the Direc­ The introduction of a new related right tive does not apply to linking activi­ for publishers of press publications ties either. is primarily intended to oblige news aggregators (such as Google News) Therefore, it will still be possible to pay remuneration to publishers for to publish very short extracts from the use of their publications. Reproduc­ press releases (the interpretation of this tion of press releases or making them concept could be the subject of poten­ publicly available on the Internet will tial disputes) with links to the orig­ require the publisher’s consent, e.g. inal press releases without any risk by concluding a licence agreement. of infringement of the publishers’ rights.

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Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

RESPONSIBILITY OF PROVIDERS OF ONLINE CONTENT SHARING SERVICES

In other words, if a user illegally publishes the “Wall Street” film directed by Oliver Stone on youtube.com, youtube.com will be liable.

(a) has made best efforts to obtain the authorisation of the rightholder, and (b) has made, in accordance with high industry standards of professio­ ­nal diligence, best efforts to ensure the unavailability of specific works for which the rightholder has provided the service provider with the rele­ vant and necessary information; and in any event. (c) has acted expeditiously, upon receiving a sufficiently substantiated notice from the rightholder, to disable access to, or to remove from their websites, the notified works, and made best efforts to prevent their future uploads in accordance with point (b).

In order not to infringe copyright, service providers will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders (creators, producers, performers, etc.) to exploit their works or subjects of related rights. This consent may take the form of a licence agreement.

Therefore, if the service provider does not obtain the authorisation of the right­ holder, they will have to take all measures to prevent their users from publishing the specific works for which it has received the relevant and necessary infor­ mation from the rightholder (item "b").

If the service provider does not obtain the authorisation of the rightholder, he or she will be liable for the unlawful publication of their work, unless proves that he or she:

The Directive alleviates these require­ ments for service providers whose services are available to the public in the European Union for less than three years and whose annual turnover does not exceed EUR 10 million. Such service providers should meet only the condi­ tions set out in items (a) and (c).

According to the Directive, online content service providers (so-called hosting providers, hereinafter referred to as “service providers”) make publicly available or publicly known works or subjects of related rights (e.g. perfor­ mances of works, phonograms and videograms) when they grant public access to copyrighted works or subjects of related rights uploaded by their users.

The directive does not name what meas­ ures should be taken by service providers to ensure that protected content is not accessible. It does not explicitly require filtering of data submitted by users.

However, it is argued that in practice service providers will have to use filtering software to comply with the Directive.

Thus, there is a real risk that content that does not infringe copyright and related rights may also be blocked.

Directive stipulates that the rights of publishers do not apply to private and non-commercial uses of press publications by private users and to individual words or very short extracts from press releases. The protection afforded by the Directive does not apply to linking activities either.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

the currently applicable rules. Under the Act of 18 July 2002 on the provi­ sion of services by electronic means, service providers are not obliged to verify the data provided by their users.

Currently, service providers are liable only if they were aware of the unlawful nature of the content provided by the user and if they do not remove the unlawful content, despite receiving official noti­ fication or reliable information about the infringement.

The Directive should be implemented into national law by 7 June 2021.

It should be added that the govern­ ment of the Republic of Poland has filed a complaint with the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning the Directive, claiming that its provisions pose a fundamental threat to the freedom In such cases, the Directive requires of expression on the Internet. Member States to lay down rules that service providers must put in place Author: an effective and efficient complaints and redress mechanism available to users of their services in the event of disputes concerning the blocking or deletion Marcin Witkowski, Attorney at Law of works uploaded by them.

The Directive therefore regulates the lia­­ bility of service providers differently from

in the Law Firm “Chudzik i Wspólnicy Radcowie Prawni” sp.p. www.chudzik.pl

17

SSC

SUCCESS AS A SERVICE

Word of admission:

SSC Lions is a project run by Pro Progressio and focused on the communication support provided to Shared Service Centres.

On ­Outsourcing&More Magazines’ pages we will present business cases and interviews with leaders of Shared Services Centres, industry experts and consultants.

Our interlocutors will provide the answers to the questions related to best business practises, project manage­ ment and employer branding.

In this edition of SSC Lions we are presenting you the interview with Wojciech Karpiński, Center Head, Amway Business Center Europe.

SSC LIONS

Wiktor Doktór, Pro Progressio: Amway – one of the most recognizable global brands. How did your journey with the Amway Global Business Services Center start in Poland?

Wojciech Karpiński, Center Head, Amway Business Center Europe: It started with an immediate success. Since our Center was not a pilot project, it was strategically designed as multifunctional and mature from the very beginning.

Russia and the whole Europe, from Portugal to Finland. In the last couple of months, we have managed to convince 30 colleagues from Costa Rica to join us here in Cracow.

recently. Even in typical departments like Accounting our scope of performed activities is broader, in fact, it is a complete Endto-End process since there are no finance teams retained in local Amway units.

Now you talk about processes that require local languages, like Contact Center, right?

Not only. I also mean such functions as Marketing and Finance. Our first guy

Great, but let’s get back to external candidates who still don’t know their reasons to join you.

We are searching for people who, on top of their competencies, will match our organizational culture. Amway exists to support individual entrepreneurs, so our key value is caring for others. And Amway GBS is part of its business not an internal vendor. Employees and leaders who can understand it will be able to appreciate such culture. We obviously all have challenging objectives to deliver, but with such a positive atmosphere we can deliver them with pleasure.

IF YOUR BRAND IS STRONG AND YOU KNOW HOW TO SEARCH FOR TALENTS, YOU WILL FIND THE BEST EMPLOYEES. NOT ALL OF THEM AT ONCE OF COURSE, BECAUSE THE PACE OF RECRUITMENT SHOULD BE ADJUSTED TO THE MARKET SIZE. Your Center in Cracow is known to be different from other corporations. Why? That is because Amway is not a stereotypical corporation. We really are a fami­ ly business that in its heart supports entrepreneurs, who also run their family businesses.

How can you experience this on the daily basis?

Right at first sight. Dress code is casual not only on Friday. You feel welcomed when you enter. And in the kitchen, you feel like you are part of a family. People that you did not know yesterday smile at you and treat you as if you belong here forever. I still remember myself being recruited. It was unusual that my future boss cared for me like none of my previous ones. I wish and hope that all my colleagues feel the same.

from Costa Rica arrived here over a year ago to join Finance team. He is my personal hero, since he achieved that simply because he wanted to. Amway did help him to relocate to Poland but less than we help today.

He used to work for Amway in Costa Rica but he went through a regular recruitment to our Center and he got the job.

Each Center faces some challenges as they evolve. Was it the growth dynamics and finding the right people like for many other­­ entities or was it something different?

If your brand is strong and you know how to search for talents, you will find the best employees. Not all of them at once of course, because the pace of recruitment should be adjusted to the market size. The real challenge – or rather an ambition – is to provide internal career opportunities for current team members.

It is my personal priority to see as many attractive jobs to be filled internally as possible. We are looking for growth mindset and openness to develop new skills and competencies. It is not too often that we enjoy fast transformation like today. And many talented colleagues are modest about their skills and competencies. They tend to underestimate themselves and shy away from applying.

Your Center is growing which is a success. Are you proud of this growth?

I am proud of Cracow employees’ quality of work. This strong positive experience was key for the rest of Amway to acknowledge we can perform even more.

Growth of the Center is just a consequence of the excellent work results of our teams.

I am also very proud of being able to offer broad variety of career paths. Current transformation brings in several HR processes for a couple of Regions including Americas. Centers of Excellence will include Compensation & Benefits, systems support, talent acquisition and payroll.

What has your growth looked like over the years? Do you consider opening in new other locations?

We will move to a new office in High5ive business park at the heart of Cracow just in a few months from today. Finally, all teams will be in one location, and we plan to stay together as long as that is possible. Even at the ultimate size of 650 employees we will remain midsized Center. The space at High5ive is being designed for a cross-team cooperation.

It is aimed at connecting us all and facili­ tating easy collaboration. Like in a family business.

Amway has chosen Cracow for your GBS Center. What was a critical factor for this choice?

Cracow attracts people from all over the world. Every person you have met in your life must have heard of it. They would know it is a beautiful city worth visi­ting or even spending part of their lives in. Business Consultants will tell you that the reason of Cracow’s success is the famous local universities, but it is not only about universities and their staff. It is more Do you mean you offer exceptionally atthe beautiful city itself that makes it easy tractive job positions?

Thank you very much. We are transforming into Global to invite talents from all around the globe.

Business Services of even more diverse and Does Amway invite them? From all mature profile. Our Centers of Excellence around the globe? expand, five of them in Finance and ano­ Some of our colleagues in the office ther few in HR. Other high-profile teams come from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, like Digital also searched for candidates

20

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

BUSINESS

WILL AI CHANGE THE WORLD?

Technology appears and surprises us. However, it is much more predictable than human behaviour, because it must be structured and deliberate. And even if it can surprise us in some part, we are able to distinguish the trends it follows.

22

Machines begin to learn themselves from the collected data, so we should not be surprised by classical music pieces composed by machines, a self-driving car or a conversation with a robot consultant.

I often come across the statement that Artificial Intelligence will revolutionize the world. My answer is – it depends.

The fact is that AI is gaining momentum and the changes are taking place quite dynamically, so if you look at it from a time perspective, I can agree with the state­ ment. However, the revolution throws us into deep, icy water without prior prepa­ ration. And here we are dealing with another phenomenon. We get to know it every day, we have time to think about what a given tool or amenity brings to our lives. Machines begin to learn themselves from the collected data, so we should not be surprised by classical music pieces composed by machines, a self-driving car or a conversation with a robot consultant.

However, from my point of view, the most important thing is to understand what artificial intelligence brings and what it can bring. Our awareness is weak and it causes fear and caution. That is why, at the first stage of learning I recom­ mend exploring the topic, because this is the key to reaping the benefits of new solutions that AI brings.

The use of AI offers many previo­ usly unavailable possibilities. How does Digital Workforce help companies with artificial intelligence?

As a company, we focus on getting to know client's needs, understanding his problems, and then on introducing various types of solutions. In innova­ tion we cannot use one template. Each proposal must be tailored and cover particular needs of a particular client.

We recommend that you get to know RPA

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

at the beginning of your journey to inno­ vation. In our opinion, RPA is the basic platform for implementing more and more difficult tools. We must learn how to walk first so that we can run later. It is similar with new products or services. One has to think it over, understand it step by step – as it seems to work best. People need to learn the mechanisms of action, get used to working hand-in-hand with a robot to form a harmonious team.

The next step is machine learning where machines learn from collected data and at the very end we can start implementa­ tion of advanced and comprehensive AI solutions. At the same time, management team should acquire knowledge about how to share tasks between a human employee and a digital worker. This is the correct path to gradual adaptation.

efficiency are evidence that man and robot are a symphony of the 21st century.

What do companies need to take into consideration before implementing AI? In my opinion there are three decidedly non-technical barriers which need to be considered. I think here about not fully and properly defined processes; lack of clear knowledge how the current infra­ structure looks like and what is allowed and/or from legal perspective and finally unprepared employees or widely under­ stand business.

Security – how important is this topic when designing your solutions?

The founders of our company – Heikki Lansisyrja, Jukka Virkkunen, Mika Vainio-Mattila, but also all board members and the employees pay great attention What clients do you already cooperate to safety issues. All of us want to feel safe with? Do you think about gaining and have 100% certainty that our data new customer segments by offering is protected and secured with due care. new products and services using AI? At Digital Workforce we make sure that We are honoured to cooperate with great you do not have to worry about it. We players in every segment. A digital worker do not take risks where we see a threat, built on the RPA platform is our everyday and a team of top-class system managers life. We have also noticed a growing need monitors processes day and night for NLP (natural language processing), to ensure that the data is fully secured. chatbots, image and voice recognition Author: and process mining. That is why, we already have a dedicated team of people specializing in the above mentioned improvements. We help our client grow over time and we strive to adapt our skills to the growing appetites of our clients.

Michał Żurawski, It is a challenge, but also a great gratifi­ Key Account cation, when satisfaction of beneficiaries, Manager, Digital Workforce speed, accuracy, elimination of errors and

23

BUSINESS

YESTERDAY’S HELPLINE, TODAY – HOW TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED THE WAY CONTACT CENTERS OPERATE In a world where new technological innovations are always right around the corner, the assumptions you make when running your business have to be regularly, and more frequently, verified.

The question is no longer: “do we invest in new technologies?”

Decisions now revolve around which of the plethora of innovations offered on the market to prioritize for your business. The key to making the best decisions is understanding consumers’ needs by measuring their preferences, as well as the ability to predict trends.

The latter has, in recent times, gained significantly in importance. It’s no longer enough to react to the changing market, since the moment you’ve finished implementing one solution, you may find the environment has shifted again, completely. This is common knowledge to anyone who, a few years ago, devoted significant resources towards the optimization of websites for PC users – only to discover that in the not-so-distant future, 90% of their visits would come from mobile phone users.

Company owners are fully aware that in order to attract and retain clients, you have to make them feel taken care of at every stage of the Consumer Journey. The contact center plays a signi­ ficant role in this process. The issue lies not only in how easy it can be to alienate a customer, yet also in how quickly news of their negative experience can be published and promoted via social media. Luckily, there’s a whole selection of innovations waiting in the wings to service situations such as these, which shows that a technological advantage

24

over your competition may be your key to success. It’s not enough to cut down your custo­mer’s waiting time in the call queue. Your client wants immediate interaction and freedom of choice.

How then, might we characterize a mo­­­dern customer service center? With the intention of creating smarter experiences for people, we can begin by offering our consumers a variety of channels, through which they can contact an operator. WhatsApp is a messaging application that has gained significant renown all over the world – as a tool to be used in business, it still has room to mature.

However, its focus on dynamic growth shows potential for creating a better communication channel between consumer and agent. Integrating this popular messenger into our customer service offering has shown surprisingly positive effects. Aside from the undeniable benefits of working with a popular brand, connecting with customers via WhatsApp measurably affects the way we can exchange information. Aside from text messaging, the client can send a photo (showing, for example, broken equipment) or audio messages.

Everything using their mobile phone.

Additionally, once a consumer’s history is saved in the WhatsApp dashboard, they can be accessed again – this

empowers agents to become ‘know-italls’ who can provide informed answers to a variety of queries. Conversation history can be stored by both parties, which is also beneficial when the need arises to evaluate previous interactions with the consumer. WhatsApp as a communication channel has the potential to become a fantastic addition, or even a complete alternative, to the already commonly-used

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

the consumer. In certain situations, more advanced solutions that allow for the exchange of confidential information such as credit card details are needed.

In this case, it’s necessary to ensure the agent does not have access to such sensitive information, so as to ensure that all privacy requirements are being met. The best solutions should always be verified according to PCI standards.

webchat. From a company’s perspective, the ability to distribute packets of information via WhatsApp is also significant.

While this is all still very new territory in the outbound marketing arena, first impressions signal that it could be highly effective.

Nonetheless, a truly innovative contact center will go a step further. Imagine this: while you are waiting to be connected to a customer service agent, you are informed that there is an alternative option to chat via WhatsApp. All you need to do is select the option for chat on your keypad and have WhatsApp installed on your phone.

You can also be sent a link which allows you to quickly install the app. Transcom has implemented this solution under the title “IVR deflection”. In practice, 5–10% of consumers agree to switch to WhatsApp chat. In the contact center business, this percentage of conversion is very high.

During periods of increased traffic, such as morning timings or following a weekend or a public holiday, many helplines struggle with increased waiting times in the call queue. We can

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

In the rapidly-evolving world of contact centers, it’s always worth ensuring that the solutions you’re implementing are producing the desired effect. Here, we see even more innovation. Analyzing the tone of a conversation allows us to define a consumer’s satisfaction level with the service provided. What’s more, recently developed algorithms give us the opportunity to monitor the trend of a conversation as it’s happening – allowing us to measure how often we can turn a failure into a success.

Nevertheless, the range of speech analytics tools on offer can never fully replace a consumer’s direct feedback, so for this we propose another solution – IVR CS surveys. Instead of receiving countless text messages and emails with survey requests, the consumer can decide for themselves if they want assume that not every consumer will to stay on the line after a conversation want to switch to a mobile appli- with a customer service representative cation. Another solution might be and fill out a pre-written survey. This a virtual “hold” – a mechanism that process has seen a higher response rate maintains the consumer’s position from consumers, and is easier and more in the queue despite them hanging flexible for a contact center to configure. up the phone. Then, the mechanism connects the consumer with the agent Of course, the aforementioned solutions as soon as the latter becomes available, are but individual jewels in the crown or during the consumer’s preferred of technological advancements that contact hours. empower a CC to maintain the highest standards of customer service. There’s no The next step in developing CC services doubt that an innovative approach helps has been the implementation of micro- to build an advantage on the market, bots that can carry out a multitude and those who remain passive in of tasks, such as collecting information their approach to rapid technological from the customer about their satis- advancement risk losing their edge. faction with the offered service. There In this way, by outsourcing your has been some speculation that chat- customer service, you stand to gain a lot bots may take over the work of humans; more than just cost optimization. however, the integration of this technology into scripted conversations Author: between consumer and CC employee has produced remarkable results. Using micro-bots, an agent can obtain all the necessary information from a client, predetermine the topic of conversation, and even automate responses. In this Marcin Zieliński, way, through the use of RPA, the human Operations Manager factor remains, which is the element for Global Account, Transcom crucial to building a relationship with

25

BUSINESS

MEETING REQUIREMENTS OF EMPLOYEES FOR COMFORT AND CARE FOR HEALTH: EMPLOYER BRANDING OR A MUST-HAVE? More and more office space design plans have been including efficiency, mobility and visual value with additional criteria: physical and mental well-being of the staff. Employee satisfaction with functional, ergonomic and aesthetic features of office spaces have never been measured as often as now. How to understand your business needs and include them in an office fit-out? Here is some advice from Mikomax Smart Office, a manufacturer of office furniture. in front of computer screens. What is the list of frequent demands of modern employees for office spaces and how to meet them?

DYNAMIC WORK – SIT & STAND

Stand Up desk

Over hundreds of millennia, the human body has evolved to be in motion, to walk, run and hunt with efficiency.

The modern reality of life is but a blink of the eye compared to that period, but it has displaced standing in favor of seden­ tary work. It is nearly impossible to elimi­ nate this. However, the consequences of any sedentary lifestyle have mobilised people to seek some change. For the last 20 years, cancer, traffic accidents and sedentary life have been ranked as top health hazards.

Over 30 years in business, Mikomax Smart Office has developed thousands of office space designs for project owners across the globe. The decades of expe­ rience in this department has provided deep insights into how far the demands and needs of employees for office space arrangement and fit-out have evolved.

The last decade champions a veritable Cult of the Employee and its Health.

26

Requirements for the work environ­ ment have been piling up and what is more important, employees are not shy to define them aloud. The modern employee requires a diversified office space with areas dedicated to a variety of jobs with the ambiance which caters to mental comfort and solutions that will stave off fatigue and degradation of physical health on 8-hour work shifts

Manufacturers of office furniture have been aware of the need to optimise human motion at work; hence, the thou­ sands of desks on the market with power height adjustment. Where is the problem, then? Employees often are not even aware of such convenience and ergo­ nomic features and there is a great chunk who are aware of them, but still do not use them. Mikomax Smart Office completed a cycle of interviews with users of office

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Meeting pod hushMeet

spaces with those and other conveni­ ence features and found out why, instead of working upright, people still prefer to sit. The thing is that no power height adjustment of the desktop would prompt workers to change their posture. Lifting of the desktop takes too long; it often happens that power-adjustable desks are simply not plugged to the mains, or the corporate culture lacks the custom of standing work. The conclusions are straightforward: employees need to make their staff aware of the problem and motivate them to work upright. First, however, employees need to provide facilities for standing work. What can help is proper educational content... or desks with manual height adjustment.

The Red Dot Award-winning Stand Up desk for sit & stand work does not require mains power to work. It can be reposi­ tioned between sitting and standing posture in a flash. It is also available in multiple color options. All of this makes the product as user-friendly as possible.

com­­­p laints from employees about how open spaces simply does not let them change the work environment.

Those people spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, at the same desks. Repe­ tition and immobility reduce produc­ tivity; employees are exhausted, feel awkward and get a sense that their comfort is very far on the list of priori­ ties of the employer. The chaos which overwhelms office work also affects work CHAINED TO THE DESK: efficiency, as they report: co-workers MORE STRESS, LESS EFFICIENCY conversing too loud, the unending Long hours of work before a computer jingling of mobile and stationary phones, screen can take a heavy toll on the intel­ people walking in and out incessantly, lect, emotions, and physiology. Some­ and the murmur and background noise times all it takes is to change the environ­ from adjacent rooms. According to Ipsos ment to let the brain ‘catch a fresh breath’ surveys, these factors make an average and return to work rejuvenated. More employee lose as much as 90 minutes often than not, the interviews Mikomax of work efficiency over an 8-hour shift, Smart Office carries out at corporations with a loss of focus down by 66%. c a nv a s s e d f o r p r oj e c t s f e at u r e

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Phone booth hushPhone

How to tackle this in an open space office setting? Conversion and relocation are the first ideas which come to mind, but they take a lot of time and money. It is a great idea to consider sound-proof solutions for office places. In situations like this, Mikomax Smart Office usually favours acoustic wallt to build spaces for standalone work and relax without any need of renovations.

However, most popular solutions from Mikomax Smart Office align with the hush­ Work: a mobile acoustic pod dedicated to focused one-man work and provided with a desktop with manual height adjust­ ment. With the hushWork units, employees can choose where they want to do their job and enjoy greatly reduced ambient noise.

The high sound-insulating performance of the hushWork provides a deep sense of comfort to the occupants and the people around the pod. Everyone feels better and enjoy higher productivity.

27

BUSINESS

Soniq office walls

PHONE CALLS: ZERO PRIVACY IS THE ENEMY OF EVERY EMPLOYEE Important business calls, video confe­ rences and private conversations over the phone deserve and require a quiet ambiance. According to the surveys

by YouGov, as much as 31% of office employees feel awkward during phone calls at the office and fail to express their mind in fear of criticism from co-workers.

Calls in foreign languages or business negotiations amidst of other people at the office are not just inconvenient; they too often fall short of their objectives.

Employees tend to be distracted and feel uncomfortable, losing focus on the other side of the call or conversation.

The phone is an office work essential of today. The comfort and conveni­ ence of employees during phone calls should be prioritized. Here, office phone booths come to the rescue. With a foot­ print of merely 1 square meter, they can fit perfectly where there is little office room to spare. In recent years, most office fit-out projects from Mikomax Smart Office featured proprietary phone booths, the hushPhone. When following up on-site of a completed office fit-out project, the feedback to Mikomax Smart Office is always the same: the staff cannot imagine work without a dedicated, sound-insulated room for phone calls.

The biggest advantages of the hushPhone reported in the feedbacks include privacy, quiet, and convenience of videoconfe­ rencing with the included laptop shelf.

28

THERE’S NO ROOM FOR A MEETING

for formal and informal meetings and have plenty of rooms to choose from.

Estimates say that as the open space offices Mikomax Smart Office carries five types have been evolving, the number of face- of hushMeet pods, each different in size -to-face meetings has dropped by an astoni- and form. Each hushMeet pod is mobile shing 70%. Employees rather e-mail or call and sound-proofed to keep the conversa­ their other parties, be they co-workers tions private and free from ambient noise. or people external to the company.

As a consequence, the sedentary life has MEET THE EMPLOYEES’ DEMANDS, been entrenched with fewer steps to walk. FULFIL YOUR BUSINESS PLANS Socializing at the office is practically dying, Conversion of office space to meet while it is the building block of the sense the different needs of the staff does not of belonging and satisfaction from work. require high investment costs or a lot What has happened? In a traditional or labor. It is key to consider and under­ open space office setting, a conference stand what the employees need. What room is usually the only room provided are their work dynamics? How can you for working in groups and meetings; improve their satisfaction from the office hence, employees tend to complain that space? Providing the staff with pods no there is no room for formal or informal dedicated to one-man work, meetings meetings in small groups or teams. This or phone or video calls will improve does not favor the effectiveness or effi­ the aesthetic value of office space, ciency of office space: a conference room work efficiency at the location, and occupies a large floor area and can only the satisfaction of the staff. With more be used by a single team at a time. What than the option to choose from and work to do without any room to enclose in and a sense of privacy, the employees another conference room, or the time will enjoy peace of mind, a factor that and/or money to rearrange the premises cannot be overestimated. completely? Here, acoustic pods come to save the day. Again. Available in a variety Author: of sizes expressed in the number of occu­ pants, these units are mobile and can be easily relocated as needed; what’s key here is that they can revolutionize any office space for the better in just one day.

At the Mikomax HQ, traditional confe­rence Mateusz Siwiaszczyk, rooms have been completely abandoned Contracts Department and replaced with the hushMeet pods.

Director, Mikomax Smart Office The staff at Mikomax can freely gather

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

500 000+

hours back to business.

INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE! The best business results are achieved when people, AI and robots join forces, enhancing complementary capabilities. Robots and AI work best when doing transactional, dataintense and highly repetitive tasks; allowing people to focus on the more innovative, creative, and strategic tasks.

WE CAN HELP YOU SUCCEED IN YOUR AUTOMATION JOURNEY.

RPA | Intelligent Automation | AI digitalworkforce.com The world’s largest independent intelligent automation service provider

BUSINESS

TRANSFORMATION IN SHARED SERVICE CENTERS WHEN AND WHY TO DO IT?

Continuous efficiency improvement, reduction of the cost base, inertia of the organization in implementing changes, low level of process standardization, and employee attrition rate - these are the most common challenges faced by Shared Service Centers. Managers seeking to transform into long-term effects and continuous growth often make mistakes that actually could be avoided. Lean strategy is effective and structured support for them. How to use it practically to affect the productivity and profitability of shared service centers?

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES OF SHARED SERVICES CENTERS

as the scale of operation of Shared Services Centers and the number of employees.

The popularity of Shared Services Centers (SSC) on the Polish market has been WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON growing for years. Despite such a dynamic MISTAKES THAT MAKE IT development of enterprises of that kind, DIFFICULT FOR MANAGERS these organizations are facing challenges TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS? that determine their competitiveness As we observed the companies we used on the market. to cooperate over the years while building conditions for being more competitive Service portfolio increase and the related (based on the 5 steps of the Lean Strategy), increase in revenues with simultaneous we used to meet some related problems. cost reduction, keeping pace with market changes (including technological ones), Insufficient communication. An impor­ and the reduction of employee attri­ tant factor negatively impacting the SSC tion rate – this is the basis for building efficiency is primarily a lack of under­ the competitiveness of every company. standing of end to end processes.

Implementing these assumptions may As the teams receive the list of duties, be much more difficult for SSC due they cannot see it against the back­ to the dispersion of competences across ground of the whole process and respon­ different regions and countries, as well sibilities of other cooperating teams.

30

Most often they are able to tell who is the supplier of requests, orders, or finan­ cial documents without having knowl­ edge of the later steps of the process and the problems other employees struggle with there. Although procedures are developed for each project of trans­ ferring new responsibilities, decisions on the final scope of services are taken by the top management. They are then implemented for individual depart­ ments or teams without definition of the mutual process goals. Therefore, in the absence of proper communica­ tion between teams and under the pres­ sure of continuous increase in efficiency, minor improvements and minor automa­ tion of the process are made. However, they are implemented within closed silos, which implies the emergence of problems in its subsequent stages.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Poland-wide job satisfaction survey TOP 10 EMPLOYEES’ EXPECTATIONS OF LEADERS:

Respect other people

68%

+5

Is open to new ideas and initiatives

66%

+12

Allows to make mistakes and supports learning

65%

+7

Communicates often and transparent

64%

+10

Is engaged in people development

62%

+6

+

68%

Builds environment for open communication about problems and support its’ resolution*

+5

66%

Builds a sense of affiliation to the company

+2

64%

Builds a sense of affiliation to the company (66%), Has high moral and ethical standards

+2

62%

Bases on facts not on opinions

54%

Knows well subject matter aspects of his/ her job*

2018 vs. 2016

*Pearson correlation coefficients between the leader’s assessment and the employer’s NPS. No y/y comparison - factor tested for the first time in the second edition of the 2018 survey.

Source: Expectations of employees towards the leader, Poland-wide job satisfaction survey, Leanpassion, November 2018

BUSINESS

ALTHOUGH EVERY LEADER WORKS THE BEST HE/SHE CAN, STILL VERY COMMON PROBLEMS ARE:

no management standard no time to observe processes making decisions based on opinions not hard facts

processes. The problem arises when automation is subjected to unstructured, disorderly ones – then it brings more chaos than expected benefits. There­ fore, before we automate any process, we should always start with ordering and standardizing it, and then reach for the tools, never the other way around!

32

Lack of time kills the initiative for improvement. This state of affairs and the struggle against fighting everyday fires leads to the loss of initiative to challenge the status quo and signal problems. This practice negatively affects the productivity of processes and, as a result, customer satisfaction.

Employees, not being aware of how they could liaise and that they sometimes generate additional, unnecessary work to each other, instead of solving problems and making work smarter, in the short term they simply focus on completing tasks on time. Resistance to eliminating problems is then not a sign of bad will, but a force of habit and focus on the piece of work that they just want to complete.

High employee turnover reducing efficiency and profitability. Another impor­ tant factor that directly increases opera­ tional costs, as well as increases a risk for the quality of processes is a high rate of employees attrition. The SSC manage­ ment team struggling with the pres­ sure of continuous cost reduction gets the opposite effect as a bonus – addi­ tional costs of recruitment, training, on boarding in the company and processes. The natural answer is that we must keep employees from leaving.

How to do it? The solutions seem to be high salary and attractive social pack­ ages. Research, however, indicates that employee expectations are centered around other aspects and often very different factors affect their satisfaction and commitment.

Automation and robotization of processes carried out at the wrong time. In Shared Services Centers strong pressure on process automation is also noticeable, which is perceived as a means to improve work, eliminate errors and reduce costs. Too often, we forget about the fact that for automation to bring the expected results, it should be applied to standardized and properly functioning

Disregarding the importance of continuous development of line managers. As it turns out, line managers have the most significant impact on the level of employee attrition (according to the principle: “People come to work and leave the boss”). In the first places on the list of employees’ expecta­ tions of the line manager appear: respect, the ability to create conditions for open

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

talking about problems and in solving them together, as well as building a sense of affiliation to the company, clearly setting goals and priorities, and supporting the development of competences.

project that will luckily pass, like many others. At the moment when they begin to understand that this is a change, which will affect their work, they often begin to demonstrate resistance and dislike supported by very rational argumen­ Although every leader works the best he/ tation. Sustainability of transformation she can, still very common problems are: depends on the awareness of the process • no management standard, of going through change, appropriate • no time to observe processes, stakeholder management, the right • making decisions based on opinions pace and proportion of the mentor and not hard facts. coach, as well as the ability to involve all employees and managers in it.

Lack of development of line managers in the field of leadership has an impact TRANSFORMATION IN SSC on the entire team, thus decreasing IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LEAN satisfaction, commitment, efficiency, STRATEGY – STEP BY STEP adaptability, and at the same time Successful transformation leads to longincreasing the number of overtime and lasting effects, not short-term spurt. employee attrition.

In order to achieve such an effect, it is necessary to involve all company TRANSFORMATION employees in constant problem solving.

OF THE ORGANIZATION In other words, making improvement – MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES become part of their daily routine.

PERSPECTIVE The answer to these challenges and the basis for building sustainable growth of the company is the change in the organization’s work culture.

While the Management Board deciding on such a transformation understands its purposefulness, it is not necessarily aware of the challenges and responsibili­ ties associated with it. The transforma­ tion plan often raises the belief that it is the line managers and employees who will carry out this “transformation project” themselves, without too much involve­ ment of the team of managers. Mean­ while, the opposite is true.

5 business deviations. The method to eliminate them can be 5 steps of the Lean Strategy.

The strategic transformation based on the 5 steps of the Lean Strategy first assumes that 100% of managers know, understand and support the compa­ ny’s mission, vision and strategic goals.

The second step is to build a sense of affi­ liation and commitment of employees in the fulfilment of the strategic goals by inviting them to co-create the company and empower them to activi­ties which they have influence on and for which they feel responsible. Next, it is neces­ sary to ensure that the stakeholders of the process agree on its current state and that this consensus is based on real, factual data. When we achieve this, it is time to develop a leadership standard and eliminate improvisation in favor of a conscious management model in force in the company. It is a way to create such conditions for the func­ tioning of the company in which improve­ ment is part of everyday work and aims to support the main business. The 5 steps of the Lean Strategy are a way for SSC to win, and in the same time an oppor­ tunity to meet the requirements they face with a smile on their face.

For example, in Shared Services Centers, it takes a relatively long time to search for information and correct errors, i.e. activities that are considered typical wastes (in Japanese: muda). Lean focuses on identifying and eliminating muda in processes and increasing the value added for the client. At Lean company, employees report a problem whenever they encounter waste, and the Team Author: Leader immediately takes action, as well as decisions to identify the root cause and eliminate it.

Leanpassion’s many years of experience shows that for a successful transforma­ At the same time, employees initially tion, it is essential to eliminate 5 obsta­ perceive the transformation as another cles to creating Lean work culture, called

Tymoteusz Myśliwiec, Transformation Manager, Leanpassion

Transformation, among others in the area of Shared Services, will be one of the topics of the fifth Lean Strategy conference, which will take place on November 19, 2019 in Warsaw.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

33

INVESTMENTS NEWS PANATTONI EUROPE EMBARKS ON A NEW PROJECT NEAR THE TRICITY AIRPORT

NEW YORK HAS STRENGTHENED ITS POSITION AS THE NUMBER ONE GLOBAL CITY FOR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT New York has strengthened its position as the number one global city for real estate investment, growing 20% yearon-year to take the top spot in Cushman & Wakefield’s ‘Winning in Growth Cities’ investment index for the eighth year running.

Los Angeles took second spot, while San Francisco climbed three places to third – in the process overtaking London in fourth and Paris in fifth.

The USA took 13 of the top 25 places in the global ranking, nine of which saw volumes rise on the previous year, led

by Boston (up 66%), Seattle (+38%) and San Francisco (+35%). This has been led by robust domestic demand and the enduring appeal of core, liquid real estate markets given the low level of returns from alternative investments and the low cost of finance.

Asia-Pacific (APAC) claimed seven of the top 25 cities, with Tokyo (8 th) reclaiming regional top spot from Hong Kong. Europe meanwhile had five cities inside the top 25 locations, led by London (4th) and Paris (5th), with Madrid clearly

34

The airport as a driver of growth. Panat-­ toni Europe increases the supply of warehouse space in the Tricity region.

Within 15 minutes’ driving distance from the Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Air­­port – the country’s third largest air­­port – construction works are under­­­way at Panattoni Park Gdańsk Airport with planned space close to 107,000 sq m.

The strategic location of the complex quickly attracted the first tenant: BBK S.A., owner of the home&you brand.

The company has leased as much as 68,500 sq m, which will be divided between warehouse space dedicated to supplying the stores and, in the light of the dynamically growing online sales, the e-commerce platform. The distri­ bution centre, where operations will be launched already in mid-2020, finds itself in the vicinity of the newly built office space recently leased by BBK S.A. on the other side of the port. In this way, the enterprise is consolidating its

operations around the Gdańsk airport.

The lease was mediated by the advisory firm Colliers International.

Panattoni Park Gdańsk Airport perfectly fits into the so-called airport city concept, which is being developed around the Gdańsk airport with the upcoming warehouses, a modern research and development centre and the announced Airport City project – an office complex adjacent to the airport terminals, offering additional service, catering and hotel functions.

the fastest growing European target, with volumes up 144% to take 2nd place overall (3rd in Europe).

Sixteen of the destinations in the top 25 were in growth mode and the top 25 overall again outperformed, with volumes rising 5% and their market share increasing from 53% to 56% as inves­ tors focussed on the biggest and most liquid markets.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

INVESTMENTS

OFFICE WITH A VIEW OVER THE BYDGOSZCZ The workplace, which is not only functional and comfortable but also created in accordance with the specific idea, attractive and modern, perfectly fits into the idea of employer branding. The example can be Immobile K3 – the premium class office building located close to the Old Town of Bydgoszcz.

– K3 has been a unique project for us from the very beginning – says the Sales and Real Property Manager Maciej Wawrzyniak. – The office building was built in the historic part of the city, which had been inadequately managed in the previous years. The building, apart from changing the image of the city, brought to life the city which flourished centuries ago. We also knew that we would be working in this office building ourselves – he adds.

In July, rooms on the fourth floor and the significant part of the third floor was adopted by the workers of Immobile Capital Group, to which CDI Building Constructors belongs. – The great challenge for us was finishing offices and common areas because we aimed at not only creating interesting interiors but we also wished the workers to feel good there – says the marketing specialist Agata Bil-Jahr.

workplace are big desks. Therefore, we knew what to look for – says Maciej Wawrzyniak. – But, importantly, Immobile Capital Group unites companies running their business activity in various sectors: real estate, heavy industry and hotel industry.

So, the specialists representing different areas, including constructors, technologists, traders, engineers, property managers or the investor relations specialists work in Immobile K3. Each of them has a bit different needs – he adds.

There is the two-level parking area, available around the clock as well as the parking spaces for bikes in the office building. Cyclists can not only take advan­ tage of the specially designed locker room but also the shower. The tenants of one of the area are popular in Bydgo­ szcz restaurant owners who opened the La Rosa restaurant in Immobile K3, offering lunch and breakfast, which the office building workers enjoy and willingly take advantage of.

assumption taken into account while furnishing them was establishing some references to the sectors of business activity run by the Group but not exclusively – says Agata Bil-Jahr. – We have the Capital Group room, the centre of which is a wall with logotypes of our brands, creating the network of links between them. In the room called Bydgoszcz, one of the walls was lined with the monochrome map of the city of Bydgoszcz and the Stock Exchange room contains the diagram presenting the most significant events connected with functioning of our companies on the stock exchange.

– Finally, there are the Development, Hotel Industry and Heavy Industry rooms.

The floor of the first one was covered with the black carpet with the imprint of the design plan. The Heavy Industry one exhibits the artefacts from Makrum factory, some of which are very old and at present of historic value. The wall in the Heavy Industry room is covered – Taking into account the way of work with the patterned plates – the raw mateof each company belonging to the Group, rial from which some of the products in cooperation with the designers, we It nice to spend time after work there, of Projprzem-Makrum company such as: dock levellers and parking platforms are limited the number of open space areas sipping a glass of wine. for the benefit of multiple enclosed workmade. The Hotel Industry room definitely stations. Before choosing the specific types – Such a great number of people employed stands out due to the fact that it is lined of furniture, we did some research among in Immobile Capital Group made that it with bottle green velvet upholstered panels, workers. Many of them stressed that one was necessary to prepare the adequate referring to well – appointed hotel rooms of the determinants of the comfortable number of conference rooms. The main of the Focus Hotel, belonging to Immobile

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Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Capital Group. This room does not lack elegant golden finishing elements – says Agata Bil-Jahr.

The common areas which help the workers ‘take a breath’ during the working hours have become the must-have of the newly built office buildings. Immobile K3 does not lack them. Here, besides the inter­ esting futuristic pouffes and bean bag chairs, we can find table football.

Everything is completed by deep-green wallpaper and plants. The office also promotes the idea of bookcrossing.

Everybody can leave some already read books on the shelves for the others to enjoy. Simultaneously, the books get the ‘second life’.

– The Immo Foundation also acts as part of Immobile Capital Group. It aims at finding ecology-friendly solutions in the city space.

We definitely want to start with our office

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

building. Therefore, the natural meadow with year-round plants is being arranged in our patio and the chances are that the roof will become green soon – says Maciej Wawrzyniak.

Sii company – the leading provider of internet services and industrial engi­ neering in Poland, joined the group of tenants in July. At the time being, there are 40 employees in Bydgoszcz, however the team is to be regularly extended. At the first stage, Sii Polska rented 500 square metres, but right now they are planning to increase the office space area.

Sii decided to invest in the striking interior design; apart from the interesting colours and references related to Bydgoszcz, we can find some People’s Republic of Poland inspirations. Interestingly, there is also the skateborads rental.

Immobile K3 houses the branches of: The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, AVIVA, BOŚ Bank S.A., mFinanse and BNP Paribas.

It is often said that today’s labour market is the employee market. The ‘outstanding’ CV should not only have the candidate looking for a job but also the company which wants to acquire the highly-quali­ fied specialists. According to the research, the attractive workplace is one of the most significant assets the employer can boast about during the recruitment process.

How about the office with the panorama view of the city – why not! Author:

37

INVESTMENTS

WHAT IS INTERNATIONALISATION

FOR A B2B BUSINESS?

JackMa found Alibaba on the philosophy that the future belongs to SMB. Building on this, I believe that at the forefront of future innovations are scales-ups in technology. Taking such businessto-business to international markets equips them with the tools to GROW and succeed while mitigating a lot of risks that a single market exposure imposes.

I have more than 20 years in marketing management for B2B companies and extensive international entrepreneurship experience as well as NGOs participation as a board member in global organiza­ tions like Entrepreneurs Organisation.

This resulted in lots of lessons and expe­ riences on how important it is to expand any B2B SME to international markets.

Although the task of entering interna­ tional markets may be daunting, it is easier than you expect if you under­ stand the right B2B market entry process and options.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE "INTERNATIONAL" FOR A B2B BUSINESS? We have different beliefs about what it takes to have an international business.

Some falsely assume that an interna­ tional business is it this massive effort to be on all markets, requires massive investment in entering and developing new markets jeopardizing their steady business on the home market. Some may fear entering new markets may be diffi­ cult and heavy in terms of paperwork, understanding new market regulations or bookkeeping.

However, the concept of international business comprises the cross border

38

activities that take place to promote the exchange of goods, services, and technologies. It is enough to promote to other markets to have an interna­ tional business. That takes the pressure off right? Any small-medium B2B business should be able to achieve international presence by just marketing their pro­ducts and services to other markets. You do not have to be big, nor does this require that your business is present on a global level, just to Promote the exchange on a different market.

WHY GO TO INTERNATIONAL MAKERS WITH YOUR B2B SCALEUP? Most companies want and know why or have an idea about expanding their business in a different market. Going abroad with your business covers some basic business needs like risk mitigation, new customer acquisition, little local opportunities or plateauing business.

What should get you excited though, are the most advanced needs and opportuni­ ties that you will be able to achieve with your business international presence: acquiring big key accounts, bringing valuable know-how back home and many more. For example, getting funding usually differs across different markets, and if this is one of your busi­ ness strategies, business valuation

can be 5 to 10 times higher amongst different countries (e.g. South-East Europe vs the US business valuations).

In some other cases, your business just has to be in the more developed markets to tap into a mature customer base. For example, if you have a B2B enterprise solution provider, you have to be present within the US market as 50% of the global spending in enterprise solutions is done in North America.

HOW TO SELECT THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET FOR A B2B SCALEUP? Once upon a time, a shoe company sent two salesmen to Africa to determine the market potential for their products.

One came back saying: “These people do not wear shoes; we got no business there!“. The other one came back with different feedback: "This is amazing!"

– said he. – "They do not have shoes; the opportunity for us is HUGE!" As with all your business strategies, some business destinations are off the top more relevant like the US for a technology B2B business, software, and IT solution providers. However, I would argue that for an SMB it’s worth the effort to look even to smaller markets and countries if the conditions for doing good business are appropriate.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Some obvious destinations: USA where • How much business will you get a third (31%) of the global IT spending is as a new market entry? done with 20% of spending on software • How did business with similar busi­ development; Western Europe where ness models performed in their early years? almost a fifth (19%) of the global IT spending is done with 11% in software.

• How much personalization is required Asia is highly on the rise also as a big for your product in the new market? tech market.

2. Are the cultures, especially the business cultures somewhat compatible?

Please do not disregard the smaller 3. Will you be able to manage, travel and oversee operations to the new territory? markets and odd territories, as some­ times an underdeveloped market may 4. How much would a lean start-up present fewer barriers to entry and easier on the new market cost you? growth that some of the mature ones 5. What is the macroeconomics climate of the international market you want (for example the case of the emerging to enter?

Emi­rates technology market now). For a small company, if the conditions are 6. How about the long term perceived right, even a small market can represent trends for your services, solutions and, customer industries on the market? a huge leap forward.

7. Of course, may consider also some CRITERIA FOR SELECTING other hard data.

AN INTERNATIONAL MARKET FOR YOUR B2B SCALEUP The product service or solution market fit: 1. Is there a market for your product and solution?

• How big is the market for your B2B solution or service?

You can find out more about B2B busi­ ness model on international markets and barriers you will need to overcome as well as what to expect when entering the new market by reading the Internationalisation

of a B2B ScaleUP presentation held during the Software Association Conference.

If you have questions or need B2B marketing and sales help with your current or planned market entry, connect with our senior consultants. Author:

Loredana Niculae, CEO NNC Services Romania

39

INVESTMENTS ADVERTORIAL

POLES REPLACE OFFICES WITH OFFICE DESKS

In 2014, total coworking space in Europe exceeded 1 million sq m.

Since then, annual double-digit increases have been observed in this sector. However, according to CBRE, the real boom in the flex-space market took place in 2017-2018, when almost 95,000 sq m of flexible office space was leased throughout Poland.

The number of available workstations of flex-space, Warsaw is on the leading edge in the country with 24,400 desks. Far behind the capital, but still in the second place is Kraków with about 3,900 work­ stations, followed by Wrocław with 2,150 – according to data from the CBRE report ‘Flexible office market in Poland 2019’. The Polish flexible office space provider with the largest network

40

of locations throughout the country is CitySpace, a subsidiary of Echo Investment, which currently can offer 18,000 sq m of flexible office space in 5 cities.

areas. Tenants have everything that their teams need at their disposal: specialised equipment and IT infrastructure, well-de­ signed space, conference rooms, recep­ tion services and free access to a kitchen, a relaxation area and other shared areas.

CitySpace manages serviced offices, hybrid and virtual offices, as well as conference rooms and meeting rooms. – We create a place where you can work The provider offers fully equipped work­ more comfortably, pleasantly and in a more stations in quiet rooms and open-space modern way. When designing flexible

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

office space, we pay attention to every detail, starting from the location, through the selection of specific projects, and ending with careful finishing touches. Companies that choose serviced office space can focus on doing business, and putting all issues related to running and managing their offices into our hands – comments Sebastian Rączkowski, Managing Director of CitySpace.

CitySpace offers offices in ten locations in Poland – Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Katowice and Kraków, the company started four of them in 2019. In January this year, CitySpace opened the second office in Wrocław in the Aquarius Busi­ ness House office building. Then came the time to the office at Galeria Młociny in Warsaw, the expansion in the O3 Busi­ ness Campus in Kraków and the opening of the new location in the Moje Miejsce project in Warsaw.

– The market is rapidly developing and we are keeping its pace. Our space under management was increased in 2019 by 4 locations, i.e. by over 6,500 sq m.

Thanks to our network, we enable clients to enjoy our offices in different cities. We are constantly enhancing our image, we use new tools and technologies, such as VR – says Sebastian Rączkowski.

CitySpace appeared in one of the most interesting locations, the O3 Business Campus complex, in 2017. The first office in building A is already more than 100% rented and was not able to service all

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

was arranged by the recognised Medusa Group architecture office. Inside, we can find comfortable, ergonomic office furni­ ture, and LCD screens have been hung – For over two years, our office at O3 Busi- on walls for meetings and presentations. ness Campus has been crowded by tenants, As a standard, tenants can use a fast and what proves the quality of the building, stable internet connection. Designers the excellent location, but also customer from the Medusa Group also took care satisfaction connected with comprehen- of appropriate lighting, friendly to health sive and professional services offered and positively affecting concentration

by CitySpace. This new space will allow us at work. to improve the comfort of tenants’ work and invite new ones for whom we did not – The tenants’s interest in our location have space. On the occasion of this expan- in Galeria Młociny is proof that shared sion, we plan to improve finishing stand- work spaces are no longer exclusively ards of our office and create a place that connected with office buildings. People supports networking, cooperation and appreciate above all the location with excelcreativity. By arranging the space using lent transport connections and quick access employee activity models, we create addi- to the subway, which is situated in a vibrant tional value for our clients. The modern and dynamically growing district, where and well-thought-out workspace will make office competition practically does not them a more attractive employers, and staff exist – says Rączkowski. turnover will be lower – sums up Sebastian Rączkowski.

Following the needs of tenants, City­Space focuses on looking for new locations However, flexible office space is not only in major Polish cities, in central or well-con­ a characteristic feature of office buildings. nected places. Recently, the provider has In May this year, CitySpace opened its started operations in the first finished first office in a shopping center – Galeria office building of the Moje Miejsce Młociny in Warsaw. This unusual co-­­ complex in Dolny Mokotów in Warsaw, working space was arranged in five inter­ where 234 workstations can be found. estingly designed and well-equipped In the near future, CitySpace plans to open containers allowing for comfortable work its location in Łódź, where the provider and organ business meetings. In the third sees a huge potential and does not yet quarter of this year containers have have offices. been joined by a coworking space with 50 desks and meeting rooms. The office Author: in Galeria Młociny is currently CitySpace’s largest coworking space, and its design

companies interested. Hence our deci­ sion to choose a larger area in the third building and focus activity there.

41

INVESTMENTS

COMMON EFFORTS FROM BUSINESS AND AUTHORITIES

TACKLE THE TALENT SHORTAGE IN BULGARIA 42

The rapid growth of our sector has brought enormous business opportunities as well as challenges. It’s been more than 20 years since we first started talking about the war for talent and the coming talent shortage.

Nowadays it is a critical driver of corpo­ rate performance and a strategic busi­ ness challenge. Employers struggle filling jobs. The rise in demand for specific skills in recent years has been so fast that even today’s graduates find themselves leaving education without the skills employers are looking for. Instant measures must be taken.

To answer the evolved demand of the business, Bulgarian Outsourcing Association (BOA) is dedicating efforts to reduce skills gap by getting highly involved in building modern educa­ tional practices.

time business cases and projects under being certain this will pay off. Our national the mentoring of proven experts from dual education program on application BOA member-companies. programming was strongly supported by the business and as of this school With the rise of RPA and AI within the in­­­ year it will be set in 32 schools round du­­­stry the focus is placing on employees the country. Adapting youngsters to their soft skills such as adaptability, culture future working environment from early fit and collaboration. Teaching those age is to guarantee them better oppor­ is a challenge. The process of devel­ tunities after graduation when they will oping the skills that our future will already have the skills set the employees need starts from school age. Under­ are looking for. standing that, together with the Author­ ities in the field of education we built We believe within the next years our 2 national programs. The newest one collaboration with the educational “The IT Business Teaches” begins this system will further evolve in support year. The program includes compe­ of the business. And it is a win-win situ­ tence, skills and thematic trainings and ation, also in benefit of the education early career guidance for students from system to become more adaptive and 1 st to 10 th grade delivered by corpo­ reflect the needs of the rapidly changing rate professionals in collaboration with business environment. But the ones schools. Under the same program we winning the most are the young talents will provide training opportunities for in the country! teachers within ITO and BPO compa­ nies – teachers will get into “immersion training”, to update their knowledge Author: and skills. There will also be options for companies to incorporate teachers in developing specific products and services of joint relevance.

In the past years we are working closely with the biggest universities in the country in encouraging the stu­­ dents to develop the skills the business need today. We have already established common projects with the universi­ ties of Plovdiv and Burgas and we are very proud that a joint platform with Sofia University starts this school year.

The Master “Outsourcing Projects and Companies” program will not only provide academic knowledge on the key for the industry topics, but will also give the students the possibility build on their To cultivate the skills they need, the com-­ teamwork and leadership capabilities panies nowadays prefer to invest more and creative thinking by working on real time in training their future employees

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Plamen Tsekov, Member of the Board, Bulgarian Outsourcing Association

43

INVESTMENTS

STUDENTS AND GRADUATES AS THE DRIVING FORCE FOR THE LABOUR MARKET IN LODZ For several years now, the labour market has been facing the problem of access to an educated workforce. It is not a big discovery that, with falling unemployment, finding the right people is becoming a challenge for many entrepreneurs. In such a situation, business locations having a developed and diversified academic environment become the focus of attention for both new investors and existing employers.

The sector of modern business services is familiar with the issue of acquiring compe­ tent human resources, on the one hand, is looking for graduates of economic and IT faculties and, on the other hand, people who speak foreign languages.

medical and social sciences and eco­ nomics, to music and film schools. All of them enjoy interest from both citizens and students of Lodz who come here espe­ cially to obtain the relevant education.

The world of higher education in Lodz is largely responsive to the needs of the labour market including companies specialising in the outsourcing business process on a daily basis as well as shared services centres. Universities and higher education institutions in Lodz have been working closely with the BSS industry for many years and supply operational centres with hundreds of new employees every year.

For people living in a global village and adapting to the requirements of business relations in international corporations, a knowledge of foreign languages has become extremely important. Lodz has focused on strong language education and is one of the academic centres in Poland where various philological studies are taught. These languages include Japanese, English, Spanish, Italian, German and Russian. Furthermore, the education on offer at the University of Lodz also includes Romance, Slavonic and Classical Philology.

of Law at the University of Tours). As part of its first-cycle studies, the university also offers Polish-German studies (in cooperation with the University of Regensburg), where graduates are awarded two diplomas.

STRENGTH IN LANGUAGES

THOUSANDS OF EDUCATED STAFF A YEAR There are currently 18 universities in Lodz – 7 public and 11 private. Over 72,000 students study there, nearly 5,000 of whom are foreigners. Every year, a large group of almost 20,000 gradu­ ates leave the university’s walls and get a certificate of graduation. With the educational profile of Lodz-based higher education institutions, the city has a lot to offer for each professional group – starting from the University of Lodz and the Lodz University of Tech­ nology, through universities of computer,

44

The education on offer at the Lodz University of Technology is also worth mentioning. This university is unique in terms of its many years of experi­ ence in foreign language education.

For 25 years now, the Lodz University of Technology has been offering studies in English and French in the Interna­ tional Faculty of Engineering (IFE).

At present, 11 first- and 7 second-degree courses give students the opportunity of obtaining double diplomas. A manda­ tory semester at a foreign university also makes it easier for graduates to find a job, including in the sector of modern The University of Lodz, as one of the few business services. No other university Polish universities, cooperates with in Poland has such diversity to offer. foreign education institutions, including those under the following postgrad­ COOPERATION WITH BUSINESS uate studies: the Polish-American Lodz is an example of a city which over MBA Programme (in cooperation with the years has developed close coopera­ the R.H. Smith School of Business, Univer­ tion between the academic and busi­ sity of Maryland), the Polish-French ness environment. Not only job fairs and MBA Management Studies (in coopera­ entrepreneurship days, are organised tion with the Jean Moulin University in Lodz, but also the ICT Central Poland Lyon 3, France) and the School of French Cluster, with the development and Law (in cooperation with the Faculty education of personnel for the IT and

LIST OF PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN LODZ: • • • • • • • telecommunications industry as one of the important aspects is, operates in the city. These activities are carried out by the cluster in cooperation with univer­ sity faculties and enterprises associated with the cluster. Their aim is to adjust the education adapted to the needs of employers.

Another good example of adapting the education on offer to the require­ ments of the labour market is the inter­ national accreditation, for Accounting as well as Finance and Accounting, which was granted to the University of Lodz by the Association of Char­ tered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Furthermore, the university collaborates with 23 partners, nearly half of whom represent employers from the sector of modern business services.

THE CITY ACTIVELY SUPPORTS STUDENTS The City of Lodz has been develo­ ping the ‘Youth in Lodz’ programme in cooperation with businesses for many years. As many as 98% of students from Lodz who have heard of any campaign addressed to young

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

The University of Lodz The Lodz University of Technology The Medical University of Lodz The Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz The Leon Schiller National Higher School of Film The Grazyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz University of Music in Lodz The Higher Theological Seminary in Lodz

LIST OF PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN LODZ: • • • • • • • • • • •

The Academy of Business and Health Sciences in Lodz The College of Cosmetics and Health Sciences The Higher School COSINUS The Higher School of Art and Design in Lodz The J. Chechlinski Higher School of Finance and Information Technology The Lodz International Studies Academy The School of Economics and Management in Lodz The Social Sciences Academy The University of Computer Sciences and Skills The University of Humanities and Economics in Lodz The University of Social Sciences

people spontaneously refer to this programme. Under the ‘Youth in Lodz’ programme, students can take advan­ tage of discounts if they hold a student discount card, take part in free training, gain experience during paid summer internships, receive scholarships or meet employers in Lodz. The programme is implemented by the Business Develop­ ment and International Cooperation Bureau of the City of Lodz Office and is supported by the partners such as leading Lodz-based universities as well as over 280 employers from Lodz and the region.

Thus, the programme is an example of excellent cooperation between the aca­ demic institutions, local authorities and the business environment and is part of the city’s development strategy. More information: Business Development and International Relations Bureau Piotrkowska 104a Street, 90-926 Lodz Phone: +48 42 638 59 39 Fax: +48 42 638 59 40 e-mail: boi@uml.lodz.pl

45

INVESTMENTS

KLAIPEDA:

A CITY WITH A VISION THAT REALLY MEANS BUSINESS

Klaipeda, Lithuania’s third largest city, has a plan. This bustling coastal city is already an established maritime, logistics and manufacturing hub. But it is targeting a massive diversification of its economy and business environment over the next ten years, including development of its global business services industry.

Unsaturated, bursting with talent, and with a structure and vision for its ongoing development, now is the time to think Klaipeda.

WE KNOW WHERE WE’RE GOING Klaipeda has been one of the economic engines of the Baltic State for over a decade, boasting a thriving port and well-developed logistics and manufac­ turing sectors. But what makes now such an exciting time for the city, and provides a unique opportunity for outsourcing projects, is its bold plan for the future: Klaipeda 2030.

This detailed economic develop­ ment strategy, which was ranked one of the best city FDI promotion strategies

at the Emerging Europe Awards 2019, is the result of close collaboration between key players in the Klaipeda’s business ecosystem: the municipality, the port authority, Klaipeda Free Economic Zone, the city’s association of industrialists and chamber of commerce, and Klai­ peda University. Because experts from business and academia have played an integral role in formulating the Klai­ peda 2030 strategy, it is oriented towards the needs of city, including foreign invest­ ment. Its aims include: • Attracting €1.5 billion in FDI,

• Creating 25,000 new jobs in the Klai­ peda region, • Boosting exports by 200%.

And GBS is going to play a major role in achieving these targets. It has been identified as one of four priority sectors for development. This means more infra­ structure, incentives and support for international GBS investors.

One organisation that will play a key role in developing Klaipeda’s GBS sector is Klaipeda ID, the city’s dedicated invest­ ment development agency. Klaipeda ID’s focus is twofold. Firstly, it supports inter­ national investors by providing informa­ tion, advice and on-the-ground support.

Secondly, it works to improve condi­ tions for local and international business by attracting talent to the region.

As Klaipeda ID ‘s Director, Simas Simana­­ uskas, explains, Klaipeda is a city which means business. – The city is working systematically to create favourable conditions for business, investors and talent; transforming the education and science system to meet the needs of tomorrow’s economy and build an attractive, engaging and accessible regional centre. Overall,

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Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

the city has a clear plan – 113 action points with timelines and KPIs to ensure we stay on course to create 25,000 new jobs, attract 100 new FDI projects and double the region’s economy.

international port, but also well-deve­ loped road and rail connections. Most importantly for the service economy, it has an international airport just 20 minutes away – Palanga Interna­ tional Airport. There are direct 9 connec­ With a strong long-term strategy in place, tions to 8 business hubs across Europe, and an enthusiastic team of professionals including London, Oslo and Copenhagen. at Klaipeda ID ready to help investors every step of the way, Klaipeda is set for Klaipeda also boasts a wide range of rapid GBS expansion. real estate. There are currently 14 office complexes available, with plans for BUILDING ON STRONG further development. And one of the key FOUNDATIONS benefits available to foreign GBS inves­ FDI in Klaipeda has grown by an average tors is a financial incentive unique to Klai­ of 8.1% per year over the past 12 years. peda. Any foreign investor establishing As a result, the city already boasts or expanding GBS operations is eligible a well-developed and investor friendly for a reimbursement of 12-months’ worth business environment. of office rental costs.

As a major port city and logistics hub, service centres for the maritime sector are a natural fit. Omega is a global provider of software and consultancy for the oil and gas industry based in Norway. In fact, it is Norway’s second largest IT company. It has a 30-strong IT team in Klaipeda with specialists working in 6 different languages – English, Norwe­ gian, French, German, Russian and Ukrainian.

The centre has been developing software systems for major public and private sector players in oil and gas since 2006.

Then there is Greencarrier, one of the lar­­gest providers of logistics opera­tional services in the Nordic region, which also has a long-established team in Klaipeda.

As Svante Johansson, CFO of the Greencar­ rier Group, explains, Klaipeda was a natural choice – Klaipeda’s long history as a transKlaipeda is incredibly well connected. And companies from Scandinavia and portation hub in connection to its established The 5th largest city in the Baltic states, it North America have already taken maritime university gave us the confidence is also one of the region’s biggest logis­ advantage of these attractive conditions we needed to establish a Shared Services tics hubs. It boasts not only a major by setting up centres in Klaipeda.

Centre in the city.

47

INVESTMENTS

of study in Klaipeda. Klaipeda Univer­ sity’s course in IT and Mechanical Engi­ neering are rated the best in the country, while LCC International University offers courses taught exclusively in English to its predominantly international student base.

As well as being highly educated, Klai­ peda’s population is also young and multi-lingual. 47% of the population is under 40, and a majority of these young people speak English. In general, 80% of Klaipeda’s citizens speak at least one foreign language, with German being a common language thanks to the city’s Hanseatic origins.

LOW SATURATION MEANS AN OCEAN OF OPPORTUNITIES AWAIT

One of 12 offices the company has inter­ nationally, the Klaipeda centre provides full financial services and centralized logistics operational services to clients in the Nordic and Baltic region.

Founded in 2013, the centre now employs 54 staff and has some distinctive charac­ teristics. First, there is innovation. The Klai­ peda office was the first in the Greencar­ rier group to pilot Robotic Process Auto­ mation (RPA), which is used for booking incoming payments. Secondly, there is the centre’s focus on sustainability and the environment.

Alongside maritime SSC, IT companies are also exploring Klaipeda’s potential.

US software developer Exadel, which counts the likes of Google, Samsung, Deutsche Bank and eBay among its clients, is the latest arrival to Klaipeda’s shared services ecosystem. The number one software developer in the Denver area, Exadel’s appery.io app is used by half a million developers around the world.

Its Klaipeda team provides full-cycle soft­ ware development to clients in a broad range of industries.

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One of the most significant features about Klaipeda is that, thanks to low satura­ tion levels, there’s plenty of talent to go around. And this is especially true when it comes to Global Business Services.

As Vadim Narožnij, head of Omega’s Klai­ peda centre explains – The jobs market is not yet as saturated as in other big Lithuanian cities, so it is easier to create stable, The centre’s presence is already playing long-lasting relations with employees. a role in transforming the talent pool – Svante Johansson, CFO of Greencarrier’s in Klaipeda, according to Managing Lithuanian operations, concurs. – The fight Director, Dmitrijus Bereščanskis. Having for talent was less intense in Klaipeda than started operations in Lithuania’s capital in the Baltic capitals, ensuring better odds Vilnius, Exadel quickly spotted Klaipe­ for recruiting and retaining good staff da’s potential. – We noticed that many – points out Mr Johansson. good programmers from Klaipeda move to Vilnius for work – explains Mr Bereščan­ The result is a city that is ready to take off. skis. – These talents were willing to relocate Its strong foundations, developed infra­ from Vilnius to Klaipeda, which influenced structure, and existing FDI ecosystem the decision to open the Shared Services mean international companies can Centre in Klaipeda. – As the company hit the ground running. Scaling and states, it has developed a close collab­ growth will be rapid, thanks to a strong oration with the city symbiotic relation- talent pipeline and low saturation. And ship with Klaipeda University enabling us tying it all together is an award winning to expand our presence and strengthen economic development strategy that the IT talent pool in Klaipeda. means an investment in Klaipeda is an investment in the future.

FRESH IMPETUS

The success of international service Author: centres is being fuelled by a strong talent pipeline. More than two thirds of the working population has a higher education degree. In total, the city boasts 8 higher education institutions offering over 250 study programs – IT, Creative Industries, Management, Law and Finance are among the most popular areas

Dalia Liesytė, Investment Advisor for Business Services, Invest Lithuania

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

INVESTMENTS

FOSTER A CULTURE OF OPENNESS AND CREATIVITY WILL THRIVE Nothing in this world is constant except change, wrote Heraclitus of Ephesus (530–470 BC), an ancient philosopher and one of the most prominent thinkers in history. His view of life is captured in his famous maxim panta rhei, meaning everything flows and nothing stands still. This is the fundamental essence of the universe: everything is continuously changing and becoming something different then it was before.

Taking this into account, why do we still spend so much time controlling the outcome when planning for change?

In these disruptive times, shouldn’t we adopt a more postmodern perspective where change is seen as continuously arising and not as an event in time?

downward in the organisation. Prac­ titioners of this perspective believe that change needs to go through a set of logical pre-defined steps to ensure that the specific objectives are accomplished.

Over the last couple of decades many theories and models based on the modern A lot of change agents and managers change perspective have been developed spend a lot of time creating and plan­ and applied in many organisations. One ning for change, devising and expecting of the best known is the planned change a predetermined outcome. Yet, the vast approach of Kurt Lewin – a pioneer majority of change programmes fail. Are in group dynamics and organisa­ employees to blame because they show tional development. resistance? Or is it rather the change agent wanting to manage an outcome The theory consists of a three-step model: that is by its very nature unpredictable unfreezing, changing and refreezing. and subject to too many uncontrollable Unfreezing is preparing for change. It’s variables? Does change happen through about recognising a problem and creating a step-by-step process or is it rather a sense for change in the organisation. the result of natural emergence influ­ Once that is accomplished, the change enced by contextual drivers? phase can be implemented. This phase is where the actual modification takes The traditional, modern perspective looks place to reach the predefined organi­ at change as a linear process that origi­ sational objectives. According to Lewin, nates from one person and is cascaded many managers make the mistake of not

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Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

preparing the organisation adequately in the first phase and end up experiencing resistance to change, in the end failing to meet their targets. The last phase in the planned change process, refreezing, is aimed at cementing the changes and solidifying the new way of working.

There is a growing number of people who think that there is an imminent need to revisit the way we look and deal with change. For transformational change to be successful, advocates of emergent change – a postmodern perspective – argue that the contingency approach is more appropriate in this fast-paced world.

This perspective believes that there is no universal set of management tools appli­ cable to organise a company. Every situ­ ation is different and requires therefore a different approach.

Hope-Haley and Balogun (2002) argue in that sense for a more context sensi­ tive approach to change. In order to be successful, managers need to devise approaches adapted to the relevant context. They designed a framework called the ‘change kaleidoscope’, a tool that helps managers diagnose and imple­ ment the right context-sensitive organisa­ tional transformation. This tool also rein­ forces the view of change as a “process in itself rather than a controllable sequence of transition events between present and future states” (Hope-Haley and Balogun, 2002).

Change managers need to be aware of the unpredictable and complex process of change and how it affects every part of an organisation. Burnes (2004) charac­ terises change as an unpredictable process of aligning and realigning organisations to the continuously changing environ­ ment. Even the most carefully crafted

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

change programme will have emergent So, if one day you find yourself heading elements impacting its course. a change project – and in fact life is a constant change – don’t fall into the trap The postmodern paradigm on change of imposing your view upon others. It’s allows managers to see emergent change about sharing and creating meaningful in a different perspective. It requires conversations and creating a common a change in mindset where “chaos and future, not just pushing a singular view. unpredictability present opportuni­ I’ve seen many change programmes ties and threats” (Hinson and Osborne, becoming a struggle or being stopped 2014). The change agent becomes in this because of low involvement. case a facilitator instead of a ‘manager of change’, which at this point we can As a change agent or manager, you say that it is a contradictio in terminis need to build bridges, connect people following the postmodern view on change with different ideas and create the right management. Instead of implementing conditions for self-organisation, being change top-down and following a one size it internal or external with customers. fits all strategy, the postmodern perspec­ It’s during those collaborative discus­ tive argues that change arises from sions that impactful ideas emerge. It is the collective intelligence emerging from your role to pay attention to emergent ongoing collaboration, collective efforts patterns, discover commonalities and and competition – and thus not from one guide the organisations towards trans­ person only – as described by Hinson and formational change.

Osborne (2014).

Don’t underestimate the power Change is part of life and inevitably of the collective brain and how it can also a part of organisational manage­ propel your organisation! Nor under­ ment, whether working in a corporate estimate the power of self-organisa­ or a smaller organisation. From experi­ tion resulting out of those local conver­ ence, I would say that it’s even more true sations between individuals. Let go in the latter as smaller organisations need of control – as prescribed by the post­ to be agile and flexible enough to keep modern perspective – and watch how their competitive edge. creativity, passion, involvement and responsibility subsequently arise. It’s not about choosing one perspective above the other, but rather fostering a culture of openness and creativity where innovation can thrive. In environments Author: which are too stable people tend to lose their creativity and surrender to a routine.

Organisations tend to become less agile and disruptive. Creativity is, expect­ edly, the key driving force of successful innovation, which in turn is needed Mariam Rachi, to respond to the complex and contin­ Managing Director, uously changing business environment Emerging Europe of today’s world.

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INVESTMENTS

WARSAW, THE CAPITAL OF YOUNG TALENTS 93% of students and 89% of foreigners consider Warsaw to be a good city to pursue a career, and 84% think that the capital city is a satisfying place to live in. That is what follows from the report “The human capital in Warsaw”.

– Drawing talents and leaders and providing them with support is one of the objectives of the #Warsaw 2030 Strategy. We know very well that one of the factors contributing to the city’s dynamic growth in the future will be not only an effective use of the capabilities and qualifications of the residents, but also the encouraging of talented youth, entrepreneurs, scientists and artists to settle here. That is why it is very important for us to have as many specialists with unique knowledge and skills as possible in our city – says the President of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski.

ground for fresh talents, from which largely benefit the employers.

– The students and foreigners who come to Warsaw have ambitious plans for their studies as well as the opportunities offered by the city. The major reason for undertaking studies in the capital is the opportunity to pursue one’s career as declared by 63% of the respondents as well as the wide educational offer indicated by 54% of the students coming from outside Warsaw. They expect high level studies, a qualified academic staff and varied activities in order to be able The city attracts one with its very high to pursue their interests. What can signifgrowth potential and plenty of employ­ icantly help them find a dream job is ment opportunities, meeting the expec­ an appropriate course of study, and there tations of the young talents coming are plenty of them to choose from the offer here from other cities and countries. of the Warsaw schools – says the Chairman The publication, prepared upon commis­ of the Management Board of Antal, sion by the capital city of Warsaw, contains Artur Skiba. information on the trends in talent devel­ opment in the city, the preparation As follows from the Antal report, students of young talents as regards the command in Warsaw, in the overwhelming majority, of languages, studies or already gained consider its educational offer in terms professional experience. In addition, of their planned professional develop­ the report outlines the directions from ment. Three out of four of them stated which come the talented employees, either that they are very satisfied or rather young or professionally experienced. satisfied with the offer, which allows us to draw a conclusion that the schools TOP LEVEL STUDIES effectively adapt to the growing expec­ Warsaw is one of the largest univer­ tations and ambitions of lower secondary sity cities in Poland. Annually, nearly school graduates.

220 thousand students come to study at its 62 universities. They are attracted ENOUGH WORK FOR THOSE by the broad variety of the courses WHO WANT TO WORK of studies, the wide educational and Each year around 50 thousand young cultural offer, and the opportunity people leave the walls of Warsaw univer­ to widen their experience with additional sities. There is some goods news for them courses and internships in international following from the survey conducted companies. This is a peculiar breeding among the employers in Warsaw.

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The conclusions are optimistic as most companies plan to develop their busi­ ness – seven in ten want to increase employment and a mere 3% want to reduce it. Students do not have to worry about whether they will find employment after graduation.

At the same time they are aware that the success at the job market is guaran­ teed by internships and student training done while studying at university, and in Warsaw there are vacancies for such forms of employment. Both benefit from that – the students can boast an impres­ sive CV, whereas the companies gain well educated employees.

Moreover, large numbers of young people attract investors who, drawing from the benefits of the Warsaw job market, create new employment opportuni­ ties. At present those who are qualified in economics or business are the most sought-after employees. The command of foreign languages is also a bargaining chip in recruitment. Undoubtedly, that follows from the dynamically growing SSC/BPO sector with its demand for language competence, marginalising the need to know the Polish language in view of the international structures and English as the corporate language, which is where foreign students can seek their employment opportunities.

ADVANTAGES ON THE WIN Warsaw attracts young people from the whole of Poland with opportuni­ ties for a better future. The students who come from outside Warsaw say that the strengths of the city are, in the first place, public transport as well Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

as the following: the presence of global business, employment and educa­ tional opportunities.

– Warsaw is considered to be a city with a rich cultural and gastronomic offer, but first of all, a city with plenty of employment opportunities. That is appreciated by 63% of foreigners who associate their future careers with the Polish capital. Employers from Warsaw offer relatively high pay, but one needs to take into account the high costs of living and services – says Sebas­ tian Sala, Business Unit Manager, Antal SSC/BPO, Banking & Insurance.

The high costs of living – beside the quality of the natural environment – are the most commonly mentioned weaker side of living in the largest Polish city. Unfor­ tunately, one can be surprised with the prices having moved to the city from a smaller town. However, taking into account the higher pay, the disproportion does not seem so huge. Especially if we compare the cost of living here with living in other Western European capitals which is much more expensive. The advantages of living in Warsaw are also appreciated by foreigners, growing numbers of whom come to study or work here every year.

“WARSAW IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA” Students come to Warsaw mainly from all parts of Poland, but this is not always the case. In Warsaw there are also students from Ukraine, Italy, Spain, India, Germany, Belarus, Russia, France, Portugal, Turkey, Romania, the Neth­ erlands, the United Kingdom or more remote countries such as Brazil.

– Most often students come here to get to know this part of Europe, driven by mere curiosity, and decide to stay because of the opportunities for employment in the many international companies and relationships or the families they start here. In Warsaw there are also quite many foreigners who come here in order to make their careers. 53% of them, when planning to come to Warsaw, have not considered moving to cities other than Warsaw – says Małgorzata Stanik, team leader at Antal SSC/BPO.

INVESTMENTS

The report “The human capital in Warsaw 2019” upon commission by the capital city of Warsaw was prepared by the Antal company. The publication is available at the following website: www.en.antal.pl/insights/report/talent-pool-in-warsaw.

The quantitative survey was conducted among working foreigners, students from outside Warsaw and from abroad as well as the employers. The qualitative survey was administered on Polish students from towns and cities of various size as well as students from abroad.

According to the statistical data of the City Hall, the capital is inhabited by a little more than 40 thousand foreigners, however, by observing the city, one can presume that that is not an accurate number. Most people are of the Ukrainian, Belarusian and Vietnamese origin. Other largely represented nationalities are Russians and Indians, as well as Western Euro­ peans. There are also a lot of Frenchmen, Germans and Britons. As can be seen, there are a lot of employees for the employers to choose from – in Warsaw there are students and employees both from behind the eastern and western borders.

The access to talents with a fluent command of foreign languages is undoubtedly the city’s asset in the eyes of entrepreneurs who, in Warsaw, want to do business of global reach.

CITY PERFECT FOR LIVING It turns out that the choice of a place to work is obvious for the foreigners. Over a half of the respondents, while planning to come to Poland, has not considered cities other than Warsaw. 120 foreigners working in the capital were asked what surprised them after they arrived there. 98% of them said that they were surprised mainly by the high level of secu­ rity, the openness and friendly attitude of the locals, good organisation of public transport, a lot of greenery and the good proportion of the cost of living to pay.

86% of the respondents would definitely or would rather recommend moving to Warsaw to someone close to them.

Foreign students constitute a large group at Warsaw schools, amounting to nearly 24 thousand people. Most of them, which is around 11 thousand, are students from Ukraine. The main reason for studying here communicated by foreigners is the wide educational offer, as declared by 43% of foreigners, and the chance to make one’s career, as stated by 38% of the respond­ ents from abroad. In Warsaw foreigners are usually employed in sales, marketing, finance and customer service, as follows from LinkedIn statistics. A lot of people are also employed in the IT industry.

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Based on the results of the survey, one can draw a conclusion that the years to come will raise the quality of busi­ ness in Warsaw thanks to the poten­ tial of well educated students and foreigners supplying the job market.

POLES HOSPITABLE ALSO The young talents, prepared to pursue ON THE JOB MARKET their careers thanks to the opportuni­ More than a half of foreigners in Warsaw ties offered by the capital, will certainly associate their future careers with bring an entirely new approach to busi­ the Polish capital. It is worth noting ness to the local companies. that foreigners, before starting to work in Warsaw, have studied at Warsaw More information: universities. The employees analysed in the report graduated from Warsaw Economic University, the Warsaw School of Development Economics (SGH), the Warsaw University Department Smolna 4 Street, of Technology, the Kozminski University 00-375 Warsaw and the Vistula University of Finance and Phone: +48 22 443 07 56 Business, among others.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

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INVESTMENTS

IT SECTOR IN KIELCE Kielce offers many opportunities for the development of the IT / ITC / ITO sector. There are universities in the city that guarantee high-quality education in the field of IT and programming. Over 20,000 students and 9,000 graduates annually provides staff for the development of companies, while well-developed city’s metropolitan functions and companies from the BPO and ITO sectors already present on the market make a favourable climate for investing.

COMPANIES The IT industry in Kielce is primarily consisting of companies with Polish capital. Transition Technologies PSC (TT PSC) and Comarch SA have their branches here. The first one located in Kielce a few years ago, choosing the infrastructure of the Kielce Tech­ nology Park. TT PSC – present in Kielce since 2014, employs over 100 specialists programming IT solutions for industry, as well as designing technology solu­ tions for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology solu­ tions, which make the implementation of the idea of Industry ​​​​ 4.0 possible.

Comarch SA is a Krakow company, a provider of Comarch proprietary soft­ ware for industries including telecom­ munications, airlines, ERP/e-commerce systems, financial institutions etc., has been present in Kielce for several years and, like TT PSC, is a very impor­ tant employer.

The IT solutions provider for business employs over 100 employees. Infover implements projects for various indus­ tries with a wide business spectrum, particularly in the areas of retail, distri­ bution, logistics and planning. He is also a laureate of many prestigious awards, including “Forbes Diamonds”.

Located in the same office building Altar is also a provider of modern IT systems. The company has been present on the Polish IT market for over 25 years as a supplier of proprietary IT and ICT solutions for business. The company’s clients are both large enterprises (Empik, Orange) and smaller companies from various fields.

TT PSC as well as Infover and Altar are also the socially responsible enter­ prises. They participate in events organised or co-organised by the City of Kielce as well as other municipal units – schools, universities, Kielce Tech­ Infover SA is another representative nology Park. The companies supported of the IT sector in Kielce, a local company the Kielce IT Days 2019, which took and an important employer in IT sector. place at the beginning of this year,

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co-organising workshops for youth and students, building questions for tests.

Besides large players with a recog­ nizable brand, smaller IT companies and innovative start-ups have settled in Kielce. As a part of the last group mentioned one company should be distinguished – AI Force 1 – the creator of My Social Seller – an application that uses Chatbots in companies’ business processes. The start-up has received funding from the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, as part of the Start-up Platform project and thanks to the funding it implements its solutions, winning further awards and distinctions (TOP Start-up of Eastern Poland 2018).

Companies from the IT sector in Kielce are associated in the FutureHub cluster that was founded on the initiative of the Kielce Technology Park in response to the needs of IT sector companies.

Cluster supports the implementa­ tion of joint educational, research and develop­ment and investment projects.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

HUMAN RESOURCES IT faculties are offered in Kielce both by public universities – Jan Kochanowski University and the Kielce University of Technology, as well as by private colleges, such as the University of Infor­ mation Technologies and Telecommunica­ tion. The global number of students of IT faculty in Kielce equals to about 1,500.

marathon is planned, which was a great success last year.

In Kielce, we support not only IT students, but also programming enthusiasts and those who are just taking their first steps in this field. This year, the next edition of the Hackathon programming

The Kielce IT Days is a two-day event of the IT sector, filled with workshops, discussions and educational activities. For young people from the Świętokrzyskie Voivodship it is a chance to test their

Another notewor thy initiative is the afo­­rementioned Kielce IT Days and the Świętokrzyski IT Test and Świętokrzyski IT Test for Juniors organised during the event.

knowledge and IT skills as well as the level of readiness to work in the IT sector.

For entrepreneurs operating in the IT industry, Kielce IT Days are a chance to lift out young talents and an opportunity for business networking with companies that are involved in the event.

This year’s edition of the Kielce IT Days (3–4 April 2019) it’s also the Świętokrzyski IT Test for Juniors – a test of IT know­ ledge dedicated to students of 8th grade of the primary school and 3 rd grade of junior high.

Infover/Kolporter office building in Kielce.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

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INVESTMENTS

THE FUTURE – ROBOTICS AND METROLOGY The Kielce University of Technology focuses not only on programming and the field of IT. Kielce technical facility educates world champions in the robotics and astronautics sector. European Rover Challenge that took place in Kielce in September once again proved that teams from Kielce are the world leaders when it comes to designing, creating and programming Mars robots – “rovers”.

Kielce IT Days 2019.

Thanks to the events such as Kielce IT Days and accompanying competency tests, the organisers want to interest high school graduates in topics related to the IT industry and introduce them to the opportunities of Kielce universities.

Every year, there are more candidates for IT studies at the Kielce Univer­ sity of Technology while IT companies present in Kielce are becoming more and more involved in modernising the teaching process, offering intern­ ships and apprenticeships. Students have the chance to work with specialists from Transition Technologies PSC, and thanks to the cooperation with CISCO, the launch of a new specialty – ICT – has been successfully completed at the Kielce University of Technology.

From January 2020, a project enti­ tled “High-quality qualifications and internships as a key to success in the IT industry”, co-financed from the European Social Fund under the Regional Opera­ tional Program for the Świętokrzyskie Voivodship for the years 2014-2020 will be realising. Project participants will be covered by the internships program at local entrepreneurs representing the IT sector, as well as by specialised program­ ming courses and professional English courses. Students will also participate in workshops on building soft skills crucial in the labour market.

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The IMPULS Mars Rover team from the Kielce University of Technology won the international competition – Euro­ pean Rover Challenge for the second year in a row. A few weeks earlier the team from Kielce triumphed in the prestigious competition in the American desert of Utah.

Besides being recignised in the field of robotics, Kielce may soon become the capital of Polish metrology.

The Świętokrzyski Laboratory Campus of the Central Office of Measures to be established in Kielce by 2022 is an invest­ ment at an unprecedented scale in our region. The prospect of employment in such an exclusive field as metrology is noticed by students from Kielce, while the university authorities are making efforts to prepare for the expectations of future employers, including companies that will arise around the investment. This is a great opportunity for the develop­ ment of entrepreneurship in Kielce, not only in the field of metrology, but also in other fields related to this difficult science, including IT.

More information:

Investor Assistance Centre Kielce City Hall: Strycharska 6 Street, 25-659 Kielce Phone: +48 41 36 76 571, 41 36 76 557 e-mail: coi@um.kielce.pl www.invest.kielce.pl/en www.mapa.invest.kielce.pl/en

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

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INVESTMENTS

WE DON’T NEED ADVERTISING This is the answer we hear when we encourage employers to take actions that sometimes go slightly beyond standard marketing activities. Nothing could be more wrong...

The production sector in Częstochowa is developing dynamically. The number of enterprises employing more than two hundred and fifty employees is constantly increasing. Most of them make sure that staff turnover is as low as possible but it is hard to win with time. It is difficult to replace aging and retiring professionals by anyone.

With 3.3% of unemployment rate in the city, it is hard to find people willing to work without using any systemic solu­ tion which is why many employers are going back to the model of close coopera­ tion with vocational and technical schools that have been proven for decades.

Entrepreneurs from the Northern Subre­ gion of Silesia are aware of the neces­ sity and importance of investment in the development of human resources.

Activities in the field of staff training can no longer take place only inside the company, entrepreneurs are already looking for their future employees at the level of secondary schools and try to influence the profiling of their qualifications.

The cooperation of entrepreneurs with schools in secondary and higher level is the only chance to educate qualified staff. The task of the local government is to create a platform which enables the communication between these dependent areas. Those activities are fostered by the local government with its Investor Assistance Center (IAC), which organizes the "ZAWODOWIEC" Trade Fair

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Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

and participates in other projects related to the proper profiling of education for the needs of business and industry. IAC is a department in the City Hall which is an intermediary in the contacts of two different, but at the same time dependent on each other, worlds – education and economy.

BETTER JOB NOW A few years back, the creation of new jobs was a priority for the new city authori­ ties. A lot has been done in this direc­ tion – fighting for special economic zones, preparing investment areas, building a system of incentives for entrepreneurs, creating possibilities for business develop­ ment in our city. Many appreciated it and invested here – in Częstochowa. Today, we want something more for the residents of Częstochowa – our efforts currently concern not only the number of new jobs but above all – their quality. Higher earnings and better social security are not the only goals of the local government. The program has two vectors – in addition to improving working conditions, it also focuses on its high quality. In turn, the quality of work mostly depends on the qualifications of the staff. The local government conducts educational campaigns in primary schools already. Their purpose is to make young people aware of the need to choose the right path for their careers.

IAC also tries to animate companies' activi­ ties in the field of employer branding and many employers already under­ stand the need for such activities. Today, even companies with a perfectly organi­ ­zed distribution network and a wide range of product recipients must strive for the favour of future employees and to attract professionals. Companies must build their image from scratch in such way that when someone is browsing offers, a person educated in a given direction and prepared to work in a given profession would think that this particular company is what he or she is looking for. From the company's point of view? It is well known, we do not need to explain, but what are the benefits for Under the Better Job Now Program, several the local government? activities are carried out for both – entrepre­ neurs and employees: The optimal situation – from the local • FAIR PLAY Employer Competition, which government's point of view – would be if promotes and distinguishes employers such offers were also considered by resi­ who care about their employees and dents of other cities, neighbouring poviats conducts corporate social responsibility or voivodships. activities,

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

IAC tries to animate companies' activi­ties in the field of employer branding and many employers already understand the need for such activities.

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INVESTMENTS

• the promoter of the Częstochowa Economy can become companies or institutions that have influenced the promotion of the city in the invest­ ment context, • competition for the best bachelor's, engineering, master's and doctoral dissertation on the subject of the city of Częstochowa, intended for students from all over Poland who would like to devote their diploma to the subject of Częstochowa, • real estate tax relief system for entre­ preneurs introduced by separate resolutions a. Tax relief due to the creation of new jobs, b. Tax relief for developers creating modern office space in the B+ standard or higher, c. Tax relief due to the creation of new jobs in the Special Economic Zone, d. Tax relief due to the use of innovation, • to protect employees' rights, the Presi­ dent appointed an Employee Ombuds­ ­man, who became the President's Pleni­ potentiary for Equal Opportunities, • a Better Job Center at the Investor Assistance Center was established, and apart from consulting, it also has a website called Better Job Now, which

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is a platform enabling quick contact between the employer, high schools and local government, • as part of the Academic Częstochowa, there are awarded subsidies for public universities from the area of ​​​​the City of Częstochowa, • the scholarship system for 6th-year medical students is directly linked to the three-module Available Doctor program implemented by the Często­ chowa local government, • Częstochowa School Fair "ZAWO­­ DOWIEC" – promoting technical and vocational schools in Częstochowa in a business context, IRON OXIDE FESTIVAL – street art festival, co-cre­ ated with students of high schools in Częstochowa.

More information:

III JURASSIC ECONOMIC CONGRESS As one of the elements of the Better Job Now Program, it dealt with labour market issues and raised issues in the field of employer branding.

On October 23rd Pro Progressi has under­­­ taken efforts to explain the concept of employer branding and the need for companies to act in this matter during the event.

Investor Assistance Center Department of European Funds and Development City Hall of Częstochowa Waszyngtona 5 Street, 42-217 Częstochowa Phone: +48 34 3707 212, +48 34 3707 213 e-mail: coi@czestochowa.um.gov.pl, fer@czestochowa.um.gov.pl www.czestochowa.pl

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

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Carnaval Sztukmistrzów (Magicians' Carnival).

CONSIDERED MOVING TO LUBLIN? These days quality of life is one of the most important factors determining the choice of a given location for further business development. More often than ever before opening a new branch requires a change of a place of residence which is faced not only by management, but also specialists. So, what it’s like to live in Lublin?

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Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Assessment of the quality of life was one of the elements of a recently published “Report on Polish Metropolitan Cities: Lublin” prepared by PwC and a report entitled “Investment Potential of Lublin” based on a Business Environment Assess­ ment Study carried out by Antal in collab­ oration with Cushman & Wakefield and Vastint. Both reports present a very posi­ tive image of Lublin, and the quality of life of citizens is one of its key advantages.

To better understand the current situ­ ation of Lublin, it is important to have a look at the changes and the transfor­ mation the city has undergone within last 10 years. To a great extent, this transfor­ mation was possible because of European Union funds which have been pumped into projects crucial for the growth of the metropolis. According to data of the Central Statistical Office of February 2019, Lublin is one of the leaders in terms of implementation of EU co-funded projects. With over 4 billion euro it was ranked 5th among all 2,478 communes in Poland. As PwC exper ts claim in the aforementioned report, the city stands out from other Polish metropo­ litan cities for its huge expenditures for culture and national heritage protection.

A ring-road, Lublin Airport, revitalization of green areas, development of the Lublin Subzone of Special Economic Zone EUROPARK Mielec, as well as social and cultural projects are just some of initia­ tives targeted at the improvement of citi­ zens’ quality of living.

Development of infrastructure, including sports facilities, allowed for the effective promotion of the city during football events broadcasted in tens of countries worldwide, for instance UEFA U21 Cham­ pionship Poland 2017 and FIFA U20 World Cup Poland 2019, during which Lublin was one of host cities, also because of the availability of a modern football stadium Arena Lublin. Recent years also witness a rebirth of the Lublin’s speedway traditions marked by the promo­ tion of Speed Car Motor Lublin club to top-flight PGE Ekstraliga. Here, it is worth mentioning the special atmos­ phere at the matches of “Goats” which is appreciated not only by Lublin riders, but also by members of other teams who are warmly welcomed and cheered by speedway fans in Lublin. What is more, popularity of this sports discipline made Lublin’s authorities implement the plan to build a new speedway stadium, which will be constructed in the years to come.

Also fans of athletics and swimming benefit from state-of-the-art athletics stadium and Aqua Lublin complex with the most modern Olympic swimming pool in Poland, while supporters may experience sporting emotions during games of current Polish champion SPR Lublin handball team, Start Lublin basket­ ball players, footballers of Motor Lublin, or make use of a multitude of sports halls, pitches, courts, swimming pools or take part in a series of runs called “10 to Marathon” so popular these days among running amateurs in Lublin.

According to data of the Central Statistical Office of February 2019, Lublin is one of the leaders in terms of implementation of EU co-funded projects.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Lublin’s application and attempt to be recognized as the European Capital of Culture in 2016 not only added momentum to cultural events organized in Lublin to date, but also gave rise to a number of new initiatives that now attract tens of thousands of tourists to the city each year.

Lublin is also a city of culture. It is notable that Lublin’s application and attempt to be recognized as the Euro­ pean Capital of Culture in 2016 not only added momentum to cultural events organized in Lublin to date, but also gave rise to a number of new initiatives that now attract tens of thousands of tourists to the city each year. The most important ones include Carnaval Sztukmistrzów (Magicians’ Carnival), Jagiellonian Fair, Night of Culture, Theatre Confrontations Festival, East of Culture – Different Sounds Art’n’Music Festival or the European Festival of Taste. Additionally, the cultural base of Lublin was lately expanded by one of the most modern facilities in Europe, namely Centre for the Meeting of Cultures which hosts and organi­ ­z es plenty of music, theatre or film events. The cultural offer of the city is also enriched by 9 cinemas, 6 theatres or 11 museums including real gems like the Lublin Museum with its unique on the European scale Holy Trinity Chapel, or the Lublin Open Air Museum, while the historical memory and remembrance are taken care of by the State Museum at Majdanek, which is a must for all foreign tourists visiting Lublin.

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INVESTMENTS When talking about the high quality of living in Lublin, it is worth to under­ line the compactness of the city. Lublin, with its surface area of 147.5 km 2, is densely developed and has a well-struc­ tured road network allowing for easy and fast transportation in the city. Thanks to the above mentioned ring road, from almost every single spot in the city it is possible to get to most distant places within 30 minutes. Over 100 cars and vans in a carsharing scheme, electric scooters or a city bike system consisting of more than 950 bicycles available at 97 stations all prove that transportation in Lublin is not only robust, but also environmen­ tally friendly. This is also demonstrated by consistent modernization of public communication fleet and the purchase of trolleybuses, zero – and low emission buses, construction of Park & Ride car parks, as well as continuous expansion of the smart traffic management system.

Shortly the public transportation will be further boosted through the construction of the Metropolitan Station which will

Lublin is one of only a few Polish cities boasting a Smart City certificate issued by the Polish Standardization Committee.

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Lublin is densely developed and has a wellstructured road network allowing for easy and fast transportation in the city.

integrate train and bus communication facilitating connectivity within the city, between Lublin and suburban communes and other Polish cities. Completion of this key investment, scheduled for the end of 2022, will not only contribute to better functioning of communication, but will be also an important part of sustainable revitalization of degraded areas around the current Train Station, and it will under­ line the metropolitan nature of the city improving connectivity with neighboring communes. The city’s authorities and dwellers are proud that the concept of the station designed by Tremend Design Office was honoured and made it to the grand finale of the prestigious competition World Building of the Year as part of the World Architecture Festival.

What should be underlined is that Lublin is one of only a few Polish cities boasting a Smart City certificate issued by the Polish Standardization Committee, which was possible thanks to compliance of assessment methods with the Polish Standard ISO 37120 achieved for 96 out of 100 indicators divided into 17 catego­ ries, i.e. economy, education, environ­ ment, finance, health, safety, transporta­ tion, recreation or energy.

parks (Saski, Ludowy), and establish new ones, also on degraded areas, like in case of the Zawilcowa Park situated on a reclaimed municipal landfill site.

Other recreational opportunities are created by the proximity of the Łęczna­­ -Włodawa Lakeland, which seasonally is visited by lots of Lublin’s dwellers.

High quality of living in Lublin is also much to the credit of a participatory model of managing the city manifesting itself in the implementation of bottom-up initiatives submitted by citizens under the Civic Budget, Green Budget dedi­ cated to protecting habitats and revi­ talization of municipal greenery, as well as in public consultations of activities and projects planned by the Lublin’s autho­ rities. Projects carried out thanks to Civic Budget funds are not only purely invest­ ment measures like renovation of roads, revitalization of sports facilities and development of technical infrastruc­ ture in different districts, but also social and cultural projects. The participatory management of the city is also reflected in the activity of a so-called civic panel, which is an advisory body consisting of randomly selected citizens of Lublin.

Its task is to come up with recommenda­ As the capital of one of the greenest and tions for the city’s authorities concerning most natural regions in the European the most important aspects for the city’s Union, Lublin enjoys the opinion of a clean functioning. As noticed by the PwC and green city too. According to PwC, experts, impressive activity of citizens is “the overall condition of natural environ­ also reflected in the number of votes cast ment in Lublin is very good – in terms for urban movements during elections, of cleanliness and air quality the city as well as in the actions taken by NGOs is one of the top locations among all not only in the city, but also in the entire analyzed metropolitan cities”. Lack metropolitan area. of historic encumbrances with heavy industry, lots of green areas, the Bystrzyca Inhabitants, tourists and experts alike river flowing through the city, as well emphasize that Lublin is also open and as the Zemborzycki reservoir located safe. As stated in the PwC report, feeling within the city boundaries all make of safety results mainly from a low crime it possible for the citizens of Lublin ratio, which is two times lower than to commune with nature on a daily in some other competitive locations under basis. Moreover, to further improve scrutiny. The highest level of internation­ the quality of environment, the Lublin’s alization of Lublin’s universities in Poland, authorities keep revitalizing municipal as a consequence of the presence of over

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Most 700-lecia (700th Anniversary Bridge).

6,300 students from 106 countries, mainly from Ukraine, results in people from different countries, representing different cultures and speaking different languages become an integral part of the city land­ scape. They are attracted to Lublin not only by the outstanding offer and pres­ tige of universities, but also by this unique openness of the city and its citizens, high level of safety and friendliness of public institutions. According to the report drawn up by Antal experts, in the category “Quality of living assessment” Lublin was awarded a very good score of 7.8 based on indicators like security (8.5), educational offer (8.0), cultural offer (7.5), health care system (7.5) and commercial offer (7.0).

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Finally, the city stands out in terms of low costs of living. As stated in the Antal’s report, Lublin is characte­ rized by the lowest average cost of a new flat among all 8 cities analyzed as part of the study. Also the costs of public communication, hotels and taxis are low in comparison to other locations of comparable size. Moreover, both availability and costs of crèches and nurseries are really competitive. All this, together with the dynamics of the city’s deve­lopment create a bright perspec­ tive for Lublin’s further rapid social, cultural and economic growth, and foreign investors are said to be an important part of this growth.

More information:

Łukasz Goś Director of Investor Relations Office Lublin City Hall Phone: +48 81 466 25 42 e-mail: lukasz.gos@lublin.eu

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INVESTMENTS WINNER OF 2019

OUTSOURCING STARS

LET'S PLAY

IN WIELKOPOLSKA!

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Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

Poznan Game Arena (PGA) and Game Industry Conference (GIC) are two Poznań events that have permanently entered the gamedev industry calendar. Poznań International Fair has hosted thousands of creators and enthusiasts of virtual entertainment for several years. However, PGA and GIC are not everything Poznań has to offer - the project „Let’s play in Wielkopolska” has just started!

WHAT IS THE GAMEDEV INDUSTRY? Game development (gamedev) is an industry that develops and designs games for various platforms (consoles, web browsers, mobile devices, etc.).

Game developers are responsible for every aspect of creating the game – from the initial concept and game paths, through the creation of the chara­ cter and visual layer, to the sound of the game (including recreating real sounds and creating a coherent soundtrack with a theme melody).

However, one of the most important areas of the game developer's work is to translate ready-made game compo­ nents into the code language.

gathering tens of thousands of parti­ cipants each year.

in the city

Name of the investor: Flexdev Country of origin: United Kingdom Number of workplaces: 40 Sector: ITO/BPO Outsourcing / SSC Services Company's residence in the city: Malta House Occupied place: about 500 sq m

POZNAN GAMEDEV There are over 30 gamedev studies in Wielkopolska Region, which form an active community. Poznań Game Arena and Game Industry Conference play a huge role integrating the envi­ ronment, but much more is happening in this industry in Poznań every day!

Pyramida Hub is a collective that combines four Poznań studios – Robot Gentleman, Black Moon Design, Monster Couch and SOS, whose goal is to exchange experience and design solu­ tions. The studies do not create joint The value of the gamedev industry projects, but participate in the exchange around the world is estimated at USD of ideas and knowledge in a co-working 135 billion, while in Poland at over USD space. In Pyramid there are meetups 545 million. The Polish industry is growing and meetings for creators, premieres at an impressive pace and is thriving of new games, but also exhibitions in large cities. Native developers are of local artists. responsible for the success of such games as the Witcher series or Frostpunk. At this The potential of the Poznan gamedev year's Gamescom (the largest industry industry is developed by a private event in Europe), a dozen or so Polish college Collegium da Vinci. There are producers were present: CD PROJEKT, two specialties in the field of computer 11 bit studios, CI Games, Artifex Mundi, science at CDV: game design as well Boom Bit, but also Forever Entertain­ as internet and mobile applications. ment, Varsav Game Studios, 7Levels and Student interests are also developed by Techland. CD Project promoted its latest the Game Wizards research club, where production – the retrofuturistic game they can design and program together "Cyberpunk 2077", while Techland is and model their own games. The college preparing for the premiere of the second is also planning to create an entire part of "Dying Light". field of study related to game devel­ opment in the near future. In addition The popularity of the gamedev industry to Collegium da Vinci, Poznan University is also confirmed by the statistics of of Technology also educates students the Poznań International Fair – Poznań in the gamedev industry on the specialty Game Arena and Pyrkon are in the top of games and system technologies three in terms of the number of visitors, (in the field of computer science).

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

New investment

FlexDev is a Global Award-Winning software development company and is the leader in NGDC+ [Next Generation Delivery Center] that builds and manages delivery centers in the areas of ITO and BPO. FlexDev works with major organizations and is a trusted advisor to some of the World largest and most respected brands. FlexDev manages local centers by providing full management, administration, legal support, marketing and finance while their clients have full control and ownership of their assets. FlexDev’s main operation is in Poznań [Poland] but also has operations in the UK [London] and the USA[ Boston]. FlexDev chose Poznan for it’s location and proximity to the UK and Berlin, it’s excellent resources, top academic centres and environmentally friendly approach, and the over all quality of life. FlexDev aims to attract and support large US based fortune 500 companies and assist them with futureproofing their business by building them Next Generation Delivery Centers in Poland.

Graham Fell, Executive Vice President U.S. and Europe, FlexDev 71

INVESTMENTS

The value of the gamedev industry around the world is estimated at USD 135 billion, while in Poland at over USD 545 million.

Numerous conferences and meetups create a space to exchange experiences and joint initiatives, among them the Poznań Game Arena (PGA) and the Games Industry Conference (GIC), as well as PGG Jam-All Play! PGA is the largest trade fair for computer games and multimedia entertain­ ment in this part of Europe – the last

72

editions attracted around 80,000 guests each. During PGA, participants can learn about technical and hardware news in the world of games, while the creators present the fruits of their labor to a wider audience. This year, awards were also given for games promoting the entire Eastern Euro­ pean region – CEEGA Central & Eastern European Games Awards. GIC is a B2B event for creators and experts, which is an opportunity for networking and business meetings for indie creators.

In turn, PGG Jam – All Play! is an event during which games are created for people with disabilities. Solutions imple­ mented during PGG Jam are necessary to create more accessible and friendly games for players with disabilities.

The event was held for the first time in 2016 and was the first event of its kind during which 10 games were created. PGG Jam is not only a meeting during which developers create games. It is also an opportunity to get acquainted with the latest technologies such as the eye tracker, which allows you to control using eye movements. PGG Jam stimulates the creativity of game developers and gives them the oppor­ tunity to test custom solutions.

LET'S PLAY IN WIELKOPOLSKA The environment of Poznań game deve­ lopers has great potential for devel­ opment. Therefore, with the support of EU funds, the project "Let's play in Wielkopolska" – a unique initiative, which aims to promote the Greater Poland gamedev studies internation­ ally, begins.

The project involves the participation of 10 indie games studios operating in the Wielkopolska Region in 3 trade fair events (in Europe and the United States). The total value of the project coordinated by the Investor Relations Department is almost PLN 2 million.

Thanks to "Let's play in Wielkopolska", the City of Poznań wants to support the gamedev industry, giving devel­ opers a chance to establish business contacts and networking. The "Let’s play in Wielkopolska" project will be imple­ mented in 2020–2021 and is a natural extension of previous initiatives of the Investor Relations Department.

– For over two years we have been supporting game development studios in Poznań as part of industry events. Twice the Polish stand during the Quo Vadis conference in Berlin was organized with the participation of the City of Poznań, and 7 game development studios from Poznań benefited from the help of the Investor Relations Department.

We also try to cooperate with the Game Industry Conference organizers and meet the needs of this industry. Hence the idea of the "Let's play in Wielkopolska" project, thanks to which we will be able to actively promote the potential of Poznań artists in Europe and the United States – empha­ sizes Katja Lożina, Head of the Investor Relations Department of the Poznań City Hall.

"Let’s play in Wielkopolska" also includes other promotional activities – coopera­ tion with the media, training for parti­ cipants, but also a catalog containing a full list of studies from Wielkopolska and a description of the gamedev environment in Poznań. The premiere of the publication is scheduled for the beginning of 2020.

The gamedev industry is very innova­ tive and influences the development of a modern economy. Making games generates a demand for specialists from many different fields – primarily programmers and graphic designers, but also game designers, level designers, sound and music creators, and finally testers. The city of Poznań as the initi­ ator of the "Let's play in Wielkopolska" project wants to promote and support the gamedev industry, in order to be able to celebrate in the future the successes of sizes of the Witcher series.

More information:

Investor Relations Department City of Poznań Za Bramką 1 Street, 61-842 Poznan Phone: +48 61 878 54 28 e-mail: inwestor@um.poznan.pl

www.poznan.pl

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

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INVESTMENTS

DIRECTION: BYDGOSZCZ SPECIALTY: IT Bydgoszcz is consistently and effectively building its image of a "city open to outsourcing" and a significant IT centre. It is one of the main locations on the Polish map of the modern business services sector and it excels when it comes to specialisation in the IT industry.

The dynamic development of the modern business services sector in Bydgoszcz, which currently employs ca. 11,000 people, is constantly changing the local economy and strengthening the City's position on the domestic BPO/SSC market.

Bydgoszcz perfectly uses the oppor­ tunities related to the development of the sector, and IT services are the most important category of services provided in Bydgoszcz centres. Among the largest business service centres in Poland, Bydgo­ szcz is first, taking into account the share of the IT industry in the employment structure of BPO, SSC, IT and R&D centres.

The latest edition of the annual report of the Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL), analysing the state of the modern business services sector in Poland in the last year, indicates a very high employment share of 86% in IT centres in Bydgoszcz.

by others – such as Sii, Meelogic, Cognifide, or deepsense.ai, who appreciate the local IT environment, qualified specialists, office spaces offered in the City and the region's experience in supporting activities in this field. The main representatives of the sector carry out projects for the largest global IT, telecommunications, insurance, or auto­ motive companies, confirming the highest level of services and competences of their Bydgoszcz branches. They are also gradu­ ally expanding the scope of their activi­ ties with specialised business processes, and many of them develop their own R&D departments in the City. Well-­­­ -developed production sector, which has a rich tradition in Bydgoszcz, also eagerly uses the latest solutions provided by IT companies present in the City. In Bydgo­ szcz, the cooperation between industry and technology companies is clearly visible – such sustainable development based on synergy of competences is BYDGOSZCZ WORLD-CLASS IT often the reason for international entities SERVICES to decide to develop key business opera­ The specialisation of Bydgoszcz tions in Bydgoszcz. in the provision of ICT and program­ ming services is reflected primarily The chosen specialisation direction is in the profile of investors which for years reflected not only in subsequent invest­ have included such globally recognised ments and increasing employment brands as Atos, Nokia, Asseco, Mobica, in the sector, but also in the global Cybercom, or Teldat. They are followed successes of companies operating here.

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One example is the Bydgoszcz branch of Nokia – Technological Centre, where BMC (Broadcast Message Centre) warning system, used by the US authori­ ties to send the first text message arrest warrant, was created. On the other hand, the Atos branch operating in Bydgoszcz provides IT services in such prestigious projects as IT service for the Olympic Games. Specialist military IT solutions developed in Teldat company find appli­ cation in the use of the next generation Patriot missile defence system. Passion­ ates from the mobile gaming studio in Bydgoszcz – Vivid Games – launched a product that delivered entertainment on the highest level to millions of users around the world and quickly reached the top of game rankings. These and many other projects prove that the inhabitants of Bydgoszcz are passionate professionals, pursuing various projects on a global scale.

STRENGTH OF HUMAN CAPITAL It is human capital that is a strong advan­ tage of Bydgoszcz and it is noticed by companies from the IT industry investing here. The presence of over a million population within a radius of 50km from Bydgoszcz puts the City in a privileged position in terms of the availability of the staff.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

IT IN BYDGOSZCZ...

Currently, over 3,500 employees work in the Bydgoszcz office of Atos GDC Poland, including almost 400 foreigners from all over the world.

It is the largest of our six locations in the country, and since 2019 also the company’s headquarters in Poland. Atos GDC Poland develops R&D activities through the Atos + Google partnership, IOT projects and a wide range of automation activities. GDC is the centre for the main team developing the flagship Atos private cloud solution – Digital Private Cloud. OpenStack and ServiceNow is another technology area in which we are a global leader and trendsetter. All of the above enrich the Atos digital portfolio developed in Bydgoszcz. The dynamic development of Atos is also based on the increasingly desirable qualifications of residents of the entire region. Local government activities, local IT specialisation, availability of office space as well as support of investment processes on the part of the City contribute to this.

The Sii office in Bydgoszcz is already the 12th location in the country where we decided to develop our business. Why did we choose this city? First of all due to access to qualified specialists who are graduates of technical universities in Bydgoszcz. The fact that IT is the largest and the fastest-growing sector on the local labour market was also of great importance. An additional advantage is the central location of the City on the map of Poland, as well as an extensive network of road and air connections. The proximity of Gdańsk, Poznań, and Łódź, where we already have Sii branches, allows us to jointly build our project teams. Currently, it is Java, .NET, and C/C ++ developers, as well as experts in the field of testing, BI tools, ServiceNow, and cloud solutions that create Sii Bydgoszcz. We hope that the experience of our experts from the Sii Bydgoszcz branch and the Great Place to Work award for the best employers won for the 5th time in a row

by Sii Poland will allow us to continue expanding.

Gregoire Nitot – CEO of Sii Poland

Robert Wichłacz – Board Member, Atos GDC Poland

We chose Bydgoszcz for the location of one of our branches because the City provides access to both university graduates and highly qualified specialists. This is important from our perspective because we are constantly developing, implementing innovative projects in the areas of automotive, telecom R&D, digitalisation and IOT, and we need the competences that these people have. I am convinced that Cybercom is also a great place for further development for these specialists.

Tomasz Woropaj – Business Unit Leader, Cybercom Poland Sp. z o. o.

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INVESTMENTS

The development of Nokia on the Bydgoszcz market is largely possible thanks to the staff provided by the region’s universities. The latest technologies and products created from scratch and international projects for clients from around the world make us an attractive workplace for highly qualified specialists and students, attracting them to Bydgoszcz. We provide attractive working conditions, development opportunities and numerous benefits that raise the bar for other companies in the region and are an additional engine for the growth of the IT industry.

Henryk Hruszka – Head of Nokia Bydgoszcz Technology Center

Bydgoszcz also has an attractive educa­ tional offer and an academic base. Over a half of the total number of students in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivode­ ship is educated at universities in the City and, as the largest academic centre in the region, Bydgoszcz also actively supports cooperation between science and business. boasted many interesting initiatives orga­ nised by local IT communities. Groups such The profile of education is also impor­ as BydgoszczJUG, Cloud & Datacenter tant as it has been adapted to the needs UG, GDG Bydgoszcz, .NET UG Bydgoszcz, of the local economy to a large extent. ŁuczniczQA or Data Community have Bydgoszcz is constantly developing been organising their regular meetings for its potential in creating IT expertise. enthusiasts who want to develop in new Almost 3,000 people are studying technologies, such as programming in Java in fields related to the IT industry and or .NET, software testing or Data Science each year this number is constantly – says Wojciech Oczkowski, co-founder increasing. An additional advantage of BydgoszczJUG, owner of IT Kontekst, for investors, especially to those from and also the organiser of the first the IT sector, is often the fact that in Bydgoszcz technical IT conference already at the level of secondary schools “bITconf”, the second edition of which Bydgoszcz has clearly focused on educa­ took place in September, gathering tion with a technical profile. Bydgoszcz a group of 500 participants. – "bITconf" pupils and students benefit from attrac­ is a joint venture of the majority of Byd­­ tive programmes of patronage classes goszcz IT communities. The conference and courses created in cooperation with has already become a kind of local IT companies investing in the City – courses industry’s celebration. In addition to the geared to practical skills desired obvious aspect of boosting skills of local by local employers. The City therefore specialists, the activities of these groups has a well-developed technological and support the promotion of Bydgoszcz as scientific base, which is an important a strong IT centre. This does not go unnoargument for further companies consi­ ticed by IT companies which are increasdering locating their branches in the City ingly choosing our City as their headquaron the Brda River. ters. Opportunity for professional develop­ ment without the need of relocation to BYDGOSZCZ IT COMMUNITY larger city allows not only to educate, but IS GROWING IN STRENGTH also to retain students and specialists who Friendly environment and promising are so in demand by the new technolocareer prospects additionally contribute gies industry – adds Oczkowski. Another to the development of the Bydgoszcz notable manifestation of the activity IT community. – Bydgoszcz has recently of representatives of the local IT industry

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is the "IT Women" conference – an annual initiative organised by the Bydgoszcz branch of Nokia in cooperation with the Byd­­goszcz Regional Development Agency. It promotes science and IT among women, and shows them oppor­ tunities for professional development in the industry of modern technologies.

The IT industry in Bydgoszcz has been seeing many interesting, challenging and international projects, and recent years have been the time of intensive growth and building a local specialisa­ tion proved by international successes.

This is undoubtedly a unique element of the Bydgoszcz investment offer, as well as a magnet for qualified specialists from various IT areas, who can success­ fully develop their careers here, and at the same time – in the spirit of the idea of work-life balance – realise their life passions and aspirations.

More information:

4C Unii Lubelskiej Street 85-059 Bydgoszcz Phone: +48 52 585 88 23 e-mail: barr@barr.pl www.barr.pl

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

HR NEWS

ON THE 1ST OF OCTOBER 2019 FOUR ADAPTIVE GROUP EXPERTS HAVE BEEN OFFICIALLY PROMOTED Aleksandra Pudlarz, previously Project Leader, is now on the position of Project Manager. She has been a part of Adap­ tive Group Team since end of 2017.

Aleksandra is an experienced process lead and real team-player with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

She is strongly goal-oriented. Her great organizational skills allow her to work under pressure in challenging environ­ ment. She has over 8 years of professional experience in Finance & Accounting shared services.

she has been advising Adaptive Group Clients on HR process solution design, mapping & documenting HR processes and assistance in transition of HR processes into shared services environ­ ment. Wioleta is an organized profes­ sional with excellent interpersonal skills.

She can easily adapt to diverse cultures and build a trustful relationship with the client stakeholders.

Katarzyna Przymińska, previously Junior Consultant, is now on the posi­ tion of Consultant. She has over 3 years Wioleta Urbańska, previously Consultant, of professional experience at ADAPTIVE has been promoted to the role of Project Solutions & Advisory Group – Finance Leader. Since the beginning mid 2017, & Accounting, Logistics and Customer

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Service, in particular, for Shared Services & Outsourcing centres. Kasia is an ambi­ tious and well-organised person with great interpersonal skills and ease in establishing contacts.

Galyna Biletska, previously Junior Consultant, has been promoted to the role of Consultant. At Adaptive Solutions & Advisory Group she takes care of Logis­ tics, Finance & Accounting processes, in particular, for Shared Services & Out­­­sourcing centers. She has 5 years of rele­ vant business experience. Galyna is open-minded and well-organized person with excellent language skills and ease in establishing contacts.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

ADAPTIVE GROUP TEAM IS GROWING! We are pleased to announce that lately several new faces have joined our Adap­ tive Group Team: Izabela Henke as Project Manager / Process Consultant (over 15 years of rele­ vant business experience comprising 14 years of professional experience in Finance & Accounting).

Robert Płuciennik as Project Leader / Process Consultant (over 10 years of rele­ vant business experience comprising

2 years as Business Data Analyst and 3 years as Senior Master Data Clerk).

Monika Cierniak as Consultant (over 2 years as recruiter in recruitment agency, Monika has a knowledge and experience in talent acquisition and HR with the main focus on SSC/BPO sector).

Mariia Sakalova as Junior Consultant (over 2 years of professional experience including being a translator. Student of biotechno­­ logy at the Lodz University of Technology).

AWARDS FOR EXTRAORDINARY ENGAGEMENT IN ADAPTIVE GROUP GIVEN! Annually, Krystian Bestry (CEO Adap­ tive Group) and Michał Bielawski (CFO Adaptive Group) reward the specialists of Adaptive Group who went above and beyond over the last months. This year, they decided to recognize 4 experts:

it comes to business trips which require going abroad for longer periods of time.

Dominika Jóźwiak-Bąk with Excel­ lence Award 2019 for great engagement in every project she was involved in for the past several months and attention Amal Naimi with Client Relationship to details.

Award 2019 for maintaining perfect relations with her clients and taking care Irmina Liczbik with Excellence Award of constant dialogue.

2019 for marketing initiatives, including EB, which are recognizable and posi­ Agata Opłatowska with Mobility Award tively received both by employees and 2019 for being extremely flexible when our clients.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

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CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

WHEN A SENIOR MANAGER ISÂ LOOKING FOR A JOB Top managers usually do not actively look for a job. This is due to the fact that usually, it was the job that found them, or the last time they did that was a long time ago. So it is natural that they often do not know what to start looking for a new job. Companies specialising in top-management recruitment of provide assistance in this area.

How do they assist managers?

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Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

In the agency/candidate relationship, the most important thing are partner rela­ tions. Recruiters are not only consultants, but also partners for the candidates. One has to accept the fact that job searching is a full-time job. Together with the candi­ date, they create a strategy on how to look for a job and how to prepare for it.

The plan must be well thought-out, but at the same time clear, simple and accepted by both parties. Honesty, regularity and consistency constitute the fundamental elements of the strategy.

Companies, such as Wyser, help create it, show elements and stages of a modern recruitment process, suggest how to look for a job, prepare the CV and cover letter together, create or improve a profile on LinkedIn. They empower the candi­ date by giving him or her modern and adequate tools, and at the same time honestly and sincerely emphasise that it is the candidate who is looking for a job.

Independently and actively. The candi­ date has to have his or her own plan.

Wyser constitutes one of its elements.

The fact that there are few high-level positions constitutes an additional challenge. There is only one CEO, one Managing Director and one Sales Director in each organisation. These positions are often appointed for years. Moreover, for such positions, internal recruitment processes are usually conducted, that way promoting mid-level managers to direc­ tor-level positions. They know the most about the organisation, its culture and the employer is fully aware of that fact.

The companies rarely announce that they are looking for a director or a board member, for example, because the market usually perceives such information as a signal that there are the company is undergoing changes that are perceived in different ways by current or poten­ tial employees.

So where is the space for candidates – for top managers coming from outside?

In the change dynamics. When a compa­ ny's board or management want to open up to other markets and new opportu­ nities, and when it introduces changes in its organisational culture. That is when new competences, which are often not present in a company with a stable and long-term structure, are needed. That's

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

where the recruiter comes in. Under­ standing the needs of the client, diag­ nosing the situation are the key to his or her actions. The candidate's compe­ tencies in terms of expertise are very important, but the key is to ensure that the candidate is culturally matched to the organisation and, in particular, to the organisation at this very moment of development. What will determine the success of the recruitment process, the real challenge, is a compassionate approach to the recruitment process, stepping into both the client's and the candidate's shoes and finding a match for both parties.

It is worth looking for what distinguishes a candidate, what is different, because it was unusual in his or her career, unique, and on the other hand – consistent with the needs of the client.

industries, technologies or companies he or she is interested in and what role he or she wants to play in the organ­ isation. We create a list of organisa­ tions in which a candidate could work.

The first step will be to become active on the labour market. This can mean creating a profile on LinkedIn, as well as updating the candidate’s CV, taking part in industry-related discussions online, sharing knowledge, establishing contacts, especially with decision-makers in the companies on the list and building a network of contacts, as well as sending one's offer or a specific presentation to the desired employer. The recruiter will also recommend the candidate to his or her clients and look for access to the companies from the list through his or her contact network.

A good career advisor knows how to benefit from experience, combine stories, recognise similarities, notice nuances and differences. Writing the director's career in bullet points would end in a multi-page epic. It is worth looking for what distinguishes a candidate, what is different, because it was unusual in his or her career, unique, and on the other hand – consistent with What is more, the recruiter can call the needs of the client. the company from the list and offer infor­ In working with clients and candidates, mation that he or she knows, let's say, recruiters are obliged to ensure discre­ a very competent production director tion. Our actions are often confidential. who wants to work for them and recom­ We do not share knowledge about struc­ mends a meeting. While looking for tural changes in the organisation or about a job, it is important to remember that the CEO in the recruitment process, and LinkedIn is not Facebook, we are not there the trust that results from the quality to give likes and hearts. Social media is of service is of particular importance a simple, fast and effective way to spread here. The candidate often finds out who the desired information about oneself, the final employer is only when the client present oneself as an expert. LinkedIn is invites him or her to a meeting. It's a big supposed to help us join a new organ­ isation, and secondly – be up to date. challenge for both parties.

We are aware of what happens in these RECRUITMENT PROCESS companies, what they are proud about, STEP-BY-STEP what projects they run, what partners and We start with a meeting during which competition they have, etc. In a nutshell, we try to get to know and understand LinkedIn's profile allows us to achieve the candidate as a person, as well one of the most significant business as the individual stages of his or her goals which is to constantly expand career. We ask many questions, building our knowledge. a network of competences and key achievements together, but, most A good top manager is not closed importantly, we listen. This is a very in his or her own world, but he or she important, and not always obvious, knows the market, the competition, skill. We make sure to have enough time what happens in the industry, what are for the meeting, because we are really the trends, challenges, in order to respond interested in what our potential busi­ in advance to the needs of his or her ness partner has to say to us, and then organisation, as well as to present himself we move on to set out a specific action or herself as a high-class expert during plan. The candidate must know which the recruitment process.

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CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

"When the student is ready, the master will appear”. It's fortunate – both in busi­ ness and privately – to meet a master on one' s career path, who will give feed­ back at the right moment, offer advice on how to manage a project or our own development and career path. If he or she can additionally put it in appro­ priate words so that they become a sign­ post, a quote evoked in difficult or key moments, it is a great value. It is reflected in building a good and strong internal motivation that is consistent with market opportunities and conditions. If motiva­ tion and self-confidence are consistent with the company, its mission, place in the market, it is a sign that one is in the right place.

TRENDS IN HIRING MANAGERS More information about the career path of top managers, records of interviews with seven managers who share their experience, and salary rates for nearly 100 managerial positions, broken down by specialisations and locations, can be found in the "Directors and the labour market" ("Dyrektor na rynku pracy") report published

by Wyser Polska.

We encourage you to read the full text at: https://pl.wyser-search.com/raportwyser-dyrektor-na-rynku-pracy/

By observing the changes in the labour market, one can venture to say that devel­ opment, broadening of competences and increasing the scope of responsi­ bility are what's most important. It is also crucial to be ready to accept these new responsibilities and challenges.

A good leader is not someone who is closed and short-sighted, but who looks broadly at the market, at the compe­ tition, at the partners, at his or her own organisation.

FROM A YOUNG WOLF TO A SENIOR MANAGER Healthy motivation and self-awareness, one's strengths and weaknesses are the key components of a manager's devel­ opment and career. Younger people, often very well educated, even with experience, employed in high positions, believe that they can do anything, that they can face any challenge. Their big ego sometimes destroys their potential, and – as some say – at the end of the day they usually stay with a bad business decision, a costly mistake, a wrong choice based only on the prestige of the position, and not on real, substantive values. This brings us to the concept of leadership, being a leader and a mentor. As the saying goes:

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Self-awareness, values, one's strengths, knowledge of what motivates and drives one' s business – all that often comes with age. Sometimes people with many years of experience want to share knowledge, undertake projects that pursue higher goals related to a social mission. They have more time because, for example, their children already left home for college. They want to benefit from what they have already worked out, take credit, or share their experience and develop the next generations, and if they do not have such opportunities in their company, the sense of mission will lead them to a recruiter. When they cease to influence the development of the organisation, people and teams, because the company's policy changes, and they do not like it, or the structure is frozen or downsized and they need more space to operate, they want to change something in their professional life.

Knowing the value of exchange of expe­ riences and knowledge is an important factor in building managerial satisfac­ tion. It is important to employ people who can teach us something new. This is the value of being a leader who can surround himself or herself with people who are better than him or her and who will allow him or her to develop as well. Author:

Paweł Prociak, Business Director, Wyser Polska

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

EMPLOYEE’S MARKET OR EMPLOYER’S MARKET? Over the last several years, we have grown accustomed to regular announcements by the Polish Central Statistical Office regarding the falling registered unemployment rate, which is currently the lowest it has been since 1990.

The media, both of the traditional and social variety, report that qualified employees are becoming increasingly difficult to find. We are bombarded with recruitment ads not only on dedi­ cated websites, but also in many other areas of everyday life: in shops, on public transport, billboards and television.

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Employers compete to see who can offer the best benefit package. The average salary has also been on a steady incline.

At first glance, this may suggest that we are indeed dealing with an employee’s market. Upon closer inspection, however, this is not comprehensive enough a description of the Polish job market.

WHERE ARE WE DEALING WITH AN EMPLOYMENT DEFICIT? As always, the largest deficit can be found in the IT industry. According to various estimates, Poland needs nearly fifty thousand programmers – in compar­ ison, Europe as a whole will soon need more than a million of them.

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

However, employment deficits affect other sectors as well, including constru­ ction, services, logistics and industry.

The lack of employees can be felt on all levels, but is particularly troubling at the shop floor level and among mid-level specialists. Businesses wanting to increase production are hard-pressed to find experienced machine opera­ tors, electricians and mechanics to keep their plants running. The development of the SSC and BPO sectors is an oppor­ tunity for a large group of young people, mostly university graduates, to find work.

Job offers are in large supply in many regions, which encourages employees to look for a new job and increases staff rotation. Attempts to fill the employment gap with immigrants are ultimately futile as they are fraught with procedural diffi­ culties, and also due to the fact that most immigrants can stay in Poland for only a limited period.

CONSEQUENCES OF JOB MARKET CHANGES The causes of this state of affairs are numerous: demographics, ageing society, rapidly growing economy, government social programmes, new foreign invest­ ments, education which does not meet

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

market needs and the arrival of Gene­ ration Y on the job market. However, we should take a moment to think about one of the results, that is the changing approach to nearly all HR processes in companies. Recruitment is becoming less about headhunters racing with one another and is now more akin to selling a product: recruiters now not only have to verify candidates’ skills and level of engagement, but also build a rela­ tionship based on trust. Artificial intel­ ligence and machine learning are no longer only confined to science fiction books, and have already become a fixed part of the HR sector. Employer branding experts communicate using the most popular media, tailoring their message to their target audience. Advanced onboarding activities make it possible to not only quickly implement new tasks, but also increase employee retention, particularly in the case of large-scale recruitment projects. Employment condi­ tions are becoming more flexible, allowing for different forms of work, including the increasingly popular remote work.

The declarative values of businesses are no longer just ink on a poster, and are actually being adhered to in real life. Is this the case everywhere, however?

UNEMPLOYMENT IS STILL AN ISSUE The job market changes the fast­­est in large cities, where labour is in the largest supply. Large industry hubs are similar in this regard, as increasing production results in a natural increase in employment. Process automation is often very costly, forcing small and medi­ um-sized enterprises to compete for employees. However, a quick look at offi­ cial data is enough to realise that the low employment rates in highly urbanised and industrialised areas stand in stark contrast to other regions. The regis­ tered unemployment rate in Poland was 5.4% in July 2019, but in certain counties, that number was three to four times higher (Szydłowiec – 22.4%, Przy­ sucha – 17.7%, Łobez – 18.6%, Barto­ szyce – 16.4%). This large geographic discrepancy in unemployment rates between regions poses a heavy chal­ lenge for the government, but is also an opportunity for potential inves­ tors, who could certainly benefit from the large untapped supply of labour.

The still-low domestic mobility of Poles can, paradoxically enough, be an asset in the case of areas which have so far been ignored by major investors.

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Except IT indistry, employment deficits affect other sectors as well, including constru­ction, services, logistics and industry.

Geographic distribution is not the only distinctive feature of unemployment in Poland, with demographics being another key factor at play here. The unem­ ployment rate among those under 24 years of age is twice as high (10.4%) as the national average. Even though it has been declining, it is still a clear indica­ tion that finding a first job is difficult. While the abundance of internship programmes dedicated for graduates does make it a lot easier to start a career, it does nothing to bridge the chasm between the skills offered by the education system and employer expectations. Those nearing retirement age may also find themselves in a difficult situation. Employers still believe in stereotypes according to which employees aged 50+ are less productive, preventing them from utilising their accu­ mulated experience. Laws prohibiting businesses from dismissing employees a few years before retirement also make finding a new job more difficult.

economy. This means that any claims according to which we are currently dealing with an employee’s market are unfounded. However, it cannot be denied that life has got signifi­ cantly easier for jobseekers, especially compared to several years ago. This applies primarily to those with unique skills, such as people who speak several foreign languages fluently or specialise in niche areas. The changing economy requires a totally different set of skills than in the past. Quick deci­ sion-making based on data analysis, comprehensive and creative solutions to problems, emotional intelligence and computer literacy have supplanted textbook knowledge and procedures.

Developing these skills is what will guaran­­tee employment in the future.

The current state of the job market poses a hefty challenge for employers, but it appears that businesses are ready to make the necessary changes.

EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS More flexible employment condi­ ON THE MODERN JOB MARKET tions and better work-life balance are The Polish job market has become incred­ their response to the expectations ibly diverse as a result of the shifting of the new generation of employees.

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Succession strategies make it possible to make use of the skills and knowl­ edge of more experienced employees.

Including all employees (not only the HR department) in employer branding processes increases credibility and helps increase the involvement of entire teams. The develop­ment of recruitment process outsourcing services offered by specialised providers can be a great help in achieving recruitment goals.

The job market will continue to shift and change, but both employers and employees are capable of adapting.

Author:

Damian Kurkowiak, Recruitment Manager RPO, Kelly Services

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

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CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

WHY EMPLOYEES LEAVE BEFORE THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR OF WORK The SSC/BPO industry is one of the industries that is most at risk from the outflow of employees – as indicated in the second edition of the report on "Voluntary attrition of employees in Poland", developed by Antal, Asseco Business Solutions and the Nowy Styl Group. At the same time, the latest ABSL report shows that 85% of companies in this industry plan to increase employment within the next year.1 https://absl.pl/pl/sektor-uslug-biznesowych-w-polsce-rosnie-ilosciowo-i-jakosciowo

1

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Among the areas with a high risk of turnover in teams are, among others, consulting companies and law firms as well as industrial production and logis­ tics. Antal experts point out that while frequent change of employees is a natural phenomenon in law firms, in the SSC/BPO industry keeping staff and increasing employment are a business priority.

of employees on the market. Only those organizations that take measures to increase their value as employers will be able to stay on the market and provide products of the highest quality – says Renata Łukasik, ERP Production Director at Asseco Business Solutions.

the organization and methods to coun­ teract this phenomenon, it is worth looking at the management model used.

In the traditional, hierarchical model, employees naturally focus more on their relationship with immediate superiors.

"People come to the company but leave the boss." A good manager knows his or her team, knows how to work with them, motivate and integrate his or her employees. The task of the manage­ ment in the organization, but above all the specific boss responsible for his or her team, is to manage factors that are indicated by people who decide to change jobs. This task is extremely

As Antal experts point out, frequent changes in the place of employment – We estimate that the cost of leaving by employees in industrial production of a regular employee after 3 months can and logistics mainly concern lowerbe as much as PLN 100,000. It is not only ranking people, who are easily tempted the price of recruiting and implementing by the offer of even a small increase a new person, but often the suspension in remuneration or slightly better or extension of projects while finding working conditions. a replacement. It turns out that voluntary attrition is becoming one of the key business indicators affecting the company's healthy The report on "Voluntary employee attrition economy. Therefore, controlling such turnin Poland" was created in cooperation with Antal, Asseco Business Solutions and the Nowy Styl overs – attrition management2 is not only Group, based on Antal Market Research among a challenge facing HR departments, but also 387 companies employing a total of almost every manager – says Artur Skiba, Presi­ 200,000 employees. The survey was carried out using the CAWI method in the second dent of Antal. quarter of 2019.

WE CHANGE JOBS MORE OFTEN AND FASTER The voluntary attrition ratio, average for the entire market, has increased since 2016 from 11% to 16%. The change can be observed in each of the surveyed sectors, but the largest can be seen in SSC/BPO – an increase of 10 pp up to 20% as well as consulting and law firms – an increase of 9 pp up to 21%.

Antal analysis shows that employees in SSC/BPO receive up to ten job offers per year. This is one of the most dynamic business areas in Poland, the demand for employees is high here, and thus competitiveness increases. In consulting and law firms, employee turnover mainly affects young people just starting work, who thoroughly research the market.

They frequently work for several months in 2–3 companies to have a good compa­ ri­son before the final choice of the place where they decide to further develop their careers. Industrial production and logis­ tics, as well as IT and telecommunications are among the industries that are particu­ larly disturbed by departing employees.

The report is available at the following link: https://en.antal.pl/insights/report/attrition-inpoland-2019

SOME EMPLOYERS HAVE IT EASIER difficult because each team member can

Industries in which employee turnover was lower than average were construc­ tion, power industry, banking and insu­ rance, pharmacy and medical equipment as well as FMCG and retail – here the attri­ tion ratio was less than 16%. However, – In the case of IT, competition for also employers running such businesses employees is not limited to direct competi- must be on their guard – each of them tion in one area of the market, but applies shows an increase in employee turnover to many industries that snatch the best compared to last year. specialists. This will intensify demographic changes that will reduce the availability A GOOD BOSS AS A PANACEA FOR ATTRITION INDICATOR – the number of employees who left the organization during one year / full number of employees during one year * 100.

2

Outsourcing&More | November–December 2019

attach importance to a different factor defining job satisfaction. For some, it will be a salary, for others it will be a worklife balance. A manager is a person whose task is to get to know the team and the employees' ambitions well. A good leader must combine the personal goals of the people in his or her teams with the goals of the company. Author:

THE OUTFLOW OF EMPLOYEES Looking for the main reasons for t h e i n c­­ re a s e i n a t t r i t i o n i n s i d e

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