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Human Capital: Education and Labor

May science never be silenced

(by Pavol Šajgalík)

It is hard to imagine the progress and wellbeing of a society without science and culture. Cultivated societies support both. The third partner is education. The slogan of the Slovak Academy of Sciences “Science is the future” reflects my opinion on its importance. To build up a well-developed society we are obliged, step-by-step, even when the steps are almost invisible, to improve the quality of research and education on a daily basis.

Making the connections between work and life

(by Stavros Ntogiakos, Nima Motazed)

Success comes at a price. Business leaders face difficult decisions regarding demands on their time on daily basis. The responsibility towards their families and their employees makes them carefully consider each minute of their day. We want to know how they like to spend their time out of work, what inspires them and motivates them.

Higher flexibility in our working models is closer than ever

(by Martin Džbor, Katarína Miklošová, Alena Rondosova )

A journey of DT IT Solutions Slovakia towards post-pandemic hybrid workplace and culture

The ongoing pandemic has confronted companies worldwide and in Slovakia with new challenges over the past months. To maintain productivity and effectiveness, a quick adoption of remote working was one of the first decisions taken by company boards. In autumn some sectors have returned to a usual routine but many employees in the Business and IT Services sector are still working from home. And… are likely to do so for some time to come.
 

Facing the pandemic and preparing for the ‘new normal’

(by Zuzana Guller, Sandra Balazikova, Ivan Tomko, Lea Bodnarova)

HR departments were forced to cope with the unprecedented effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic in a very short amount of time. Changing established work processes and trying to come up with viable immediate solutions as well as a working long term strategy has been a uniquely challenging task. Experts from some of AmCham member companies share their experience below.

Challenges for HR development in a “New Normal“

(by Peter Benkovič)

A New Normal when the pandemic is over is an excellent opportunity to implement changes we were afraid to implement years ago, lazy to carried out with the excuse “not urgent enough” or that simply  haven’t crossed our minds. Below are three challenges for HR. 

Upskilling & reskilling for the future

(by Tatiana Hargasova, Lygia Fullbrook)

The workforce is set to change dramatically over the next two years. KPMG´s latest surveys show that if organizations want to become more resilient, they need to invest in Upskilling and Re-Skilling in the remote learning environment.

Don’t overlook in-house talent

(by Andrea Vančíková)

Capable employees are definitely the cornerstone of a company`s success.  The problem is that many company leaders fail to identify real talent. What is even worse, in times of crisis, the majority tends to reduce the number of employees without assessing the potential of the individuals or asking for their input in innovatively improving their work. 

The future of education starts now

(by Marcela Havrilová, Renáta Hall, Beáta Brestenská, Frantisek Jakab, Michael Cresswell)

The Covid-19 pandemic shut down schools and left kids at home. Both kids and teachers had to adapt to an online form of instruction and it has proved to be a challenge for both. However, this unprecedented situation has also created an opportunity for a deeper transformation of the education system, which would reflect the needs of modern society and the future labor market better. Will this potential be fulfilled? We approached four education experts with a single question: 

Learning and development programs as a part of strategic management

(by Dalibor Hajči)

HR specialists and Learning & Development (L&D) departments are currently undergoing a transformation process, assuming more responsibilities and taking on new roles beyond the scope of usual processes. These new roles mainly concern participation in business activities as such, as well as coming up with solutions in order to be as close to the area of operation of the company and the firm’s customers as possible. 

The time to start corporate education is now

(by Zuzana Legenová, Mária Duffeková)

Corporate education is paramount for the healthy running of a company. Whether it be new employees who are undergoing initial training, or senior staff who already possess the knowledge and the skills, their further development is beneficial for the corporation. While in the midst of current regulations and restrictions corporate education might seem impossible, the opposite is true. There has never been a better time to invest into your staff’s training.

The Myth of Vocational Education

(by Tibor Lorincz (TB))

In the life of an economist, there are some ideas that superficially sound reasonable, but where the reality is much more nuanced and complicated (“taxes always decrease economic activity”, “deficits are bad”, “benefits should be means tested”). But sometimes, one comes across an idea that seems reasonable, but is, in fact, wrong. Because it seems reasonable, it continues to pop up.

Steps to building inclusive culture

(by Lucia Skrakova)

During these difficult times, keeping good mental health could be challenging. We are now focused more than ever on supporting our colleagues in the middle of a pandemic that has already changed the way we work. Moreover, mental health initiatives in the workplace can be a good foundation for building the long-term inclusive culture.

Charging against the transactional mind

(by Juraj Barus, Michal Guštafík)

Clarios Slovakia, Bratislava’s backbone of the global battery producer, strives to revolutionize how shared services centers operate and treat their clients. This conversation with Juraj Barus, Global Director of Clarios Finance Shared Service Centers and Michal Guštafík, Senior Transformation Manager at Clarios Slovakia, describes their vision of a modern business center and its core values.

20 years of experience to back excellent services in the future

(by Martin Hrnko)

QBSW celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020, a more-than-respectable achievement given the rapidly evolving field of software development. During its first two decades, QBSW has prioritised innovation, quality, and reliability, and this strategy has paid off. Martin Hrnko, the company’s CEO, outlines the biggest challenges the company has faced as well as its plans for the future.

The Labor Code and its impact on Slovakia´s competiveness

(by Rastislav Masnyk, Ivana Vaculčiaková)

The pandemic situation in Slovakia caused by COVID-19 resulted in some changes in the legal order of the Slovak Republic. These involved amendments to the Labor Code, which is the fundamental code of rights and duties of employers, employees and their representatives. The Labor Code is also one of the essential legal regulations forming a framework for the quality of the business environment.   

Is the Labor Code ready for a hybrid work model?

(by Soňa Hanková, Terézia Rusnáková)

Since the onset of the corona crisis, legal regulation of remote working has drawn attention of employers more than ever before. The onsite working settings changed to remote from one day to another. Lawmakers responded immediately by new Labor Code provisions in April 2020 and by working on an amendment to the Labor Code which is planned to come into effect in March 2021.

Turning Slovakia’s brain drain into brain gain

(by Martin Maštalír)

In recent years, brain drain has become a very topical issue in Slovakia, exemplified mainly through students who leave Slovakia to study abroad. However, media coverage revealed that it was a larger and more complex topic and helped to draw attention to it. 

Key role of digital competencies in transforming our education system

(by Alena Kanabová)

How can we help younger generations to thrive in the digital age? We need an education system that responds to the most essential demands of the labor market of the future, based on a dialogue between representatives of public, business and non-profit sector. Development of digital skills at schools is a bright example.