PIVARA SKOPJE INTRODUCES FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS AND A HYBRID WORKING MODEL FOR ITS EMPLOYEES IN THE LONG RUN

What was your motivation for introducing flexible working hours in the long run?

At the beginning of 2020, when we faced the threat of the new and unknown virus COVID-19, our initial instinct and reaction as a company was of course to protect our people, to preserve their health and safety, but also to ensure continuity of work. So, we immediately took a series of measures to protect our people, and one of them is to provide work from home for those jobs for which the nature of the work allows it. We immediately made sure that our colleagues had all the technical conditions for the smooth performance of work responsibilities from home. All our employees have a laptop for work, and we have provided them with additional equipment such as monitors, headphones, office chairs, additional Internet etc.

Although we did not close the doors of our offices to our colleagues at any time, for the entire duration of the pandemic we provided full flexibility for employees to decide from which location they feel safest and most comfortable to perform their daily responsibilities. Of course, as the severity of the pandemic and the number of people infected with the virus changed, so did the number of employees working from home, ie from the office, varied and changed. We made sure to apply all possible measures against the virus while the employees are physically in the office and from today’s perspective we are happy to say that for the entire duration of the pandemic we had zero transmissions of the virus in Pivara Skopje.

After 2 years of this way of working, we realized that the place of work has no impact on the performance of employees and their productivity. We also found that enabling flexibility in scheduling work and flexibility to combine office work and work from home had a positive effect on employee well-being, satisfaction and engagement, and above all enabled them to achieve a better work-life balance. Given these benefits, it was easy to decide that we would not go back to the previous way of organizing work, and this would grow into a lasting benefit for our organization.

What benefits for employees and the company do you expect from this model of work?

We have been testing this model of work for 2 years now. Our company values of building trust and partnership with our employees have provided us with a favorable climate enough to trust each other that we are all responsible, committed, motivated people and we have shown that not always someone needs to be physically present to get the job done with the best possible quality and on time.

The very fact that our people know that they have the flexibility, have the choice of how to organize their professional and private time contributes to reducing stress levels, increasing well-being and improving the balance between private and professional life. For us as a company, it means happier, more satisfied employees, and that means increasing the sense of belonging to the organization, increased motivation, productivity, etc.

Additionally, the introduction of this model of work coincided with the opening of our new office space, a space that is open, encourages cooperation, exchange of ideas, experiences and creativity. So we found that our people and teams prefer to come to the office when they need to work together on a project, when they need to be creative, to exchange ideas and opinions. They come to socialize, engage and collaborate. When they need to have a calmer work environment or need to combine some private responsibilities during the day, they prefer to work from home.

Does flexible working change the number of working hours and working days?

Flexible work only implies a different model of work organization, but does not change the number of working hours and days. However, it is good to point out that the Flexible Operations Policy that we have created gives enough freedom to employees and teams to create their own working time and rhythm. As I mentioned before, we are guided by the principle of trust that the work will be done, the results and the quality are important, not the control of how much time someone has spent in the workplace.

What was the feedback from the employees after you informed them of this decision?

Our decision did not come overnight. What we did know was that we wanted to formalize the way we functioned over the past two years. For that purpose, we formed a project team composed of colleagues from all sectors in the company in order to see the needs and opinions of all employees. Additionally, on two occasions we conducted an Employee Opinion Survey on flexible working in order to see their views and preferences on how the work is organized. Based on this insight, the project team proposed the 50/50 model, ie half the time working from home, half the time from the office. Of course, teams have complete freedom to find the model that suits them best.

“Where I work” was just one aspect of this project. What we also took into account is that with the introduction of the hybrid work model, the way we communicate and collaborate has changed, so we made sure to create a detailed guide for organizing meetings and trips. When organizing meetings, workshops and workshops, the Policy for Flexible Working is always taken into account, and accordingly, all meetings should take into account the hybrid model, ie providing a way for colleagues from work to participate smoothly.

You are among the first companies in Macedonia to introduce such a model of work. Do you think that you will be an example for others and in the future this practice will be followed by other companies in our country?

I sincerely hope that other companies will recognize the benefits of this way of working and will adapt their policies and practices as soon as possible. The feeling that I as an employee have a choice of where to work, I know that I can adjust the beginning and end of my working hours and I know that my company has an understanding of my private life, circumstances and needs, for me it is a benefit and added value that can not be measured and quantified.

As Director of the Department for People and Culture in Pivara AD Skopje, tell us something more about the culture in your company. What is it that future prospective employees should know and expect from Pivara Skopje as an employer?

Pivara Skopje is a company with 100 years of tradition and history, but at the same time it is a company that is a leader in innovation and introduction of new products, technologies, ways of working and standards. By building partnerships with our customers, consumers, associates, employees and the public we create growth and contribute to their well-being.

We are a sales-oriented company and what leads us is to achieve sales excellence and the way we win along with our customers. By creating an environment of trust and mutual support, our employees have the opportunity to constantly learn and develop. We firmly believe that every single employee should work on themselves and their own professional and personal development, and we strive to provide as many opportunities for that as possible. We are what we are and have been for 100 years thanks to our constant desire to learn, innovative spirit, adapting and changing accordingly to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. But Pivarci would not be Pivarci without one secret ingredient of success, and that is that above all we build together and know how to have fun!