Outsourcing&More #54 September-October 2020

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No. 5 (54) | September–October 2020 ISSN 2083-8867 PRICE EUR 6 (INCL. 8% VAT)

Bring your phone closer and watch the movie

WE CAN BE PROUD OF OURSELVES – WE MET THE CHALLENGES Interview with Krzysztof Misiak, Head of Office Agency in Poland, Cushman & Wakefield | page 34 BUSINESS:

BUSINESS:

INVESTMENTS:

6 things office safety depends on |page 18

Generations or human beings? |page 20

Events industry 2020 from the comfort of your home: IT Arena goes online |page 46

PEOPLE ARE THE KEY TO BUILDING SUCCESSFUL ORGANIZATIONS Recruit the valuable talent for your company with Michael Page

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Our network of international offices and contacts gives our clients access to the right candidates, globally. How do we do this? By building partnerships with clients like you, helping your company recruit the right talent – and by helping professionals reach their potential.

IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT… how to find the right professionals for your company? how to recruit remotely? how to onboard new employees effectively? how to manage a team at a distance?

Visit our website and learn some valuable tips on recruiting and team management: www.michaelpage.pl/

GET IN TOUCH WITH US

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INTRODUCTION

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Editor-in-chief Dymitr Doktór dymitr.doktor@proprogressio.pl Managing editor Katarzyna Czylok-Dąbrowska katarzyna.czylok@proprogressio.pl DTP Iwona Nowakowska Advertising reklama@proprogressio.pl Published by PRO PROGRESSIO NOTE: new editorial office address ul. Dziekońskiego 1 00-728 Warszawa www.proprogressio.pl

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Partners

Dear Readers, It is my great pleasure to present you the September–October issue of the Outsourcing&More Magazine. Europe and the rest of the world are still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic and the business realities this year are different from those we have become used to in previous years. However, this does not change the fact that the business services sector is systematically developing and adapting to new challenges.

By following the events in the world on an ongoing basis, new opportunities arise in terms of migrating BSS investments from Belarus to Poland, optimization of virtual team management processes and the development of flexible office spaces.

According to many industry experts, these three trends will be among the main topics of business talks in the BSS world.

We will keep you informed about any significant changes in those areas on our platform, which is OutsourcingPortal.eu.

Outsourcing&More has undergone changes in its virtual image at the beginning of September 2020. I invite you to the brand new website www.outsourcingandmore.eu, where you can read Outsourcing&More online, as well as easily access all archival editions of our Magazine.

In the meantime, enjoy reading the current issue, in which we present dozens of articles, interviews and other publications straight from the world of business services.

Dymitr Doktór Editor in Chief

Authors: Marcin Witkowski • Małgorzata Morańska • Agata Swornowska • Magdalena Kogut-Czarkowska • Marcin Fiałka • Emilia Blutko • Magdalena Bugajska • Anna Długaszewska • Emilia Adamowicz • Krzysztof Misiak • Elias van Herwaarden • Mariia Poliova • Laimonas Davalis • Anna Mielczarek • Bartosz Wojtasiak • Łukasz Goś • Piotr Bucki • Izabela Urbanelis

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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INDEX

6 8 10 14 16 18 20 24 28 34 40 44 4

BUSINESS NEWS

Remote meetings of authorities in capital companies The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every area of our lives.

Heart to heart Hospital wards are full of patients fighting the diseases which, regrettably, continue to haunt us as the most common causes of death: the cardiovascular diseases.

The world is waking after a viral apathy And changed circumstances present new opportunities.

“Employee Zero”. How to react to a suspicion of COVID-19 at the office?

The state of the epidemic forced a large number of companies to switch to remote work, thus reducing contacts between employees to a minimum.

6 things office safety depends on The last couple of weeks saw us redouble our efforts at Nowy Styl.

Generations or human beings?

Being aware of natural richness of diversity, it is getting the most from it.

Why learning Organizations always win.

Bjornberg1781’s ambition is to provide the best possible service to our customers Interview with Anna Długaszewska, President of the Board, Bjornberg1781.

SSC

Turning threat into an opportunity – a story of Carlsberg Shared Services Interview with Emilia Adamowicz, Service Develop­­ment Director, Carlsberg Shared Services.

MAIN INTERVIEW We can be proud of ourselves – we met the challenges Interview with Krzysztof Misiak, Head of Office Agency in Poland, Cushman & Wakefield.

INVESTMENTS NEWS

Death-of-Distance 3.0 Solving talent scarcity for the Business Services Sector?

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

46 48 50 52 56 60 62 66 68 72 76 78 82 Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Events industry 2020 from the comfort of your home: IT Arena goes online The global events industry has seen events either closed, rescheduled, or gone virtual.

Lithuania: riding the wave of KYC/AML growth As money laundering schemes become increasingly more complex and sophisticated, financial institutions find themselves faced with a number of issues.

Cain International and White Star Real Estate start construction on 100,000 sq m Kraków Office Park The development will comprise eight buildings.

Specialisation, space, quality of life Bydgoszcz attracts investments from the BPO/SSC industry

The second life of Łódź factories A city within a city. With restaurants, a bakery, theatre, art gallery and museum.

If remotely based then only in Kielce. A city open to new!

Until recently, none of us was able to imagine what the world might look like in the face of an epidemic threat.

Catch the balance in Częstochowa Being forced to stay at home and slowing down showed us how much the balance between work and personal life was disturbed in most households.

The Laundromat The financial sector has been one of the strongest pillars of the 3cITy Business Services Sector.

How did the business in Poznań deal with the crisis?

We have asked Poznań companies from the modern services industry, how they worked through the mandatory office closure and what lessons they learned from this period.

Lublin closer, quicker and safer than ever Proper connectivity means shorter delivery times and lower costs of approaching customers.

HR NEWS Body leasing: what is it, for whom, and why?

Perhaps you didn’t need it. But this may change any time as body leasing, or outsourcing of specialists, is becoming more and more popular.

I’m closer to people now Interview with Izabela Urbanelis, HR Director, Lionbridge Polska.

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BUSINESS NEWS POLAND IS A EUROPEAN AVERAGE IN TERMS OF EASE OF DOING BUSINESS Poland is ranked 14 th in Europe and 34th in world among the countries with the most complex business regulations, according to the latest report prepared

by TMF Group, a global business services company for companies operating locally and internationally. The most difficult to do business in Europe is in Greece, and the easiest is in Denmark.

In the report titled Global Business Complexity Index 2020, TMF Group's

experts compared the main country requirements within 77 jurisdictions around the world for administrative and regulatory compliance for entrepreneurs planning to do business in the selected markets. Although, the results are not directly comparable due to slight changes to the report’s methodology, Poland has almost certainly become relatively simpler in compared to both European and global countries in the past twelve months. Unfortunately, the company's experts argue that these changes do not result from introducing more business-friendly regulations.

has high entry barriers, which forces investors to cooperate closely with local partners, who move freely in terms of national regulations – Joanna Romańczuk, Managing Director of TMF Group in Poland.

In Europe it is easiest to do business in Denmark, Holland, Ireland, Switzerland and Malta. In Greece, on the other hand, where TMF Group experts estimate that around 70 new tax regulations are introduced every year and during the tax year.

Just behind Greece are Turkey, France, Croatia and Belgium. Among our immediate neighbours, it is easier to run a company in Ukraine, the Czech – Companies from abroad wanting to start Republic and Germany, and more diffiup in Poland are invariably facing great cult in Slovakia or Russia. challenges. All corporate documents must be completed in Polish, and it can take a very long time to set up a company for entities whose parent companies are located You can outside Poland. Such factors cause that such download an important European market as Poland the report here:

TOTAL VALUE OF UNICORN EXITS HIT $1.28TRN IN 2020 In the world of venture capital, unicorns are companies valued at more than one billion US dollars or more. If such a company goes public (IPO) or is acquired, it is no longer referred to as a unicorn.

According to data gathered by ForexSchoolOnline, the combined value of unicorn exits reached $1.28trn in 2020.

With a valuation of $238bn at the point of IPO, the Chinese eCommerce, retail, and tech giant, Alibaba, represents the largest unicorn exit in the world.

In 2014, ten unicorn companies had a successful initial public offering, revealed Statista data. Another four companies were acquired, with the total value of unicorn exits reaching $327.4bn

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that year. After a slight fall in the number of unicorn exits in the next two years, 2017 witnessed 17 unicorn IPOs and five acquisitions with a total value of $96.15bn.

Statistics show the number of unicorn exits peaked in 2018, with 40 initial public offerings and nine acquisitions worth $346.21bn. The upward trend continued in 2019, with a total of 38 unicorn exits worth $234.77bn. The CrunchBase data revealed that 2020 witnessed seven unicorn acquisitions and five IPOs with a total value of $49.1bn.

to large IPOs of tech giants like Alibaba and Facebook. Statistics show that Asia Pacific unicorn exits reached $588bn value as of this year. With $557.6bn in the total value of exits, North America ranked as the second-largest region. Europe follows with $88.6bn, respectively.

As the leading regions for unicorns, North America and the Asia Pacific had the highest number and value of unicorn exits as of 2020. This was primarily due

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

BUSINESS

REMOTE MEETINGS OF AUTHORITIES IN CAPITAL COMPANIES The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every area of our lives.

The bans and restrictions on movement and assembly introduced in connection with the pandemic have had a significant impact on the functioning of entrepreneurs, including capital companies.

FULL VERSION OF THE O&M IS AVAILABLE ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND PRO PROGRESSIO CLUB MEMBERS.

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Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Author:

Marcin Witkowski, Attorney at Law in the Law Firm “Chudzik i Wspólnicy Radcowie Prawni”sp.p. www.chudzik.pl

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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BUSINESS

HEART TO HEART Over the last few months, as people all over the world were stricken with worry over the imminent threat of COVID-19 and media reports from hospitals focused almost exclusively on infectious disease departments, other hospital wards were full of patients fighting the diseases which, regrettably, continue to haunt us as the most common causes of death: the cardiovascular diseases.

In Poland, in the male population, cardio­ vascular diseases (CVDs) are still a top cause of death among men aged 45+, and the share of CVD-related deaths goes up systematically with age.1 Among women aged 80+, CVDs are the most common cause of death, accounting for 59 percent of all deaths. Such distribution of deaths by main groups of causes in Poland has not changed for years.

Statistically, one in four people killed by a heart attack die before they are taken to hospital. Why is that? Because they https://www.mp.pl/pacjent/chorobawiencowa/ aktualnosci/217765,zadbaj-o-swoje-serce 2017 report.

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waited too long before they decided to seek help. In Poland, about 2.5 hours pass between the first symptoms of the heart attack and medical aid. For comparison: on average, it takes about an hour for an ambulance to bring a heart attack patient to hospital. Sadly, the number of heart attack cases in Poland increased by 8% in the last five years, and men outnumber women in the statistics.

infarction are less frequent in young (under 55 years of age) and very young women (under 40 years of age), as compared to men of the same age. Unfortunately, women often suffer from other cardiovascular problems, for example a stroke, which is reported every 8 seconds, on average, in Poland.2

In the case of a hemorrhagic stroke, mortality rate is as high as 50 percent.

Women are naturally equipped with In the case of an ischaemic stroke the hormones that protect them from (80% of all stroke cases), 45 percent heart attacks – the estrogens. That of the patients have a disability and need is the reason why atherosclerosis assistance in the activities of daily living. of the coronary arteries and myocardial 2 https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6Wrb4q57ElY

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

WHAT STARTS WITH TEARS ENDS WITH TEARS? We have all heard about cardiovascular diseases, almost everyone has a relative or a friend with a CDV. A study commissioned by Unum Życie TUiR S.A. has shown that 37 percent of Poles are concerned about the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Awareness is one thing, but the lifestyle we succumb to, even though we should know better, is another thing.

the purchase of equipment necessary for convalescence and home adaptation to the needs of a person after a stroke or heart attack. Financial hardship and forced resignation from some aspects of effective medical treatment add to the stress, and we all know that peace of mind is essential for a patient during convalescence.

This can help us keep the heart attack at bay, and it can also give us a sense of control over the course of our life and over our health. The heart will certainly pay us back with the currency of fitness, good blood pressure, and better condition – physically and mentally. A sound mind in a sound body, as they say. As a next step, medical consultation is due.

Obesity, prolonged stress, tobacco smoking, sedentary lifestyle, bad sleeping A study commissioned by Unum Życie TUiR S.A. has shown that habits, unhealthy and fatty diet, alcohol 37 percent of Poles are concerned about the risk of cardiovascular abuse – that is the list of the most serious diseases. Awareness is one thing, but the lifestyle we succumb to, sins for which we will have to pay in our even though we should know better, is another thing. own health. The list continues with aversion to regular health check-ups and cholesterol tests, fitness and physical activity... paving the way for atheroscle- Luckily, these gloomy prospects need not – For full diagnostics, I would suggest rosis, heart attack or stroke. be materialized. A lot depends on our atti- a three-stage cycle of complementary tests tude and actions. and examinations. First, patient’s medical As our health deteriorates, we face grave history should be taken. It is a detailed consequences, extremely costly for us and FUTURE IN OUR HANDS and exhaustive fact-finding interview that our loved ones: loss of a job or ability to Even a small change in our daily habits helps determine the nature of the health work, resulting in a loss of the source and routines can bring us closer to problem and the dynamics of the sympof income. Especially now, when access a healthy lifestyle. For a start, we should: toms. It is necessary to differentiate between to health care is more difficult than • Cut down on sugar, caffeine, alcohol, the causes of specific symptoms, assess usually, patients may find it hard to make • Eat low-fat meals, vegetables, fruit, fish, the risk of family prevalence, and the risk an appointment and get their medical lean meat, of a hereditary cardiovascular disease. Based tests done. This can be the reason why we • Go for long walks and take up outdoor on the conclusions from the patient’s medical search for alternatives in a private healthhistory, a decision on additional tests and activities, care facility, which entails additional • Gradually increase the rate of physical examinations can be taken (e.g., ECG (elecexpenses. And as the budgets get tighter, activity, in line with the signals sent trocardiogram), echocardiography, exercise we may not be able to pay for all the drugs by our body, which will surely appre- test). Then, a physical examination should prescribed by a physician... which creates ciate such a change in lifestyle, be performed, covering – in its basic scope something of a vicious circle. When • Get enough sleep, – the assessment of the vital para­meters we lose our source of income, we are • Find time for relaxation and good rest, – says Mariusz Kujawski, MD, Cardio­more likely to give up rehabilitation or logy and Echocardiography Consultant. keeping stress to the minimum.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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BUSINESS

The assessment of vital signs can be done as part of self-examination. It is nothing more than a regular measurement of weight, waist circumference, BMI (body mass index), blood pressure measurement (importantly: on both arms – the acceptable difference in systolic blood pressure is 20 mmHh). To take the measu­ rement correctly, the person should be in a peaceful and quiet environment, after at least a few minutes of rest, a period of calm after stress or physical effort.

Other important vital parameters include: heart rate (HR), saturation – the degree of haemoglobin saturation with oxygen.

It is also important to verify that the ankles and the lower legs are not swollen.

quickly administer effective treatment, with minimized risk of cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction, stroke or sudden cardiac death.

WISE DECISIONS Apart from our physical wellbeing, we should also focus on our peace of mind and future financial security.

All the more so when we realize that saving for the future is not one of our top strengths in Poland. According to a study3 commissioned by Unum Życie, over 37 percent of the respon­dents had to stop working for a longer period due to health problems, and one in three, statistically, was disabled for 6-12 months. Respond-

Any health crisis can turn a family's life upside down and force the patient's loved ones to reorganise their lives. Fortunately, Assistance services (included in the insurance coverage) come to rescue.

They offer a 24-hour access to a helpline to arrange transportation to a hospital or a doctor, medical consultations, sophisticated examinations, even rehabilitation.

It is a useful alternative to public health services, especially when we look at the 2018 data, for example. In that year, 1.5 million people who had had a stroke were waiting for rehabilitation services (provided by the NHS). An insurance policy with Assistance services can relieve the patient and their relatives of this

Assistance services (included in the insurance coverage) come to rescue. They offer a 24-hour access to a helpline to arrange transportation to a hospital or a doctor, medical consultations, sophisticated examinations, even rehabilitation.

– Another key step a doctor will order is some additional examinations: peripheral blood count (with quantitative evaluation of blood cells, haemoglobin, platelets), the eGFR creatinine (estimated glomerular filtration rate of the kidneys), ionogram for the Na (sodium), K (potassium), Mg (magnesium), Ca (calcium), fasting glucose, glycated haemoglobin, liver enzymes (AspAT, AlAT), lipids (cholesterol fractions, e.g.: HDL, LDL and triglycerides), homocyste­­ine, uric acid, basic hormones (TSH, f T 3, f T 4), cortisol, testosterone.

For other tests: urinalysis. Additional imaging examinations: chest X-ray, ECG, echocardiogram, abdominal ultrasound – MD Mariusz Kujawski adds.

ents were asked about their savings in case of illness or accident. It urned out that 65 percent of the respondents had enough money set aside to help them get by for 3 months, at the maximum.

Only 15 percent had enough resources to keep them afloat for more than 6 months without income. Under the circumstances, what can we do, financially, to cover all the expenses generated by a health crisis?

We can buy an insurance policy, for example. Life insurance is basically a must in every family, but the market also offers cardiology riders. What is the benefit? In the event of a disease included in the coverage (such as stroke, heart attack, cardiomyopathy, primary The recommended frequency of examina- pulmonary hypertension, ascending aorta tions and tests depends on the patient’s aneurysm, among others), the insureds individual characteristics, but the rule are eligible for a monetary benefit that of thumb is: the greater the burden may be as high as PLN 500 000, to pay of disease and the risk factors indictive for the therapy. of cardiovascular complications, the more 3 An omnibus survey of a representative sample Poles aged 18+, N=970, based on the TAPI frequent the screening. This is the way to of technique, conducted by Ipsos on behalf identify the threat at an early stage and of Unum Życie, April 2019.

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burden, providing not only the funds, but also logistical support and coverage of the cost of examinations, nursing care, medical visits or rehabilitation.

Recently, we have all had a wake-up call in terms of health and security risks. Although not everything can be predicted, a lot is in our hands. Awareness makes a difference. We should take wise decisions to be prepared in emergency, and tackle the challenge with composure and effectiveness.

Author:

Małgorzata Morańska, press secretary, Unum Życie TUiR S.A.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

BUSINESS

THE WORLD IS WAKING AFTER A VIRAL APATHY And changed circumstances present new opportunities. Now is exactly the time to create a renewed sales and marketing strategy. Success will be guaranteed by one which uses effective tools of communication and reaches a wide range of clients. There is no reason to wait. A clear signal must be given to the market that the brand is not asleep, but shines and is fully operational.

A CHANGED PERCEPTION The existing target groups of clients categorized according to known and old guidelines are undergoing changes. It’s a challenge for marketing and communication specialists, but also for brands that must start taking into account global transformation not only at the economic level, but also mental and awareness level. The value of safety, health and relationships with loved ones has increased strongly. After the pandemic, customers respond differently to marketing stimuli due to a change of perception.

Image-focused activities as well as com­­ munication and promotional efforts are aimed at building awareness, strengthening positioning of the brand as a reliable and professional business partner and creating interest in its services and products. The marketing and sales process consists of a broad range of integrated communication tools used in stages. Hence, the right time and adjusted communication are the key to success.

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Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

NEW STRATEGIES New or updated strategies should assume the realization of services in another dimension and envisage transformations that are taking place in people. Downtime can be used to plan new actions and pursue them successively, so as to be able to restart. Flexibility and openness to innovation are necessary.

BUILDING AWARENESS

platforms was created. Now is the right moment to use online tools to keep in touch with the customer. He has more time to familiarize himself with the product, review it thoroughly, and to test it when ordering home. It is indeed necessary to use the power of social media, which is the key to action in the current situation. They are a source of information and promotion as well as a customer service and complaint tool. A key issue is one that relates to the circumstance – e.g. remote work, home exercises or leisure. This is Real Time Marketing. The content prepared by companies will be essential for potential customers, and creating valuable material is the main way to get leads online.

POSITIONING Each company should remember to position its brand, also in times of crisis.

Reducing the intensification of marketing efforts may give other companies the lead in the visibility rankings. Of importance are messages posted on websites, constant updating of the “blog” or “news” tabs and maintaining communication with target groups through social media or media relations activities.

Building brand awareness is the first stage in creating an image in the eyes of consumers. Properly selected creations THE KEY IS THE RIGHT PARTNER forming a coherent visual identification In order to effectively carry out the mar­­­­ will increase recognition, build credibility, keting and sales process, it is necessary establish positive associations and give to choose the right partner. ArteMis Creadirection to activities and communication tion Agency works with clients in the area and marketing messages. Brand awareness of comprehensive marketing and PR reflects its state in the minds of customers, MARKETING AND SALES PROCESS communication, continuing the successful which is why it is so important.

Measures focused on the interest, involve- execution of campaigns in various fields. ment and education of the recipient may We invite to cooperation all those who Tools for building brand awareness consist in creating blog articles, presenting need a partner to make strategic deciinclude: reports based on numerical data, presence sions, create and develop a business. in social media. Their aim is to transform • BRANDING – corporate identity Interesting and unique visual iden- the initial attention of the recipient into THE ROLE OF TRUST IS GROWING tification of the brand will remain in an interest in the brand. The presented The role of trust has increased. Now efforts the memory of recipients, permit easier content should encourage to make deci- must be made to build and develop company recognition and outperforming sions about establishing cooperation. it. The thinking patterns of customers, the competition.

• PUBLIC RELATIONS – image in the media and among target groups Building brand awareness is the first stage in creating an image in the eyes PR activities will allow brand positioning of consumers. Properly selected creations forming a coherent visual identification in the media, and thus reaching new will increase recognition, build credibility, establish positive associations and target groups. It is an opportunity to build give direction to activities and communication and marketing messages. a positive image by providing information about the company, products and services to the environment.

THE DECISION TO PURCHASE who are flooded with excessive amounts • VIDEO – film material A company video will allow to reach The stage at which the customer decides of information on the Internet, have a broad audience, and appropriate to purchase or start cooperation within more time and are spending it online, content (e.g. advertising, image) will the selected service is key to sales. Building is changing. This situation is unusual allow to communicate the brand’s value a well-informed community and estab- for everyone. In its activities, a brand and answer questions from potential lishing trust leads to a point where we can should first think of the good of the client customers. create personalized offers that align with and adjusting direct messages. The key • WEBSITE – professionally designed the marketing promise. Therefore, under- will be to activate those who have so far business card as a web page standing the entire process of marketing only used the offline offer. They should A professional web page will build and sales activities and their proper reali- feel that they are getting something an image and provide recipients with zation leads to success. It should be noted of value and the company is helping them the necessary information about that the purchasing process begins long in this difficult situation. the company and the services provided. before the purchase decision itself.

It will be a sales tool that will enable the consumer to contact directly.

MAINTAINING INTEREST • SOCIAL MEDIA – the main channel After the recipient makes a positive deci- Author: of communication with the community sion to buy, efforts should be made to Professional social media profiles will build long-lasting relationships – so that become a key communication tool and at a one-time customer turns into a regular the same time constitute one of the main one and becomes an ambassador, recomchannels of customer service. mending the service to friends. There are Agata Swornowska, many benefits of having loyal customers, CEO, founder of As the world shifted to the online sphere, hence they should be cared for so that the ArteMis Creation Creative Agency a huge audience gathered on virtual the offer does not lose its attractiveness.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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BUSINESS

"EMPLOYEE ZERO" HOW TO REACT TO A SUSPICION OF COVID-19 AT THE OFFICE?

The state of the epidemic related to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, announced in Poland on 20 March 2020, forced a large number of companies to switch to remote work, thus reducing contacts between employees to a minimum.

However, with the easing of restrictions on the economy and social life (the so-called "de-frosting" process), employees are more and more willing to return to their offices. Repeated intensification of interpersonal contacts – both at work and outside of it – translates into an increased risk of an infected person appearing at the workplace. In view of this risk, employers must carefully prepare for the return of employees to the office, as well as develop plans to respond in the event of a COVID-19 infection, while ensuring the legality of the actions taken.

EMPLOYERS' ACTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC AND APPLICABLE LAW Practical difficulties start at the very beginning. Employees are not obliged to inform their employer about a SARS-CoV-2 infection. There are also no provisions that would exempt employers from the restrictions on the processing of personal data revealing information about health.

Within the meaning of the EU Regulation on personal data protection, commonly referred to as "the GDPR" (General Data Protection Regulation; in PL RODO), the collection of information by an employer on an employee’s health constitutes processing of special categories of personal data. This includes both information about the actual state of health (information that an employee is infected), and about symptoms that may indirectly indicate the possibility of infection (e.g. high temperature, suffocating

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cough). The GDPR prohibits the collection of sensitive data unless there is an exception provided by law. Thus, the employer must identify a specific legal basis for taking measures such as, for example, surveys with employees about deterioration of health, or recording body temperature measurements as they enter the work premises.

In other words, employers should identify a specific legal provision that authorizes them to collect and use health-­related data for specific purposes. Unfortunately, neither the GDPR nor Polish regulations, including those adopted in connection with the epidemic, contain such explicit authorisation.

decisions by individual health and epidemiological stations is not uniform.

Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that obtaining employees' consent to conduct surveys or research is difficult in practice. For such consent to be valid, the Labour Code requires that providing sensitive information (including health-­ -related information) be always initiated by the employee.

COVID-19 INFECTION AT WORK – WHAT’S NEXT? At present1, no general standard for dealing with SARS-CoV-2 infection at work has been set. The guidelines issued so far focus on selected sectors of the economy. One of them is guidelines for office workers.

Although the binding force of the recommendations published on governmental websites as well as their imprecise provisions raise some doubts, it should be strongly recommended that employers who decide to return employees to the office prepare a return plan and appropriate procedures. The procedures should be aimed both at preventing infections in the workplace, and at establishing a procedure to be followed in the event of an infection. The rules which are worth defining concern in particular health and safety at work in relation to the state of the epidemic. For example, they should specify how to comply with the recommendations for conditions in the workplace in order to maintain

It has been highlighted that the provisions of the Labour Code on health and safety at work entitle – and even oblige – the employer to take reasonable steps to prevent COVID-19 infection among the crew. However, these regulations are very general, hence this interpretation raises doubts as to their compliance with the GDPR. Such a risk was indicated by the President of the Office for Personal Data Protection (the OPDP) in his communications. The President of the OPDP believes that guidelines or a decision of an autho­ rized health inspection authority should be the basis for collecting data on employees' health. From a practical point of view, it is important to note that the above mentioned decisions may also be issued orally, and then confirmed in writing, which will certainly encourage speed of action, especially in "emergency" situations. 1 This article is based on the legal situation as Nevertheless, the practice of issuing such of 30 July 2020.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

The GDPR prohibits the collection of sensitive data unless there is an exception provided by law. Thus, the employer must identify a specific legal basis for taking measures such as, for example, surveys with employees about deterioration of health, or recording body temperature measurements as they enter the work premises.

distance between employees, e.g. in social rooms or during meetings in the office.

A system of rotational work in the office could be considered in order to reduce the number of staff present in the office at the same time. Additional hygiene measures, disinfectants or the availability of disinfectants and similar technical issues should also be determined.

Another key element is to define rules of access to the office. Employers have the opportunity to apply various solutions and measures. Some employers limit themselves to instructing staff to stay at home in case of disturbing symptoms.

A widely used solution is to introduce informal quarantine by recommending to work from home when the employee has been away from home or there are other circumstances that indicate an increased risk of infection. Other employers decide to introduce more far-reaching measures, including thermal imaging cameras, non-contact thermometers or surveys for those entering the work premises. However, when deciding on such more far-reaching security measures, it is important to bear in mind the legal uncertainties indicated above. In any case, their introduction should be preceded

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

by an analysis of the purpose and legality of the adopted solutions.

A critical point in the process of preparing the company for the return of employees to the office should also be to establish rules of conduct in the case of suspected infection at the workplace. While working on an appropriate procedure in this respect, one should skilfully balance the need to protect the health of other employees on the one hand, and on the other hand, the legal requirements for protecting the privacy and dignity of the employee concerned by the suspected infection. However, there is no doubt that in such a situation the employer should not remain passive, but has a duty to be proactive.

The Ministry of Development provides some detailed guidelines for industrial plants and offices. According to them, if an employee is suspected of being infected, the employer should send him/ her home and disinfect all places visited by the employee. In addition, the employer's representative should immediately contact the competent health inspection unit and inform them of the incident, and then strictly follow the instructions and orders given. If oral instructions

are obtained from the authority, efforts should be made to document the actions taken and to obtain written confirmation of the instructions given by the official.

SUMMARY The state of the epidemic introduced in Poland is undoubtedly a huge challenge for employers. Employers should be particularly cautious when taking actions to counteract the spread of COVID-19, and monitor issued regulations and recommendations on an ongoing basis. Authors:

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

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

17

BUSINESS

6 THINGS OFFICE SAFETY DEPENDS ON The last couple of weeks saw us redouble our efforts at Nowy Styl.

As an expert in space arrangement, we tried to address the many questions that trouble all those facing the challenge of returning to their offices.

We expanded our knowledge and talked to invited experts, and our Office Inspiration Centre became a genuine film studio where our in-house. Visiting specialists shared their knowledge and guidance in interviews conducted by TV journalist Olimpia Ajakaiye. Outcomes of our work include a report entitled Welcome back... to the office! and a Workplace Safety Puzzles concept, which this publication discusses in more detail.

being largely cooled by concerns over safety. Indeed: a return to working in the office can be a bad idea if you fail to approach the problem comprehensively, which means not missing any of the six areas of the so-called Workplace Safety Puzzles: • transparent hygiene: availability of appropriate hygiene products and regular disinfection; • distance planning: neatly planned, safe working space for every employee; WORKPLACE SAFETY PUZZLES, • preventive products: safety-enhancing OR HOW TO PIECE TOGETHER items such as plexi walls; A SAFE OFFICE • new workplace etiquette: efficient Every day, more and more companies communication of new policies within are taking the decision to return to their the company; offices. The desire to return, however, is • supportive management: measures to support employees and managers in the new situation;

You can download the report here:

18

• visual communication: clear and simple visual communication in the office.

The first three puzzles’ consist of elements strictly related to safety, so they are easier to remember. Things get more tricky with the last three, which many companies forget about, even though they have a key impact on employee morale and sense of safety.

At Nowy Styl, we already returned to our offices a few months ago, but before we did, we had meticulously prepared them and ourselves for the new circumstances.

This has given us a first-hand expe­­­­­rience of the whole process. Below, we are looking at some pieces of the puzzle mentioned above, that determine a successful return to the office.

SUPPORTIVE MANAGEMENT, OR BUILDING A SENSE OF SAFETY Faced with the need to return to the office, it is only natural for employees to be afraid. If it was not for fear, people would be likely to take decisions that are dangerous to them. On the other hand, when the emotion appears too often and is too intense it makes performing daily duties difficult, thus causing lower efficiency. It is therefore extremely important for the company to support its employees during that special time. An employer who explains the reasons for his or her decisions and presents further steps to be

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

taken not only builds a sense of safety, but also promotes relations based on partnership, thus winning employees’ trust.

At the beginning, I mentioned the various measures we have taken at Nowy Styl: interviews, publications and knowledge sharing. Such projects, but directed to the inside of the company, are precisely what the name Supportive Management means. This will include telling people about all initiatives the company has taken to ensure employee safety, sharing reliable knowledge, informing about changes that have been implemented in the office, as well as new policies in place. Contacting the executive staff, who should set a good example for others, will also be a strategic move.

A short video to illustrate the new policies will also help employees comply with them. All the better if the main characters in such a video can be played by people working in the company. A video will be warmly received and remembered if the employees can recognise their work colleagues in it.

A CLEAR MESSAGE: THE VISUAL COMMUNICATION Employees should definitely not be returning to an office where nothing has changed. Disinfectants are the absolute minimum, but clear information on where to find them is equally important. A thermometer at the reception desk will certainly be useless if nobody knows it is there in the first place. Also, do not expect employees to keep a safe distance if the number of seats in the kitchen is the same as before. Visual communication is essential to keeping safety. Ideally, it should be used consistently from the very beginning. Then, the employees will get used to it and observing the rules will become their habit. When there is no clear signage, they will quickly forget all the dos and don’ts, and where not to seat.

Introducing visual communication in the office doesn’t have to be time-consuming and costly. Many problems can be solved by using peel-off stickers, putting tape on the floor and placing safety belts across chairs that are out of use. It is also a good idea to have a few posters printed to tell suppliers and external visitors

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Architect and TV journalist Olimpia Ajakaiye has conducted a series of interviews on safe return to the office. All materials are available on www.nowystyl.com.

about policies in place at the office. Some information doesn’t need to be printed – for instance the number of people allowed in one meeting room can be displayed on the screen in that room.

people to return. The office is not filled with empty desks, and those that had to be temporarily removed can be shared with employees who need to work from home but don’t have a comfortable workplace there. This solution has its drawThe signage in the office is nothing more backs too, such as issues with cabling, than a new kind of safety wayfinding, which make it more complicated. But which will accompany your employees at the end of the day, it generates more every day. Therefore, it should be savings. as intuitive as possible and match the visual communication of the office AN EXPEDITION FOR MORE and the company.

The issues raised here offer just a small preview of the report. A full analysis DISTANCE PLANNING, OR HOW TO of each element of the Workplace Safety REARRANGE YOUR OFFICE Puzzles can be found in the publication Here, the key word will be distance. These Welcome back... to the office! An astute days, hardly anyone considers giving their reader will also find almost 30 examoffice space a complete changeover, ples of office spaces redesigned to one that would include installations and meet safety requirements in the report. walls. When you look at the situation in For more materials and the report itself, real terms, you will find you have two which is available to everyone, please scenarios to choose from: you can either visit www.nowystyl.com. Finally, we put all workstations that don’t keep a safe would like to wish all of you that your distance out of use, or you can rearrange return to the office proceeds without the office, so as to keep the required fear or trouble and, most importantly, in distance of 1.5 m between the work- complete safety. stations. Both solutions have their pros and cons. Putting some furniture out Author: of use is a quick solution and the change itself doesn’t cost much, but it reduces the efficiency of space utilisation. In this scenario, fewer workers can return to work, and the solution seems makeshift Emilia Blutko, in the long run. Rearranging and setting Communication workstations further apart allows you to Specialist, fully utilise the space and allows more Nowy Styl

19

BUSINESS

GENERATIONS OR HUMAN BEINGS? Being aware of natural richness of diversity, it is getting the most from it.

Why learning Organizations always win.

Dear You, what would you do to change the World today? And why should You care?

“Hello, Year 2020! What is wrong with you?” Or trying to be more positive let us ask, “Dear 2020, what are you trying to tell us?”

We are living in the times of change.

The recent studies 1 prove that flexibility of professionals and managers is in high demand. The dynamic post-pandemic reality triggered the need of being adaptive to the new circumstances, also what matters is the trust culture. Majority of specialists and managers (93%) declare the easiness of working remotely.

At the same time, they positively assess the self-effectiveness of delivered work (89%). When it comes to Organization’s communication strategy, 73% of respon­ dents declare that they know their employers’ current strategy. However, it is worrying that every fifth of them does not know about it.

The trusting manager goes hand in hand with the engaged employee, and the company may only benefit here.

Why? It is a matter of mutual interest and benefit. Flexible working hours and focus on delivered tasks. Trust culture, however, still a regular manager-­reportee (face-to-face and remote) connection, promotes the idea of work-life integration for an Employee, and here are the main advantages: Flexibility of professionals and managers in times of change report by Cushman & Wakefield and Antal, July 2020.

• Enable staff to feel more in control of their working life, • A happier, less stressed workforce with positive impact on mental health, • Wellbeing and lower absenteeism, • Increased engagement & productivity, • Staff feeling valued and that their personal and/or family life is important.

Simultaneously here is a package of perks for the Business itself: • Increased (retained) competitiveness & productivity, • Improved customer service & reaction on market conditions, • Greater employee loyalty, commitment, motivation, and retention,

How do Organizations respond to this trend? Adaptive SAG is a boutique consulting company, founded in 2015, currently hiring >40 business service professionals. We mostly work on the project-based assignments directly for our clients. The COVID-19 period showed that we are quite well prepared for these times. With adaptiveness attitude, supported with proper online systems in place we kept on working for and with our clients, plus it was a very good momentum to focus on the internal

I AM EXPERIENCING IT AND WANT TO KEEP IT

Gen Z 18–25

Gen Y 26–40

Gen X 41–55

Boomers 56–74

Prioritising financial saving

57%

63%

50%

35%

Spending more time with family/ household members

55%

60%

57%

42%

Spending more time on hobbies and creative pursuits

53%

50%

43%

38%

Spending more time cooking and baking

52%

60%

44%

38%

Trying out a new exercise routine

51%

41%

33%

22%

Enjoying off-screen activities such as reading and board games

47%

38%

38%

33%

Spending more time in nature

47%

38%

43%

33%

Working from home

27%

40%

25%

12%

1

20

• Improved employer branding & top talent attraction.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Overview of working generations.

SHAPED BY

Based on Barclays overview of working generations.

Silent Generation

Baby Boomers

Generation X

Millennials Generation Y

Generation Z 2020

Born 1928 1945

Born 1946 1964

Born 1965 1979

Born 1980 1996

Born in 1997 →

Work is life

Live to work

Work to live

Work for fun

???

• Great Depression • World War II • Pre-feminism (staying at home moms and men with their loyalty to a lifetime job)

• Moon Landing `69 • Civil / Women Rights • First two income household & first divorce

• Fall of Berlin Wall `89 • AIDS, Live Aid • Late to marry, quick to divorce, single parents

• 9/11 Attacks 2001 • World as a 24/7 place • Digital Natives • Slower to marry & move out on their own

• EU & Brexit • Tesla / Travel to Mars • Eco / Slow Life Trends • Global warming

INFLUENCED BY

• Vaccines • Jazz, Swing, Frank Sinatra • Gone With The Wind and Mickey Mouse

• Personal Computer • First TV generation • Rock and Roll, Elvis, Beatles, Woodstock, Miniskirts,

• Internet, MTV, Cell Phone • Nirvana, U2, Madonna, • Friends, Beverly Hills 90210 • Torn jeans

• Yahoo, Google, Facebook • iPhone generation • Boys & Girls bands

• Apps & Social Media • Tablet Devices • Driverless cars • 3D printing

KNOWN AS

COVID-19

• Disciplined • Workplace Loyalty • Careers rather than activism • Understood that kid should be seen and not heard

• Work – one of the most important parts of life • Experimental • Innovators • Hard Working • Tolerant

• Target driven • Working hard makes one a better person • Independent • Free Agents • Brand loyal

• Experience driven • Assertive, strong views • Confident, Diverse • Social Everything • Technology wise • Dedicated to wellness

• Gadget driven • Optimistic • Being Digital = air to breathe connecte to all areas of lifestyle and relationships

improvement initiatives with the full involvement of the entire team. What was crucial – especially in the lockdown times – we initiated this habit of regular online connections. The aim was to ask, “How do you feel?”, “Are you well?”. At the same the Leadership Team kept the full transparency of the business situation and informed openly about upcoming steps. What we have learned later from our teammates was, “I felt connected”, “I trusted that the company will survive”, “Thanks to the transparency, I was not worried that I would lose my job”. Plus, we could simply see our faces. Together with releasing some lockdown restrictions, our office has been prepared and our employees have been given the choice between remote and office-based work, working in shifts. That solution worked very well.

in common being adaptive, however, we are different.

We observed that youngest colleagues (who have just recently entered the job market) were not fully following the wor­­ king hours. The Leadership Team analyzed the situation and found out that nobody had instructed them how to act. Having majority of project-based activi­ties, including the “home-office” mode for Project Managers, our colleagues could see them coming to the office during irregular hours, or not seeing them at all.

Instead of putting more control in place, we have adopted the set of House Rules and deployed it within the team.

You may ask, what a big deal about it?

Why was is necessary? Here is the answer, we believe any change we expect should start from ourselves, in this case from Need for change. Still in 2019, as a young, the Leadership Team. In fact, by listening still learning Organization we came up to this group we – as Organization – with a conclusion that we have so much could learn from them. The aim was

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

not to strengthen control but to give clear instructions, reinforcing the rules.

The transparency always wins.

It is a recommended direction also in bigger operational teams who very often miss a proper guidance, since their managers work remotely. At the same time, many managers do feel, they do not do their best due to lack of proper tooling or their management support. A quick, one-time change will not make any diffe­ rence. Consequence and consistency do.

Was this a matter of having different generations aboard? The literature says: yes! Following the survey results2 conducted by the social research agency around understanding the impact of COVID-19 on the emerging generations, we observe that the opportunities and challenges of social isolation differ across generations.

Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on the emerging generations report by the social research agency McCrindle.

2

21

BUSINESS

Your generation organization chart over the upcoming decade.

Copyright © 2020 by Adaptive Group. All rights reserved.

2020

2025

2030

X

X/Y

X/Y

Management

X/Y

X/Y

X/Y/Z

Sr. Specialists

X/Y

Y/Z

Y/Z

Core Ops

Y/Z

Z/Y

Z/Y

CXO Level

Can we assume the same for the workplace? As per different sources we do have 5 defined generations living nowadays.

Let us look at them in the context of their attitude to work.3 There is a close connection4 between what shaped and influenced people by the events in their adulthood, so they are known as: Silent generation who was claiming loyalty of lifetime job. Boomers felt more strongly that work should be one of the most important parts of a person’s life. Generation X believes working hard makes one a better person. Generation Y (Millennials) wants to work smart & play hard. The open question, I would leave you dear Reader with, is what is coming next with Generation Z? So, do generations matter or not? And why should I care? Currently we observe the representatives of 3 generation groups in the job market, X, Y and Z who is entering the workplace just now. The upcoming decade will bring the Generation Z from the entry-level to the level of your Leadership Team. Or perhaps sooner? Are you ready? Will people still get your message?

Or you might feel misunderstood? In case you would be wondering, please look at the graph above.

GENERATION, OR INDIVIDUAL ASPIRATIONS?

a generation chart is a kind of illusion5, simply due to fact we immediately tend to jump to conclusions and follow stereotypes. Here is one of them: Millennials are commonly known as: tough to manage, accused to be entitled, unfocused, lazy, narcistic, self-interested.6 Do you agree? Who is guilty here? Their parents for telling them they can get anything, just because they want it. Technology and social media? Era of instant gratification or the environment, where the companies care more about numbers not people, no teaching them cooperation?

scenario would be to reap the benefits and enjoy the industry respect and esteem. At the same, while changing jobs, despite your huge knowledge, experience, and skillset, you would be fearing being outcasted and useless.

All that sounds reasonable, different needs at different states of your professional lifecycle.

Understanding before judging. „OMG this person is from another space!”, “She is lazy”, “He is so entitled, thinks the world will revolve around him!”, “I am not getting her way”, etc. Sounds familiar? How often do you happen to ask such questions while having conversations with your teammate? Or how often do you ask yourself such questions while interacting with a younger or older coworker, or employee?

Give it a try and understand first, without judging. Why? To learn. Be a benchmark as the learning Organization, where people are not afraid to admit that they do not know something, where people coope­ rate and share their successes and failures.

Instead of judging a book by its cover, The knowledge and skillset come with it is important7 to: (1) see an individual the experience, bad and good. as a human being, with her/his persona­ lity, moral code, own experiences, habits, So, what is the conclusion Chef? Learn feeling and emotions. Also, 2) to under- from our less experienced colleagues. stand at which stage of someone’s job Using the advantage of their fresh journey the person is (so called PDF8). point of view, being open to talk, share It is quite logical that you have different opinion, even if very often controversial. needs and expectations when you start your professional adventure, here you are There is no Company Culture without mostly interested in gaining experience, people. Following Simon Sinek’s, it goes learning from your more experienced with the whole package of company repucolleagues and bosses, getting the most tation, people engagement (trust and thrilling assignments to live your life to cooperation) that leads to productivity the fullest. Once reaching the next stage, and company growth.9 i.e. maturity level, you keep on growing in your role, but you also turn into direc- So, what would you do to make this World tion of compering yourself with other a better place to live? Your move, Chef! peer colleagues, very often your decisions are being influenced by the strong 9 S.Sinek, op.cit. need of financial stability and the time you can devote or not to your closest.

Author: When you enter the third stage of your professional journey, the most preferable

Another point of view, I was recently inspired by Zyta Machnicka in her recent book and I would follow the statement 5 Zyta Machnicka Lepszy pracodawca. Jak she made, that trying to put people into autentyczny employer branding zmienia biznes Based on Barclays overview of working generations. “Talking about my generation: Exploring the benefits engagement challenge, Barclays Corporate and Employer Solutions, Sept 2013”.

4 Ibidem.

3

22

rynek pracy i ludzi, Wydawnictwo Helion 2020, pages 57–59.

6 Simon Sinek, Millennials in the Workplace, YouTube.

7 Z. Machnicka, op.cit. pg. 57–58.

8 Z. Machnicka, ibidem, PDF as Beginning, Maturity and Finish (Początek, Dojrzałość i Finisz).

Magdalena Bugajska, Senior Manager, Senior Consultant, Adaptive Group

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

BUSINESS

BJORNBERG1781'S AMBITION IS TO PROVIDE THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS

Interview with Anna Długaszewska, President of the Board, Bjornberg1781.

Outsourcing&More: Bjornberg1781 is a family business founded in Finland in 1781. The company ope­ rates in the paper and wood industry. How big of an organisation are you and where are you present?

Anna Długaszewska, President of the Board, Bjorn­­ berg1781: Currently, the company operates mainly on the Polish, Slovak and Czech markets. It has two sales offices – in Warsaw and Prague. The headquarters are in Switzerland. Our teams mainly consist of salespeople and customer service people. The company has the exclusive right to sell the entire assortment of the Norske Skog paper company on the Polish, Czech and Slovak markets.

In Europe, the Norske Skog paper mill has factories in Norway (Skogen and Saugbrugs), Austria (Bruck) and France (Golbey). The company employs 2,444 people and has a total of 7 plants around the world. It produ­ces publication papers, i.e. newsprint, improved newsprint, SC and LWU papers and LWC / MWC coated papers. Thanks to the entire production spectrum of publication papers, we can supply papers for printing newspapers as well as high-quality magazines and catalogues. All manufactured papers bear the NOR brand, which is a symbol of quality, innovation and reliability.

Maintaining the position of the world leader in the paper industry is a priority for Norske Skog. The quality of the offered products is constantly improved and thanks to the emphasis on innovation, we can observe the active development of the product portfolio. The company

24

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

listens to the needs of the market, which results not only in the introduction of new products, but also in the constant creation of frameworks for the implementation of the future development goals of the entire concern. We are close to our customers, hence we translate their needs into the services and products we offer. Norske Skog has just announced its readiness to make new investments.

It is planned to rebuild two machines, currently producing newsprint, which will produce wrapping paper from 2023.

The value of the investment project is estimated at EUR 350 million. It will certainly be a new opening for the company and the market. Obviously, also a challenge for our offices in Prague and Warsaw, because it will be necessary to expand the portfolio of our clients.

Who are your customers and what are their requirements?

Our clients are mainly printing houses, publishing houses and all companies that print leaflets and catalogues. Among others, travel agencies, supermarkets, cosmetics, clothing and furniture companies.

Of course, electronic media has become the leading medium for disseminating content, but invariably printed paper plays a very important role in conveying information. All leaflets and catalogues with advertising content have a key position for our customers. For us, the main goal is to provide high-quality products and services to create value that customers can translate in a way that is beneficial to them.

We are always close to the market and our business partners, listening to their needs and observing market trends. Hence, we have the opportunity to create new products, based on the changing market conditions. Innovation and, what is very important, flexibility allow us to always adjust to dynamic reality. Paper constantly remains an ecological product, where the entire product preparation cycle is taken care of. Through the forests that are planted, the waste paper that is collected and, inter alia, water and its purity just after the production process. Paper mills have appropriate quality and environmental certificates. All stages of production and the entire supply chain are based on respect for the environment.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Both Norwegian and Finnish companies have had this in their bloodstream for a long time. Green energy, clean air and water are not understood as short-lived slogans and ad hoc activities. It is the entire system of functioning and the strategy of activities that are to leave our planet a better place for the next gener­ations.

For pro-ecological activi­ties in business, appropriate support and co-financing of government institutions promoting being eco are prepared. They are closely integrated with any form of business. A company must be environmentally friendly to operate at all, and this is definitely an undisputed topic. Many things are simply not appropriate to do anymore and this is met with social ostracism.

Norske Skog has just announced its readiness to make new investments.

It is planned to rebuild two machines, currently producing newsprint, which will produce wrapping paper from 2023.

The value of the investment project is estimated at EUR 350 million.

Do the family roots of the company translate into the value system in Bjornberg1781?

Absolutely. The company has over 200 years of business experience. Its va­ lues and goals have been shaped over

25

BUSINESS

We understand CSR activities not merely as pro-ecological activity. For us, it is a wholly integrated set of activities and measures, where we treat the impact of our company on the surrounding environment and society in a responsible manner.

26

Your motto is "for the love of paper".

Do you take credit for any CSR activities of an ecological nature?

We understand CSR activities not merely as pro-ecological activity. For us, it is a wholly integrated set of activities and measures, where we treat the impact of our company on the surrounding environment and society in a responsible manner. We conduct business in a transparent and ethical manner, bringing in added value in relations with partners.

CSR activities assume long-term nature, which is definitely in line with our apthe years in changing conditions, allow- proach to business. We view these activi­ ing both owners and employees to learn ties not as a marketing tool but as a comand gain experience. The company focus- pany's contribution to overall well-being. es on quality understood very broadly.

As a product quality, relationships both The COVID-19 pandemic has hit not inside and outside the company. Many only people but also institutions and years of international experience con- companies. Have you taken any actribute to a unique business culture. tions to minimize the negative impact Bjornberg1781 has a short reporting line, of the pandemic on the company, and which significantly allows for quick reac- if so, of what kind? tion and a simple and efficient decision Obviously, we have adapted to path. The continuity of the strategy and the general requirements imposed in development plans create the stability the countries where we work. We have of the entire organisation, which is very taken responsible actions to minimize important for employees and custom- the risk and, above all, thanks to this, eners. As one of the most important ele­ sure the continuity of supplies to our cusments we perceive lasting relationships, tomers. Printing houses work 24/7, with which are often friendly, and a very cor- very precise planning of production and dial atmosphere. shipment of finished materials, hence any delay in the supply of the main raw maBjornberg1781's ambition is to provide terial, which is paper, could be a very big the best service to customers so that problem for them. Of course, the paper they are as satisfied as possible ... mills also took a lot of appropriate measWe focus on long-term relationships ures to secure employees and maintain with our partners. We want to be not continuity of production for customers. only business partners for them, but also through commitment and competence In Norway and Austria, where the probecome part of their business, to which duction of paper destined for our Polish we bring in added value. In many cases, market mainly takes place, the situation we also play an advisory role. After a thor- seems to be under control at the moment. ough needs analysis, we strive to support Obviously, things are changing very dythe main goals of our clients with our namically, and it is difficult to predict products and services. We work on the ba- what will happen in the coming months. sis of the same values. Thanks to win-win We can observe a large volatility in trends solutions, we build lasting relationships and behaviours, ourselves. There are with mutual benefits for the parties con- probably many unknowns ahead of us. cerned. Of course, it is a continuous pro- I can only assure you that we make every cess, where both products and services are effort to ensure that we work safely dursubject to changes and improvements. We ing and after the pandemic, but also withalways revise the current state of affairs, out compromising on quality. looking for points for us and our partners for further development of cooperation. Thank you for the interview.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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SSC

TURNING THREAT INTO AN OPPORTUNITY – A STORY OF CARLSBERG SHARED SERVICES

Word of admission: SSC Lions is a new project run

by Pro Progressio and focused on the communication support provided to Shared Service Centres.

On O ­ utsourcing&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 Emilia Adamowicz, Service Develop­­ment Director, Carlsberg Shared Services.

BUSINESS

FULL VERSION OF THE O&M IS AVAILABLE ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND PRO PROGRESSIO CLUB MEMBERS.

30

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Emilia Adamowicz joined Carlsberg in the beginning of 2019 as Service Development Director; this year additionally as Member of the Carlsberg Shared Services Board. Prior to that, she worked at Novartis Headquarters in Switzerland, where she worked 6 years in various global positions in the areas of financial performance, continuous improvement and most recently as Head Finance Productivity in manufacturing operations. She started her career at Accenture BPO, in accounting operational and leadership roles. Emilia is a graduate of Poznan University of Economics in International Business and currently completing an executive MBA at ESCP Europe.

31

BUSINESS

WE HAVE A LOT TO LEARN FROM OUR MANUFACTURING AND COMMERCIAL PART OF THE COMPANY, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.

FULL VERSION OF THE O&M IS AVAILABLE ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND PRO PROGRESSIO CLUB MEMBERS.

32

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

33

MAIN INTERVIEW

WE CAN BE PROUD OF OURSELVES – WE MET THE CHALLENGES Interview with Krzysztof Misiak, Head of Office Agency in Poland, Cushman & Wakefield.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

35

MAIN INTERVIEW

36

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

FULL VERSION OF THE O&M IS AVAILABLE ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND PRO PROGRESSIO CLUB MEMBERS.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

37

MAIN INTERVIEW

FULL VERSION OF THE O&M IS AVAILABLE ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND PRO PROGRESSIO CLUB MEMBERS.

38

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

INVESTMENTS NEWS 15TH KIDS&CO. KINDERGARTEN FOR 15TH ANNIVERSARY

In September 2020, KIDS&Co. – a nationwide operator of bilingual kindergartens and nurseries and company kindergartens is opening a new facility in The Park Warsaw office complex at Krakowiaków Street, developed by White Star Real Estate developer. It is the 5th KIDS&Co. facility in Warsaw, and the 15th in Poland, opened for the 15 th anniversary of the company. The kindergarten and nursery in The Park Warsaw is created mostly for the employees of the complex, but it is also open for enrolment of parents from outside. It provides seats for 75 children also at the nursery age, and the developer took care of the space for a large and green playground.

The choice of location was not accidental.

The Park Warsaw complex is located near Łopuszańska Street, and it is a well-known traffic route in Warsaw. Large corporations and well-known brands have their headquarters in the complex. These include IBM, Carlsberg, AkzoNobel, BAT or Velux.

As always, KIDS&Co. is likely to cooperate with employers who would like to support their employees by co-financing their tuition fees from the social fund.

40

CITY HUB – THE FIRST SHARED MOBILITY HUB IN THE TRI-CITY IS NOW OPEN On August 26, at the Wave office building built by Skanska, the City Hub was officially launched – it’s a special space where everyone can rent electric scooters from Hop.City, scooters through the Bolt application or Traficar cars. A station by Si.City for charging electric skateboards and scooters was launched on site, which, in addition to providing charging services, protects the equipment against theft.

The concept includes a taxi stand and a place for deliveries, as well as infrastructure for cyclists. Already during the first phase of the Wave complex, more than 230 bicycle spaces, changing rooms, showers and a special elevator to the garage for cyclists were created. A repair station available to everyone will be useful for fixing any equipment problems.

SAVILLS TO ASSIST IN OFFICE LEASING IN RETAIL SCHEMES OF ATRIUM EUROPEAN REAL ESTATE Real estate advisory firm Savills has been appointed by Atrium European Real Estate as sole letting agent for office space in all the buildings owned by the fund in Poland.

The agreement between Savills and Atrium European Real Estate covers the retail properties of the fund’s Polish portfolio with an office component. These include three schemes in Warsaw: Atrium Promenada (10,000 sq m of office space), Wars Sawa Junior (8,800 sq m of office space), Atrium Reduta (3,000 sq m of office space), and Atrium Copernicus in Toruń (670 sq m of office space).

To assist Atrium European Real Estate, Savills will draw on its experience in leasing Blue Office, an office section of the Blue City complex in Warsaw.

For the new client, the real estate adviser is planning to carry out marketing acti­ vities to support the commercialisation process. Savills will use modern proptech tools, among other things, for day-to-day communication with the client and pre­sentation of office space to prospective tenants.

City Hub will also be connected to the Connected by Skanska building app.

Thanks to it, tenants of the Wave office building can move around using a smartphone instead of an access card, enter the garage based on license plate numbers, or check the availability of vehicles in the City Hub. The application also allows employees to arrange shared rides, i.e. carpooling.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

INVESTMENTS NEWS

CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD MOVES TO A NEW OFFICE certification, with attention to every detail and top-quality materials and fit-out. It provides a Power Room, or a mini-gym, a Relax Room with a massage recliner chair, a Yoga Room, a parent and child room, and healthy food vending machines. Employees will also be able to enjoy a spacious bistro-like canteen and such amenities as showers and an iron.

Modern workstations for individual work, spaces for project work with sit-stand desks, soundproof phone booths and more than 30 meeting rooms all make for great office comfort.

Global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield has consolidated its Warsaw offices in The Warsaw Hub, a newly-built complex near Daszyńskiego Roundabout.

On 3 August, its employees gained access to all the amenities and creative workspaces on nearly 2,500 sq m of office space spread over two floors of the building.

Cushman & Wakefield is also the property manager for the complex.

The Warsaw HUB is one of the largest commercial projects in Poland and consists of three high-rise buildings connected by a shared podium and an underground arcade with retail and service outlets.

This innovative project, which is more than an ordinary office complex, is based on the concept of a communication and functional hub. It boasts a prime location in the Wola district, near Daszyńskiego Roundabout, a rapidly developing part of Warsaw called a new business centre of the city.

A critical part of the process that began long before the relocation to the new head office was the first stage of preparations – employee and manager workshops and gathering information on all business processes and needs of teams and indivi­duals. The workplace strategy team organised many meetings with employees

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to identify key design expectations and workplace needs, for example requirements for height adjustable desks. Detailed space utilisation studies conducted in previous locations provided concrete information on the actual utilisation of desks that ranged between 59% and 79%. All the actions taken during the first stage helped define the specific needs of the entire organisation and indicate solutions to drive the business forward.

Knowing employees’ expectations and having data on the required office space, the tenant representation team of Cushman & Wakefield’s Office Agency was finally able to draw up a short list of buildings and commence negotiations with developers whose projects met the pre-determined brief.

Cushman & Wakefield’s new office boasts a unique design. The meeting rooms in the employee-only section feature fit-out elements reflecting their nature-related names such as Spring, Summer, Volcano, Hurricane, and Forest. The design of the rooms in the client-dedicated section was inspired by Warsaw’s iconic landmarks selected by the employees during the project preparation – they are Wars, Sawa, Rotunda, Belweder, Victoria, and Bristol.

The new Warsaw office of Cushman & Wakefield has been designed in line with the Six Feet Office concept. Automated room booking systems, motion detectors and room occupancy indicators facilitate finding vacant space and help ensure employee safety. The office features modern audio and video systems and technologies for holding group meetings and making them available online. The ergonomics of workstations is ensured by height-adjustable electric desks with a choice of standing positions.

Each has two large monitors.

The project also involved the participation of the firm’s Project & Development Services team, which was responsible for project and cost management, including a tender to select a design studio, as well as Administration, HR, Massive Design, which assisted Cush­­ Marketing and Communication, and IT. man & Wakefield during each stage of the development of one of the most The new head office of Cushman & awaited projects this year, was responWakefield is one of the firm’s most modern sible for the preparation of the funcoffices in EMEA. It was designed and tional concept and architectural design built to meet the requirements of WELL of the new office.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Get back to work safely.

Take care of your company and employees' safety with a flexible offer by CitySpace serviced offices.

FIND OUT MORE AT

CITYSPACE.PL

INVESTMENTS

DEATH-OF-DISTANCE 3.0 Solving talent scarcity for the Business Services Sector?

FULL VERSION OF THE O&M IS AVAILABLE ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND PRO PROGRESSIO CLUB MEMBERS.

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Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Author: Elias van Herwaarden Elias leads Locationperspectives, a consultancy that assists companies in building and restructuring their business internationally. He draws on 30 years’ experience with cross-border business and over 140 location and sourcing projects for the BSS sector. Elias’ Outsourcing & More columns seek to address burning BSS matters.

For further inquiries on this article or on Locationperspectives: elias@locationperspectives.com.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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INVESTMENTS

EVENTS INDUSTRY 2020 FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME:

IT ARENA GOES ONLINE

Coronavirus pandemic, which has so far infected more than 19 million and took lives of more than 700,000 people worldwide, averted the plans of everyone involved in event planning and organization business. The global events industry has seen events either closed, rescheduled, or gone virtual.

FULL VERSION OF THE O&M IS AVAILABLE ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND PRO PROGRESSIO CLUB MEMBERS.

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Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

For more information about the event, speaker lineup, and ticket prices, visit IT Arena website:

Author:

Mariia Poliova, Content Writer, Lviv IT Cluster

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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INVESTMENTS

LITHUANIA: RIDING THE WAVE OF KYC/AML GROWTH As money laundering schemes become increasingly more complex and sophisticated and the volume of such schemes continues to amplify, financial institutions find themselves faced with a number of issues.

Firstly, they need to accurately evaluate and mitigate the risks associated with money laundering. Alongside which, they need to implement processes to ensure they become compliant with the anti-money laundering (AML) regulations imposed by regulatory bodies and governments across the globe.

While ultimately, they also face the all too real risk of finding themselves designated a sanctioned entity through allegations of intentional participation in, or unintentional facilitation of money laundering.

has emerged as a regional leader in the creation and implementation in AML/KYC solutions, especially within the local GBS sector. And there are a number of reasons why the country has become a natural fit for the field.

THE RIGHT TALENT IN THE RIGHT LOCATION

Firstly, Lithuania’s business environment offers an ever-expanding pool of talent.

The long-standing presence of Nordic banks and the arrival of Nasdaq and Moody’s in the last decade, has provided the perfect breeding ground for the kind In this climate of heightened aware- of expertise that is needed to impleness, the need for effective and easily ment complex regulatory processes. implementable AML/KYC solutions Indeed, the importance of compliance has skyrocketed. Staking its claim on processes has been steadily growing in the global compliance stage, Lithu­ania the local GBS sector over recent years,

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and now accounts for 9% of all functions, ranking 4th place in importance across the entire Lithuanian GBS sector.

In terms of current specialists, Lithuania leads the Baltics, with 8,000 risk and compliance professionals already working in the field.

Meanwhile, the country’s geographical position as a crossing point between Eastern and Western Europe, as well Scandinavia, means it is perfectly positioned to provide services with a truly international focus. This focus is also reflected in the multi-lingual make-up of the local talent pool, with a 100% penetration of English across the sector, strong presence of German and rising competences of the Nordic languages.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

A STRONG TRACK RECORD IN AML/KYC IMPLEMENTATION When it comes to finding examples of the successful implementation of AML/KYC processes within the Lithu­ anian GBS sector, you need look no further than the two largest GBS centres in Lithuania, Danske Bank and Western Union. Both institutions have strategic departments that perform Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorist Financing, Anti-Fraud Compliance, and Sanctions programs. This scope of activities includes not only the monitoring and reporting of suspicious transactions, but also the provision of advice internally on global regulatory changes, as well as the construction of a functioning compliance culture within the respective organizations.

operating in the country, it should come as no surprise that Lithuania is now ranked 4th globally on the Global Fintech Index.

Compliance is fast becoming a focus for the sector. Take the unicorn challenger bank Revolut, for example, which has set up a specialised Financial Crimes unit in Lithuania for its global operations. Meanwhile, other global Fintech players like TransferGo, Simplex, and NIUM to name but a few, have also chosen to locate their fraud prevention operations in Lithuania. And the sector keeps on growing. As recently as July another leading Fintech player – the regulatory and supervisory AML technology organisation AML Analytics – decided to open its office in Vilnius, Danske Bank has contributed immensely basing its decision on the strong to the development of the local compli- endorsements it received from trusted ance ecosystem through the establish- business associates. ment of its Danske Bank Anti-Money Laundering Academy. This body This growing ecosystem of AML/KYC focuses on delivering essential AML/ competence and innovation has also CTF knowledge to all new AML-related given rise to a new generation of finanemployees via a series of specially cial technology start-ups like Ondato designed courses: AML Fundamentals, that are developing RegTech solutions.

AML Proficiency and AML Leadership. Founded in 2016, Ondato is developing The academy consists of AML Consul­ remote KYC and compliance solutions tants, Learning Consultants, eLearning which help companies to review data Developers, Project Manager, Commu- registers and fully authenticate their nication Consultants, and Educational clients in line with the highest secuQuality Assurance Specialists – all gathe­ rity and reliability requirements. Other ­red together to ensure that the highest start-ups with similar service profiles are standards of expertise are maintained also emerging. For instance, iDenfy and across the group.

Mark ID are two local startups offering a range of KYC/AML services to busiLithuanian specialists are also playing nesses across the globe. a central role in shaping the Know Your Customer processes for the entire Nordic STRENGTHENING ECOSYSTEM region via a unique project that unites TO DELIVER FUTURE GROWTH six of Scandinavia’s largest banks – This focus on compliance is also gaining Invidem AB. This is a unique platform momentum at a national level, with established collectively by Danske Bank, a number of governmental institutions, Nordea, SEB, Svenska Handelsbanken, alongside the Bank of Lithuania and and Swedbank to provide bespoke KYC the commercial banking sector, coming services to customers across the Nordics. together to form a new institutional dedicated to increasing knowledge LEADING THE NEXT GENERATION and competence. The Bank of Lithuania, OF AML/KYC SOLUTIONS together with the Financial Crime InvesLithuania’s AML/KYC expertise is not tigation Service, the Ministry of Finance, only being leveraged by the local GBS and commercial banks have recently sector – the country’s booming Fintech received approval from the Government ecosystem is also getting in on the action. of the Republic of Lithuania to estab2nd in the EU for the Electronic Money lish the Centre of Excellence in AntiLicenses awarded, and with 210 Fintech Money Laundering.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Lithuania’s business environment offers an everexpanding pool of talent.

The long-standing presence of Nordic banks and the arrival of Nasdaq and Moody’s in the last decade, has provided the perfect breeding ground for the kind of expertise that is needed to implement complex regulatory processes.

Universities are also playing a crucial role in creating the next generation of compliance specialists. Working together with the local sector they are incorporating industry-specific modules into their curriculum. A recent result of this co-operation is the Law, Technology and Business program developed

by Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius.

This collaboration among many others are aimed at ensuring that the market receives a steady flow of graduates who are familiar with the latest technologies in the financial services industry and are capable of interpreting and reacting to the world’s dynamically changing regulatory environment.

With established AML/KYC processes already up and running throughout Lithuania’s GBS sector, a new generation of start-ups driving the momentum for innovation, and a constant flow of specially trained professionals being released to the market regularly, all the ingredients are in now place to guarantee a bright future for the AML/ KYC sector in Lithuania.

Author:

Laimonas Davalis, Senior Investment Advisor, Invest Lithuania

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INVESTMENTS ADVERTORIAL

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Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

CAIN INTERNATIONAL AND WHITE STAR REAL ESTATE START CONSTRUCTION ON 100,000 SQ M KRAKÓW OFFICE PARK Cain International, the privately held real estate investment firm operating in Europe and the United States, and its local development partner, White Star Real Estate, have started work on The Park Kraków. The development will comprise eight buildings and provide 100,000 sq m of new Grade A campus-style office accommodation and is well located at the intersection of Kuklińskiego and Saska Streets in near proximity to both the Kraków Płaszów train station as well as numerous bus and tram stops.

The Park Kraków will offer tenants flexible, open and dynamic office space that can be easily configured to suit tenant needs, as well as more than three hectares of biophilic-inspired design and green space in a vehicle-free courtyard in the centre of the development, including carefully curated greenery, water elements, natural materials, signi­ fi­c ant natural light throughout, and spacious terraces as part of the top floors of the development.

cities in Poland and continues to experience significant demand from highgrowth businesses in the BPO, IT and R&D sectors. The Park Kraków will deliver high quality and spacious office accommodation that has been designed with forward thinking tenants in mind, providing significant health and wellbeing benefits that will continue to remain crucial in the new working environment. We continue to see significant opportunities in gateway cities in the CEE market and look forward to delivering The Park Kraków to meet the demand and needs of the market.

Bartosz Prytuła, Managing Partner at White Star Real Estate, said: The Park Kraków will provide tenants with conve­ nient access to public transport, as well as a comfortable and green working environment, wide culinary offer and numerous events to promote a healthy work-life balance, vibrant culture beyond working hours and sense of community, supported by dedicated tenant care and event managers in the in-house property management team.

Tenants will benefit from a wide range of on-site amenities, including restau- JLL is the exclusive leasing agent for rants, cafes, service points, and relaxa- The Park Kraków. tion areas, as well as two levels of underground parking that will be equipped Authors: with electric car charging stations and showers, lockers and bicycle racks.

Liam Le Roux, Head of European Asset Management at Cain International, said: Kraków is one of the most dynamic

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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INVESTMENTS

SPECIALISATION, SPACE, QUALITY OF LIFE – BYDGOSZCZ ATTRACTS INVESTMENTS FROM THE BPO/SSC INDUSTRY

The concept of the city open to outsour­­ cing, consistently implemented by the City of Bydgoszcz and the Bydgoszcz Regional Development Agency (BARR) for the deve­ lopment and promotion of the modern business services sector, has so far brought positive effects. Around 60 BPO, SSC, IT, and R&D service centres already operate here, and the number of jobs in the sector currently exceeds 11,000 of which over 80% is gene-­ rated by IT services. Such strong local specialisation is a definite distinguishing feature of Bydgoszcz in comparison to other cities in Poland – which is emphasized in a report from ABSL Modern Business Services Sector in Poland 2020 published in June this year, in which Bydgoszcz was included among the leading cities important for the development of the BPO/SSC market in the country.

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Orange office in Bydgoszcz

Photo: Orange Poland

For several years, Bydgoszcz has been a strong point on the map of modern business services in Poland and an important location for the development of further investments in this market. This is confirmed by both the growing indicators of the sector's development in the City and the latest industry reports which place Bydgoszcz among the leading locations on the domestic BPO/SSC market.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

The main representatives of the BSS sector in Bydgoszcz realise projects for the biggest IT, telecommunications, insurance, or automotive companies and confirm the highest level of the services provided and the competence of the Bydgoszcz branches. International companies develop specia­ lised business processes here, and many of them have their own R&D departments in the City. Bydgoszcz provides access to technical knowledge as well as competent human resources and convenient infrastructure. – Bydgoszcz's offer allows to attract investors looking for access to qualified employees, while at the same time ensuring a competitive level of salaries and office space rental. The competitive advantage of the City allows us to look forward with optimism to its further development in the coming years – comments the director of the PAIH Strategic Investment Center,

Jan Kamoji-Czapiński, in the report Focus on Bydgoszcz, published in May 2020

by Pro Progressio.

ATTRACTIVE OFFICE SPACES The dynamic development of the business services sector goes hand in hand with the investments of office space developers. – In recent years, the local market has grown by over 30,000 sq m of modern office space of the highest standard, perfectly located in the City centre, with access to public transport and numerous amenities. This, in turn, affects the attractiveness of the jobs offered here – says Edyta Wiwatowska, President of the Management Board of BARR. According to the Agency's calculations, current resources have already exceeded 108,000 sq m, and another 82,000 sq m are under construction or are planned for the near future. New office buildings

Around 60 BPO, SSC, IT, and R&D service centres already operate here, and the number of jobs in the sector currently exceeds 11,000 of which over 80% is generated by IT services. Such strong local specialisation is a definite distinguishing feature of Bydgoszcz in comparison to other cities in Poland.

Photo: Arkada Business Park

Arkada Business Park

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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Photo: Rotopino.pl S.A.

INVESTMENTS

Rotopino.pl office in Bydgoszcz

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Photo: Robert Sawicki

According to the Agency's calculations, current resources have already exceeded 108,000 sq m, and another 82,000 sq m are under construction or are planned for the near future.

attract with a high standard, location in the City centre, easy access to public transport, as well as numerous technological facilities, or the possibility of arranging space according to individual expectations of even the most demanding tenants, offering increased comfort to employees.

of location for new buildings, which are located mainly in the City centre, is due to the continuous development of infrastructure, cultural facilities and ensuring the best living conditions while maintaining the work-life balance principle – says Katarzyna Ciszewska, Junior Negotiator at Cushman & Wakefield.

Cushman & Wakefield also draws attention to Bydgoszcz in its latest report on alternative locations in Poland for tenants from the BSS sector. – Bydgoszcz is an excellent example of an emerging office market in Poland – the City has been in the top rankings for several years as the best place for investment. In recent years, the stock of modern office space has increased by about 30%. The majority has been leased by investors from the BPO/SSC sector, and the vacancy rate remains below 7%. Undoubtedly, the developers' choice

PROSPECTS FOR THE BSS MARKET IN BYDGOSZCZ IN THE NEW REALITY The pandemic has put both the BSS sector and the related office market to the test.

Due to the specifics of the industry, especially in the case of IT services, including the numerous experiences of Bydgoszcz centres related to the remote service of international projects, most of them were able to successfully start the remote work mode and ensure a good level of efficiency. Customers appreciated

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Invested in the city

In recent years, the stock of modern office space has increased by about 30%. The majority has been leased by investors from the BPO/SSC sector, and the vacancy rate remains below 7%.

the ability of Bydgoszcz companies to provide services without interruption. However, the challenge remained to maintain adequate motivation and commitment of the teams, as well as a sense of security in terms of continuity of employment. The next step is a plan to return to the new normality, including first and foremost the issue of ensuring safety in the workplace. In this respect, tenants in new Bydgoszcz office buildings are supported by developers. Building managers quickly adapted them to the requirements of the sanitary regime, by providing disinfectants, frequent cleaning of common areas, introduction of special rules for moving around the building, the use of elevators and toilets, or stricter procedures for deli­ veries. These procedures, in conjunction with tenants' activities related to the reorganisation of the office space, management system and team work, significantly increase the safety and comfort of work – and consequently maintain the continuity of services.

is also growing, which creates new opportunities for cities such as Bydgoszcz to allow greater access to work for corporations located in the capital or other parts of the country.

We need to wait to see the full effects of this situation, but experts forecast a further growth in the BPO/SSC industry, which was also confirmed by the opi­­ nions and conclusions presented during the June ABSL Digital Forum, whose main partners were the City of Bydgoszcz and BARR. Poland will remain a desirable destination for companies seeking the opportunity to transfer some of their processes to more cost-effective locations. Quality of life indicators will also become increa­ sin­gly important for the further development of investments in the business services sector. This increases the chances for cities such as Bydgoszcz, which with their human and office resources, strong educational facilities and pro-investment support from local authorities will attract new investors – and as a boutique location, i.e. a large city without many What is the further perspective? Perhaps disadvantages that characterise large the temporarily adopted solutions will metropolises, can attract more talented permanently become part of the organi­ specialists. sational culture of business service centres, and if the appropriate level of efficiency is maintained, remote work may be not only an additional employee benefit, but a commonly used tool. More information: A redefinition of the needs in terms of the required office space, that plays a more social role as a place for meetings or creative teamworking, is also expected.

More flexible lease forms, e.g. coworking spaces or contracts for the duration of a specific project, will probably gain 4C Unii Lubelskiej Street 85-059 Bydgoszcz value and become more available. Based Phone: +48 52 585 88 23 on the experience of remote working, e-mail: barr@barr.pl the concept of satellite offices and teams www.barr.pl

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Name of the investor: Orange Poland (part of Orange Group) Country of origin: Poland Number of workplaces: 200 in Bydgoszcz (above 18,000 in whole Poland) Sector: telecommunications Company's residence in the city: H+ (Hunger), 21 Jagiellońska Street Occupied place: 1800 sq m in Bydgoszcz (above 300,000 sq m of office space in whole Poland)

Bydgoszcz is next city after Gdańsk, Warsaw, Łódź, Radom and Toruń, in which we invited employees to a modern, friendly and specially arranged work environment.

This time, we focused on nature and music – on the surface of the office there are many flowers, including three large trees, conference rooms bear the names of musical hits, such as “Enjoy the Silence” or “Black and White”, and at its center stands a piano which musically talented employees can use during or after work.

We are sure that this is a space where our employees will work well.

Adam Wrzosek, Director of Work Environment, Orange Poland

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INVESTMENTS

THE SECOND LIFE OF ŁÓDŹ FACTORIES A city within a city. With restaurants, a bakery, theatre, art gallery and museum. This is Monopolis. This fashionable and revitalised space – which combines tradition and modernity – a few years ago was one of those places that could have fallen into decline and turned into ruin after the collapse of its industry.

The office, entertainment and cultural centre Monopolis is located in the third largest post-industrial complex in Łódź on 62 Kopcińskiego Street. The complex of red-brick buildings was erected at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century and was the home of an alcohol production plant, which operated until the early twenty-first century. When the last bottle of vodka was made on the 27th of April 2007, and the plant ceased its activities on the 1st of June 2008, one of the showpieces of the Łódź factory landscape was waiting for better times.

These came in 2013 when a new owner of the whole area appeared – Virako, which

a year later announced that the former a community centre for children. You will ‘Monopol Wódczany’ Spirits Factory be able to relax in two pocket parks and Com­plex was beginning its transforma- on six green roof terraces. tion into Monopolis.

The construction of the Monopolis is The transformation required a lot of work underway. In July this year, a 56-metreand money (according to muratorplus.pl, high crane was ready to erect the other it has so far cost about PLN 150,000,000). office building. Of the twelve storeys, The Monopolis will offer 23,400 square the lower ones will refer to the brick buildmetres of Class A office space, located in ings of the former Polmos facility, while two new office buildings (9 – and 11-storey the upper ones will have a modern glazed high), 5,000 square metres of space form. Not only is the new office building for catering services, a vodka production but the whole Monopolis a combinamuseum, a city gallery and even a private tion of tradition and modernity, most theatre. There will also be a recreational of private revitalisations are carried out swimming pool, a gym, a kindergarten and in a similar manner.

Monopolis – the office, entertainment and cultural centre.

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Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Fuzja, located on 5/7 Tymienieckiego Street, is another example of such an investment. This will be called a destination place. What does it mean? The investor, Echo Investment, explains: A small district with a characteristic and unique atmosphere. For the inhabitants of Łódź – a meeting place in the very heart of the city; for visitors – a great attraction to see and spend some nice time in. Both groups will meet in Fuzja as designs of destination places attract by definition.

The heart of Fuzja will be a historic com­­­ bined heat and power plant, which was commissioned in 1910 to make the industrial empire of Karol Scheibler independent of external power supplies.

The power plant of the Cotton Products Society was built according to a design

by Alfred Frisch, who resigned from Fuzja, which heart will be a historic combined heat and power plant, which was commissioned in 1910. the neo-Renaissance and neo-Baroque style – characteristic of industrial build- a few buildings, a new square for the local the creative industry operate. In March this ings in Łódź – and focused on modernity, community or a renovated street. A whole year, during an extraordinary session, city i.e. Art Nouveau and modernism. fragment of the city is brought back to life councillors approved the plans of the land– a small district designed according to owner, i.e. Cavatina Holding from Krakow, The power plant, which was supposed to a coherent concept that respects the city, who wants to thoroughly modernise intimidate and be a showcase of the power its unique character and its inhabitants – we the place and transform it into an office and of the Scheibler family, remained in oper- can read on the website of Fuzja. residential area. The buildings of the spination until 2003. The building, in which ning mill and dyeing plant will be rebuilt some of the equipment (including Big changes also await the Widzew Cotton and gain additional storeys. Both the revia turbine from 1935) has been preserved, Industry Plant ‘Wi-Ma’. One of the most talised historic buildings and the new area will again show the process of restoring interesting post-industrial complexes in will provide space for offices, trade and degraded areas of the city to life. Thanks Łódź, located on 135 Piłsudskiego Street, services. Over 400 flats will also be built, to this investment Łódź does not only get is today a place where companies from together with multi-storey car parks.

Widzew Cotton Industry Plant ‘Wi-Ma’.

INVESTMENTS

Life has also returned to Geyer Gardens, which have been revitalised since 2017.

This is another place vibrant with the atmosphere of industrial Łódź, which today combines business, entertainment and cultural life. The whole area covers over 10 hectares and is situated between Piotrkowska, Czerwona, Wolczańska and Sieradzka Streets. Years ago, there were textile factories here owned

by Ludwik Geyer – an important figure in the history of Łódź, one of the pioneers

in the development of the textile industry, owner of the first steam-powered textile factory in the Kingdom of Poland. Born in Berlin, Geyer came to Łódź in 1828 and needed only a few years to become one of the most prominent entrepreneurs in the city.

life thanks to Miss Domain, a subsi­ diary of Monnari Trade, which acquired the property in 2016. Space for catering services, trade, cultural centres and residential dwellings has been planned.

This is another point on the map of Łódź where a revitalised post-industrial space will be combined with new buildings.

The place in the heart of Łódź, where Geyer’s products – valued throughout A similar atmosphere can be expethe Kingdom of Poland and the Russian rienced in the New Centre of Łódź – Empire – were made, gained a second a new business, tourist and residential district, where the largest revitalisation projects – both public and private – are underway. Another one will commence soon on 64 Tuwima Street. A tender for the sale of a city property located in the immediate vicinity of the recently revitalised EC1 Science and Technology Centre and the modernised Łódź Fabryczna railway station was won at the end of May by Vantage Development based in Wroclaw. The company offered more than PLN 8,500,000. What are its plans? A historic warehouse located on the plot of land will be renovated with small business in mind. It will house retail and service outlets, as well as catering and entertainment facilities.

Furthermore, the investment will provide about 240 institutionally managed apartments for rent.

Geyer tenement house.

Geyer Gardens is another point on the map of Łódź where a revitalised post-industrial space will be combined with new buildings.

EC1 Science and Technology Centre.

The face of the city is also changed by smaller projects such as the revitalisation of individual historic tenement houses.

Probably the fact that real estate prices in Łódź are significantly lower than in other major Polish cities, investors see the prospect of a high rate of return here. We can already talk about a certain investment fashion for loft apartments and office space in old, meticulously renovated tenement houses and post-industrial buildings.

One of the companies that focuses its activities in this area is Vision Development. Representatives of the company explain: It gives us great satisfaction and is a proud fact that by implementing new construction projects we can participate in the continuous development of the city and protect the rich history and architectural heritage of Łódź by undertaking ambitious projects involving historic and often forgotten buildings. Vision Develop­ment has undertaken, among other things, the revitalisation of a historic tenement house on 44 Piotrkowska Street, together with the new development in the second stage of the project.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

This is just one example of such transformations. Another historic building, erected in 1892, is being renovated

by Revisit Home. The Hanging Gardens Apartments is almost 3,000 square metres of space in the city centre (48 Tuwima Street), where 41 apartments and three commercial units will be built. Art Modern lofts on 8 Wróblewskiego Street, located in a restored former steam power plant from the 19th century – the only remnant of the factory complex of Karol Weile and Stanisław Landau – are also very popular.

The authorities of Łódź emphasise that the aim of the revitalisation efforts, spread over many years, is not only to renovate buildings. The true value is to bring back to life the degraded part of the city and complement it with new functions. Introducing such changes will allow living, working and spending free time better.

And, most importantly, the revitalisation also means working with people, which is aimed at overcoming the social crisis. This cannot be done by the city alone. Broad cooperation and investors who understand the real purpose of revitalisation are needed. Fortunately, there are more and more investors in Łódź who, every year, notice the potential for revitalisation.

More information: Business Development and International Relations Bureau 104a Piotrkowska Street, 90-926 Lodz Phone: +48 42 638 59 39 Fax: +48 42 638 59 40 e-mail: boi@uml.lodz.pl

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INVESTMENTS

IF REMOTELY BASED THEN ONLY IN KIELCE

A CITY OPEN TO NEW! Until recently, none of us was able to imagine what the world might look like in the face of an epidemic threat. Only in the film frames we could see snapshots of what we would really face. The global pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has recently put into question the activities of a huge number of enterprises, and remote work has proved to be an excellent tool enabling the smooth operation of many companies.

In this difficult, demanding situation, cities also see opportunities for deve­ lopment. Created for years in Kielce, good conditions for students, residents, employees and entrepreneurs may become a magnet that will attract people looking for their place in the new reality.

WHY KIELCE? In the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, we focus on the IT sector and work & life balance. For IT companies, we offer very good conditions for doing business, including support in finding a location, in the recruitment and promotion process and for those planning to build new office spaces – tax reliefs and exemptions. Kielce is also attractive due to its location – placement between two strong centers, Warsaw and Krakow, by the expressway S7, complemented by modern road infrastructure forms an undoubted advantage. The capital of the Świętokrzyskie region is inha­ bited by nearly 200 thousand people, of which 112 thousand is in working age. The unemployment rate is around 5.5 percent. There are over 29,000 companies in the city.

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An employee – a resident connected or willing to tie up with the city, a freelancer looking for a place to live and work from home, a person who wants to open up a business or work remotely away from the hustle and bustle of large metropolises, Kielce tempt with a number of amenities and offers. The city's main advantages are a green and clean spece with five reserves, unique geological conditions on a European scale, a network of modernized bicycle paths, excellent teleinformation infrastructure, rich cultural offer, opportunities for active leisure and a price-competitive housing market.

working hours are requirements that a dozen years ago were never consi­ dered, and which nowadays make the city authorities undertake a number of activi­ ties aimed at harmonizing the professional and private life of their residents.

As a result, Kielce has changed spectacularly in recent years, gaining a good reputation both among residents and investors, becoming an interesting example of how to care for the quality of life and at the same time create conditions for professional fulfillment.

Kielce is a city where more and more people are coming back. Coming back to start a family here and raise children in the city of slow life. The availability of places in nurseries in Kielce is very high, which helps young parents from the very beginning. Free programs for the prevention of meningococcal infections among children implemented in the city are also highly appreciated.

Two public universities and several private institutions in Kielce currently educate nearly 20,000 young people. Nearly 6,000 students study at the Kielce technical university – Kielce University of Technology. IT majors – a forge of talents for the IT sector is the most popular choice of young people. However, the university focuses not only on programming and the IT industry. The Kielce technical university educates world champions in the robotics and cosmonautics sector.

Last year's European Rover Challenge in

The proximity of green areas and what the city has to offer to its residents after

STUDENTS, EDUCATION AND STAFF

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Kielce once again proved that the teams from Kielce are world leaders when it comes to designing, creating and programming Martian robots – "rovers".

REMOTELY BASED? EVEN FROM THE OTHER HEMISPHERE! As the global pandemic has put the implementation of many events into question, the next edition of the European Rover Challenge (ERC) has also been put into question. However, an unprecedented solution was found.

During the final of the event scheduled for September 11-13 this year, the teams will compete in field competitions, which – for the first time in the history of ERC – will be conducted in a remote formula.

The struggles of participants controlling a robot physically located on the Martian track in Kielce with the help of a simulation platform will be able to be followed as part of a live internet broadcast. As last

The current forecasts and market analyzes clearly show that many companies no longer perceive a threat to work efficiency in the home office and intend to leave them in this mode for a longer period of time. For those working from home, who need to come to an office periodically, the ideal location are intimate cities, different from large metropolises, with an excellent offer for a remote employee.

We encourage you to take the direction to Kielce.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

year, the sixth edition of the ERC will be accompanied by a business conference in the hybrid form: some of the speeches will be held at the venue in Kielce, and the entire program will be broadcast live online.

THE COMPANY IN A REMOTE WORK MODE A perfect example of the company's operation in the remote work mode is the company Britenet, which employs several dozen programmers in Kielce.

It turns out that a well-conducted transition to work in the home office mode and ongoing verification of the tasks carried out help in maintaining the commitment at the same high level.

– We made it – admits Tomasz Dziki, vice president and co-owner of Britenet.

At Britenet, most employees switched to home office in the second half of March.

This decision was dictated by the need to ensure safety and minimize the risk of coronavirus infection. At that time, new rules of work organization were introduced. All people working in home office mode were provided with the necessary equipment (laptops, computers), as well as peripheral devices (additional monitors, headphones, etc.).

In addition, throughout the entire period of the epidemic, the employees were supported by the IT Department and the Helpdesk, which was at their disposal.

– Employees working from home were obliged to record their working time on a daily basis, that is the time when the working day begins and ends, in our internal system. To ensure effective

Remote work enables the reduction of many costs of running a business (e.g. reducing the demand for office space), allocating human resources in different parts of the country, where labor costs and housing prices are much lower. According to the data of the National Bank of Poland, in Kielce, a square meter of an apartment on the secondary market costs PLN 4,578 average. This is the least of the 17 cities included in the analysis.

The most expensive apartments are in Warsaw (PLN 9,705), Gdańsk (PLN 8,347) and Kraków (PLN 7,766).

communication, the frequency of organi­ zing video and teleconferences was increased, during which a detailed work plan for the next day or week was established and the progress and division of tasks in projects were discussed – recalls Magdalena Chabros-Borny, Director of the Communication and Administration Department.

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

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INVESTMENTS

Festival of Colors in Lisiniec Park.

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Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Janusz Korczak Public Kindergarten.

CATCH THE BALANCE IN CZĘSTOCHOWA The situation in which the world found itself at the beginning of 2020 showed what had previously been or seemed to be unnoticeable. Being forced to stay at home and slowing down showed us how much the balance between work and personal life was disturbed in most households.

Some psychologists and sociologists believe that, from interpersonal relationships, the COVID-19 pandemic may turn out to be a significant turning point in the thinking of today's 25-45-year-old generation. There has been a return to nature, to the use of its flairs in a sustainable way and a turn towards another human being and the search for humanity in a computerized and technologically advanced modern world has not turned out to be as easy as one might suppose.

2020 competition organized by the Local Government Service of the Polish Press Agency for the Better Job Now program.

BJN is a series of activities aimed at ensu­­­­ring a higher level of work from the employee and the employer, helping parents return to the labour market, raising the level of education and improving the quality of life in Częstochowa. You can see the information on the BJN program in the database of urban innovations of the Polish Deve­lopment Fund.

In Częstochowa, people are the most MAN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT important – employees, students, entreCzęstochowa was among the finalists preneurs – current and new residents, of the INNOVATIVE SELF-GOVERNMENT whom the city invites by offering better

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

jobs, availability of schools, kindergartens, numerous recreational areas and unusually attractive Jurassic neighbourhood, unique in Europe.

NOT ONLY ECONOMIC ZONES Częstochowa, not being a big city, contrary to appearances, has more to offer its inhabitants than you might think. Częstochowa annually has over two hundred cultural events organi­ ­zed by the city. Most of them are family-oriented, and this is the way inhabi­ tants perceive them. For lovers of high culture, there is the rich repertoire of the Częstochowa Philharmonic and

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INVESTMENTS

Częstochowa is proudly called the gate to the Jurassic, and the city's activities in this area are more and more visible.

The city is open to cyclists, inline skaters, lovers of horse sports, climbers or those who want to see the world from a bird's eye view.

North District.

Nieznanice Palace.

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the Teatr im. Adama Mickiewicza under the artistic direction of Magdalena Piekorz.

In Częstochowa, for over 20 years, the International Festival of Sacred Music "Gaude Mater" has been organized, which annually attracts world-famous artists to the city and at the same time teaches how it is possible to conduct dialogue through art beautifully and beyond divisions. For those interested in a slightly lighter, but similar subject, the city organizes HOT JAZZ SPRING International Festival of Traditional Jazz and since 2002, the International Festival of Chamber Music.

cooperate with the commune, create cooperatives and organize the lives of local communities, making the inhabi­ tants more active and socially sensitive.

CITY OF PEOPLE

More information:

FAMILY FRIENDLY

Częstochowa was the first in the country to introduce a program of co-financing in vitro procedures from the city budget and, as part of this, a week ago, the fiftysecond inhabitant of Częstochowa was born – it is a pro-family city. The changes that have been taking place in Częstochowa in recent years have made its countenance change a lot – it is no longer just a one-day trip destination or a stopJURASSIC GATE over on a further journey. Numerous rankThere is no need to convince anyone ings indicate the city as a location alterabout the tourist and recreational advan- native for various sectors of the economy, tages of the immediate vicinity of the city. including BSS, but also as a city worth Częstochowa is proudly called the gate moving to and living in, because it is to the Jurassic, and the city's activities a great city to start a family, safe, with in this area are more and more visible. a low crime rate. A town with a great The city is open to cyclists, inline skaters, tradition, history and a beautiful future. lovers of horse sports, climbers or those A place of inventive, socially sensitive, who want to see the world from a bird's enterprising people and also well-trained eye view. That is due to the cooperation professionals. with neighbouring communes, whose inhabitants often work in Częstochowa. All this makes it worth living in CzęstoBicycle paths and hiking trails connect chowa, worth working, worth resting all those communes. Thanks to this, you – find this balance without which you can leave the city centre in a quite short cannot be an efficient worker or a valutime – 10 minutes by car from the KSEZ able member of any community. area – and find yourself in the beautiful Sokole Mountains, Towarne Mountains or Author: A. Mielczarek Translation: M. Wytrzymała at the Warta River.

Częstochowa, apart from significant achievements in acquiring European Funds, can pride itself on the very high activity of its inhabitants in the field of social economy. Organizations of the third sector are very active here and, with the support of the city authorities, contribute to building a positive image of the city. Almost eight hundred of third sector organizations operate out of two hundred and twenty thousand inhabi­ tants. They deal with all aspects of life,

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 | September–October 2020

Sheep grazing near the castle in Olsztyn.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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INVESTMENTS

THE

LAUNDROMAT The financial sector has been one of the strongest pillars of the 3cITy Business Services Sector. Historically the high paying sector has dealt with regulatory issues, but it has evolved. Today, this sector has expanded its catalogue of services to include transfers, currency exchanges, financial products and instruments, know your customer (KYC) and Anti Money Laundry (AML) services.

Thanks to a strong academic presence in the field of finance and accounting, as well as linguistics, global companies have started their shared service centers in Gdańsk or Gdynia – Sony Pictures, Metsa, DNV GL, Kemira, Thyssenkrupp, Staples Solutions and Swarovski are just a few examples.

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It started with easy-to-automate processes and banking back offices, but the companies soon took the lead roles as the authors of future transformation by bringing added value to the local economy, while developing the level and scope of services offered. For example, the Arla Global Financial Service Center, present on the local

market since 2008, decided to seriously reinvest and change the organization of work in 2018, or how the PwC Financial Crime Unit and Bayer Service Center Gdańsk became one of the largest employers in the sector.

So, how did the 3cITy build one of the cleanest (anti) laundries in the world?

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

40,000 institutions in 190 countries. All these companies have found their way in the dynamically evolving financial system, which is subject to justified pressure and scrutiny from the regulatory authorities.

BASIC WASH In 2012, as the world reported a recordbreaking USD$ 1.9 billion fine for the British bank HSBC, mainly for money laundering for Mexican drug cartels, the eyes of most financial institutions were focused on mechanisms to control and safeguard against similar situations. Meanwhile, in the Thomson Reuters office in Gdynia, proprietary AML (anti-money laundering) and KYC (Know Your Customer) solutions were already being developed.

A few years later, a similar shock occurred in Europe, due to the scandal at Denmark's largest and oldest (150 years!) bank, Danske for the laundering of over USD$ 200 billion. This case along with the scandal at Lehmann Brothers, con­­ firms that "No one is too big to fail". This further legitimized PwC's decision to establish a Financial Crime Unit in Gdańsk.

Followed a few months later, by an investment announcement by State Street Bank Poland. They were expanding their services to include support and admini­ stration for mutual funds, asset value calculations, financial instrument valuation, decision making on international investment portfolios, and reporting.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Continuous verification of the risk assessment itself is forced by newer methods of money laundering, financing organi­ ­zed crime and terrorism. Thanks to the right tools and qualified experts, further abuses like tax fraud, market manipu­ lation, corruption, use of confidential information and breach of security are revealed and stopped. Professional screening and monitoring of changes in the identity status of the end customer RINSING or natural persons who hold prominent Currently, 3cITy is a leading center for political positions or perform signifiAML / KYC operations in Europe, with cant public functions (PEP) are just a few more than 2,500 specialists employed examples of preventing the integraby PwC FCU, Refinitiv (Started in 2018 tion of funds from illegal sources with on the foundations of Thomson Reuters the financial system.

Financial & Risk as a result of ownership changes) and State Street Bank Poland. In less than a decade, 3cITy has become one of the key financial security hubs.

When creating such advanced process The digital world automates repetitive branches and services that are being functions, focusing efforts on ensuring shipped globally, companies speak security – data, identity, investment. multiple languages and employ people We expect further progression towards from across the world. Refinitiv and advanced processes that dynamically PwC FCU, oscillating around 30, are increase employment and expand among the local record holders in terms customer markets. Much was said about of the number of foreign languages the reputation of Polish plumbers, supported. Each of the aforementioned now the largest global leaks are sealed companies has developed its own by highly qualified staff in air-condichannel of contact with universities, tioned offices in Pomerania. In this case, directly influencing not only the labour even Calgon will not extend the life market, but also the education offer. of the washing machine. Both PwC FCU and State Street Bank Poland signi­ficantly increased the level Author: Bartosz Wojtasiak of employment compared to the initially declared, consistently adding new More information: services and increasing their reach based on the possibilities of scaling the business in the 3cITy.

THE SPIN CYCLE The Gdańsk and Kraków branches jointly service over 70% of State Street Corporation’s investment funds in Europe, Middle East and Africa. In turn, the PwC Financial Crime Unit is the largest AML competence center in the world, with other offices in the USA, Northern Ireland, India and the Philippines. Refinitiv can speak of a similar range, serving over

al. Grunwaldzka 472 D Olivia Business Centre – Olivia Six 80-309 Gdańsk Phone: 58 32 33 256 e-mail: office@investinpomerania.pl bartosz.wojtasiak@investinpomerania.pl www.investinpomerania.pl

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INVESTMENTS WINNER OF 2020

OUTSOURCING STARS

HOW DID THE BUSINESS IN POZNAŃ DEAL WITH THE CRISIS?

Each crisis is also an opportunity – with this in mind, we have asked Poznań companies from the modern services industry, how they worked through the mandatory office closure and what lessons they learned from this period. The Heads of Arvato Supply Chain Solutions in Poland, Capgemini Software Solutions Centre, Miele Global Services, ROCKWOOL Global Business Services and TomTom have shared their reflections with us.

DID THE LOCKDOWN RESULT IN INTRODUCING ANY INNOVATIONS INTO YOUR WORK ORGANISATION? IF YES, WHAT WAS YOUR EMPLOYEES’ RESPONSE? DID THE NEW CONCEPTS PROVE THEIR VALUE AND WILL THEY BE IN USE FOR LONGER? Lidia Ratajczak-Kluck, CEO of Arvato Supply Chain Solutions in Poland: At Arvato Supply Chain Solutions in Poland, we were very quick to respond to the new situation. Wherever possible, teleworking was introduced. This change was very well received by our employees.

Moreover, at present we are discussing an ultimate change of the work model for our employees and keeping for good the possibility of working from home on a full time basis for a specific group of employees.

The fact that, starting from March, we moved our IT environment to the cloud and made it more digital, definitely contributed to the good operation of the remote work model. The cloud platform we use, is based on the Microsoft Office 365 technology and has highest quality security standards. It has allowed

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us to introduce state-of-the-art tools that support communication and facilitate better organisation of Microsoft Teams meetings – a perfect substitute for real life ones.

employees adjusted to the new mode well and fast. What we found most important was to maintain continuity of supply of high-quality solutions for our customers and ensure safety and comfort for our employees.

In addition, these technological solutions, as well as the use of new tools supporting remote training, have enabled us to continue development programmes for our employees held so far in a regular manner. Most likely this form of education and hybrid training models will stay with us a little longer.

In the face of the pandemic-related restrictions, we switched to online communication using MS Teams, Skype or other tools meant to support distributed workforce collaboration. We introduced a series of webinars on various topics, under the common title “StayWellatHome”, and the “Among­Others” podcasts. The guests Michał Mikucki, Branch Manager we invited provided advice on how to effiCapgemini Poznań: ciently maintain a work-life balance when As Capgemini, we switched to remote staying at the same place, namely at home. work very efficiently when the pandemic We talked about healthy eating, sports and arrived. Due to the fact that we had mental health, but also travel and business. worked with our customers in this form Since April, we have conducted online before, the process ran smoothly. Our courses with a personal coach, and yoga

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

At present, we are slowly returning to the office, with some limitations and applying special security procedures. classes for our employees. Our employees can also access various thematic channels on the MS Teams platform, to name for instance “Capgemini’s Kitchen”, where they enjoy sharing their recipes.

At present, we are slowly returning to the office, with some limitations and applying special security procedures.

Daily contact with others guarantees a constant exchange of various skills, both technical and soft, as well as best practices. It ensures that our employees develop into experts, but also facilitates better teamwork, also in our relationships with customers. We have always put our trust in team spirit and we do hope that in time we will be seeing more and more of each other along our company’s corridors. Office work will remain our preferred work model, however this period of time showed us that an even more flexible model is possible and, first of all, will be welcomed by our employees.

Anna Meduna, Managing Director at Miele Global Services: At Miele, we adopted to new conditions swiftly and here I owe a debt of gratitude to our employees – it took us one day to successfully implement the home

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

office. I certainly must admit that applications such as Skype or Teams and the ERP systems we use at Miele were of great help to us in switching to digital communication so quickly. Our new practices include: • an entirely different onboarding process, now extended by a virtual walk around the office, online thematic sessions and interactive materials, and, most importantly, we took care of the “human aspect”, too. Each new employee has a buddy assigned to assist them through the first days of their new job and ensure good atmosphere and energy; • introduction of everyday morning team catch-ups where we discuss our work schedule or answer any questions that might arise; • digital town hall – this is where we talk about the company’s situation and plans, and where also questions to me or the leaders can be posed. What is important, these sessions show us how fast we develop as Miele – there is more of us every month; • among a little more unusual and tongue-in-cheek actions, we have the Home Office Challenge. Here we could see pictures of our employees’

lockdown metamorphoses: new haircuts, beards, and sometimes unique outfits. Despite the lack of direct contact, we now know more about one another. During video conferences, we met many photobombers – lazy cats, barking dogs, children asking for help with their school work, neighbours obsessively renovating their apartments or mowing lawns, great grandparents looking at us from paintings in gilded frames... We have been offered a unique opportunity to get to know each other the way we are every day.

What I have listed above is just a part of all changes, but most importantly, our approach at Miele met with a very positive response from our employees.

Regarding remote working, the employer’s trust and putting employees’ safety first were particularly appreciated. This trust has translated into numerous recommendations of new candidates for subsequent recruitment processes.

In the future, we plan to increase the num-­­­­ ber of remote working days as this work model is highly valued by our employees, for instance in terms of a positive worklife balance.

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INVESTMENTS

No possibility of face-to-face meetings between employees resulted in more extensive use of conference systems and instant messengers. The quality and availability of systems for everyday communication between employees became a critical factor for the operations of our entire business.

Robert Borkiewicz, Digital Poznan Center of Excellence Head at ROCKWOOL Global Business Services: The COVID-19 crisis resulted in significant changes in the way our teams work. And I refer here not only to ROCKWOOL Global Business Services located in Poznań, but the ROCKWOOL Company globally.

of our entire business. New tools and work rules were introduced quickly, enabling the company to cope with the crisis fully prepared for fast response to any new market needs stirred up by the effects of the pandemic.

sessions for everyone – during which we have communicated our progress and the company’s current situation, AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions at which our employees can ask our leaders questions about literally anything and have been quite eager to seize this opportunity.

Questions posed included: “Why have you stayed with the company for so long?” all the way to “What is our present financial standing?.” Furthermore, we have increased the number of surveys conducted in order to check how our employees are doing, how they feel in these new circumstances.

Such a big work-from-home experiment would not have been possible in a “normal” situation, it would have most likely taken us much longer.

The new ways of working have settled in already, becoming the everyday reality With our production running as usual for our employees all over the world, but although in the new sanitary regime meant the ROCKWOOL Company holds dear to protect employees against the corona- the style and atmosphere resulting from virus spread, most of our offices around maintaining good relationships between the world quickly decided to switch to employees on a daily basis, therefore our the home office mode. Which in turn people are returning to their respective resulted in a higher than usual demand offices as restrictions are lifted in individual for external connections to the corporate countries, although we pay close attennetwork and required developing new tion to the risk for employees arising from rules for such connections in order not the office work that seemed so normal not to overload channels used to connect to long ago.

Our employees responded to these the company’s critical information systems. changes very well, which is proven by Marcin Liersz, Sr Manager Software the comment: “Our communication has Predictably, no possibility of face-to-face Engineering at TomTom: never been this good”. Considering our meetings between employees resulted in YES, it was a huge challenge to switch observation that people have worked more extensive use of conference systems our entire organisation (almost 4,500 remotely even more effectively than before and instant messengers. The quality employees) to home working basically and that they have received the improveand availability of systems for everyday within one week. Many initiatives were ments introduced so well, I am convinced communication between employees introduced to ensure that everything was that a great many of thesewill stay with us became a critical factor for the operations going in the right direction. These include for a long time.

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Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

HOW DID THE LOCKDOWN AFFECT YOUR COMPANY’S BUSINESS MODEL? HAS COVID-19 TAUGHT YOU SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU BETTER PREPARED FOR MANAGING FUTURE CRISES? Marcin Liersz, Sr Manager Software Engineering at TomTom: We do not know yet what “The World After Covid-19” will look like, but it will certainly be different. It turned out that we had been able to operate without business trips for months – which remains TomTom’s reality even today.

The pandemic has confirmed us in our beliefs that our employees can rise to the challenge even in difficult circumstances, and complete their projects.

Even though not all of us can see each other every day as yet, we are an integrated community and make very good project teams.

When it became possible to reopen offices, we did that as soon as we could, in the first place facilitating return to work for those who had difficulty working from home. However, with social responsibility in mind, we encouraged remote work because we knew that not all companies could afford it. After further easing of restrictions related to office work, I can see that over a month later a vast majority of employees (95%) still choose remote working. This will certainly affect our future decisions, for instance business processes connected with recruiting new employees or onboarding them. Working at a certain location will not matter as much as it did before COVID-19.

Anna Meduna, Managing Director at Miele Global Services: In many respects, the lockdown positively affected our business model. Our meetings are now planned even more precisely, supported by multimedia and our employees’ creative ideas. More than that – we have proven that transition can take place remotely, irrespective of further COVID-19 developments, and as Miele, we are ready to grow and establish cooperation with new countries.

The last three months have proven that we make a good team, flexible and with enough resources to act even in difficult and exceptional conditions. We are optimistic about the future because we know we can do it!

This has other consequences, too – now we have to compete for engineers in the local market even more, this time with the entire IT world.

As regards our business model, because of the situation worldwide, two TomTom’s products have become even more popular. I am talking about our Traffic Index – here we can see perfectly how the characteristics of human behaviour change in connection with the lockdown – and geolocation APIs. Of course, I hope this trend will continue.

Michał Mikucki, Branch Manager Capgemini Poznań: As the Capgemini Group, we have coped with this huge change by being flexible and meeting customer needs – which have been updated daily. We have been able to foresee the direction of changes and modify our projects accordingly.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Nobody wishes for another surge of crisis, but I think now we are all better prepared for the introduction of any necessary changes that would protect our employees against new threats while preserving the character and culture of our company.

Lidia Ratajczak-Kluck, CEO of Arvato Supply Chain Solutions in Poland: Our business model did not change as it had been flexible even before the COVID-19 situation. All we needed to do was to make decisions and manage risks more often and even faster. COVID-19 has certainly confirmed that transparent and regular communication with employees, customers and suppliers is necessary to maintain trust, peace and security.

The above statements have been taken from our “2 Questions for the Boss” series published on the “Invest in Poznan” fanpage. Please feel welcome to visit it for more information about the modern service industry in Poznań and initiatives of the Investor Relations Department Robert Borkiewicz, Digital Poznan of Poznań City Hall. Centre of Excellence Head at ROCKWOOL Global Business Services: Undoubtedly, the coronavirus pandemic crisis has taught the entire ROCKWOOL organisation to respond quickly to new working conditions and new ways of conducting business activity.

In particular, the responsible attitude of our employees must be appreciated, as they quickly adjusted to the new restrictions and regimes introduced by the governments of respective coun- More information: tries, but also by the Management Board of the Company whose regulations provided additional protection against unnecessary risk. Our managers also underwent a fast, but as it now Investor Relations Department turns out, efficient baptism by fire, City of Poznań Za Bramką 1 Street, 61-842 Poznan responding capably to changing condiPhone: +48 61 878 54 28 tions for the functioning of societies e-mail: inwestor@um.poznan.pl and businesses in individual countries. www.poznan.pl/invest

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INVESTMENTS

LUBLIN CLOSER, QUICKER AND SAFER THAN EVER

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Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Communication accessibility with a well-developed road infrastructure is a key factor determining the socio-economic development of cities and regions, but also one of the main criteria influencing the decision to locate a particular investment. Proper connectivity means shorter delivery times and lower costs of approaching customers.

For many years Eastern Poland could only dream of motorways and express roads like those existing in western provinces of Poland. However, thanks to huge investments with the participation of EU funds, the inhabitants of Lublin and the whole region, as well as people travelling to the capital of the Lublin Region, can now travel much faster and more comfortably from any place in the country.

on the route of the Via Carpatia Corridor, which runs from northern Europe through the Lithuanian port city Klaipėda to Thessaloniki by the Black Sea. The southern section of the S19 between Lublin and Rzeszow is already a major construction site. From there you can take the A4 motorway in the direction of Krakow and continue on to Germany. The tendering procedure for the investment announced in June 2020 concerns the northern section of the S19 between Lublin and The most important road investment Lubartów towards Białystok. The investfor Lublin is S17 expressway, which ment is planned for 2022-2025. connects Lublin with Warsaw and, from the east, with the border crossing with Not only will the distance and travel time Ukraine in Hrebenne. On July 17, 2020, from Lublin to other cities in Poland be another 24 km of the express road shortened, but also the safety and quality were put into operation, including of travel on newly built roads will be the ring road of Kołbiel (about 8.7 km improved. Lublin itself can boast the title of a two-lane road) and the section from of the most driver-friendly city, awarded this ring road to the Lubelska nod (about in the 2019 ranking of the country's cities 15 km). This is a great relief for travel- by the Oponeo distribution company and lers, as the constantly busy roundabout the Yanosik navigation application. in Kołbiel meant a long waiting time.

Drivers now have a total of 142 kilometres What is important, the survey was not of a two-lane road between Lublin and based on the opinions of the inhabitants Warsaw at their disposal. of individual cities, who are sometimes biased, but on hard data about the largest It’s not the end of the good news Polish cities in various categories: for both the drivers and the city of Lublin. • parking, The General Directorate of State Roads • number of collisions, and Highways has launched a tender • fuel prices, procedure for the next stage of S19 • average speed, expressway, the second major commu- • the cost of changing tyres, nication route for Lublin, which will • the price of liability insurance, allow convenient traffic from the north • ecological driving, to the south of Poland. This will put Lublin • car sharing.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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INVESTMENTS

For the second year in a row, Lublin proved to be the best city for motorists. This proves that the road investments in Lublin in recent years and the city administration’s smart transport and communication policies are producing the intended results.

To prepare the ranking, the authors of the survey gave each city a score in a spe­­­ cific category, with 9 points for the best city and 1 point for the weakest city. The survey covered two groups of cities in Poland: those with up to 300,000 inhabitants (scores on a scale from 1 to 10) and cities with over 300,000 inhabitants. In the latter group, behind Lublin, which scored 46 out of 61 possible points, Szczecin and Gdańsk came second with 40 points.

The data collected from municipalities, city road management offices and the mobile navigation application Yanosik showed that Lublin performs best in the country in terms of average speed, calculated as speed both in the city centre and within city limits. This result shows that the traffic jams and congestion rate in Lublin are one of the lowest in Poland, especially consi­ dering cities such as Krakow and Wrocław, which have been struggling with high congestion for many years.

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Moreover, Lublin offers the lowest annual cost of car insurance, which was PLN 536, followed by Krakow (PLN 599) and Byd­­­ goszcz (PLN 611). To calculate the insu­ rance tariff in this category, the authors of the study created a fictional character of a 35-year-old married man with two children driving the three most popular car models. As could be expected, the last places in this category of the ranking were occupied by Wrocław, Gdańsk and Warsaw.

As far as the average cost of tyre fitting is concerned, Lublin once again took first place in the ranking (PLN 20.14). The data also show that motorists in Lublin can be satisfied with the level of parking fees, which are among the lowest (3rd place) of all the cities studied (PLN 2.89 per hour, ex-aequo with Wrocław). Moreover, Lublin takes the second place in the category of fuel prices, and only Łódź can boast of cheaper fuel.

However, it must be honestly said that there are also criteria where Lublin lags behind its competitors, such as traffic safety, ecological driving and Park & Ride infrastructure. Nonetheless, with recently completed P&R investments in the suburbs (Choiny Street, Abramowicka Street), planned P&R and K&R infrastructure at other major entry/exit points throughout the city, and a growing number of charging stations for electric cars, Lublin is well on its way to improving its position in these categories in next year's survey.

Finally, as the tenth largest city in Poland, Lublin has the sixth largest car sharing fleet (149 cars). Only Warsaw, Tricity, Kraków, Wrocław and Poznań have more cars in the system, but they are all much larger locations. In the group of cities with up to 300,000 inhabitants, Gliwice left the competition behind with an excellent result of 51 out of 68 points, followed

by Kielce (50) and Sosnowiec (48).

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Lithuanian Square (Plac Litewski) in Lublin.

Lublin is also the safest city in Poland – this is the conclusion from the second edition of a nationwide Ranking of Districts 2020 prepared by real estate portal Otodom.

Interestingly, for the second year in a row, Lublin proved to be the best city for motorists. In 2018 the podium positions were almost equal, with Szczecin and Gdansk taking second and third places.

This proves that the road investments in Lublin in recent years and the city administration's smart transport and communication policies are producing the intended results.

aspects, including safety, communica- successively integrated into the expanding tion, availability of attractions, stores and agglomeration. This phenomenon is healthcare, costs of living, as well as infra- observed in almost all cities under scrutiny. structure for children and animals.

It can be concluded that all aspects evaluIn the category of safest cities, Lublin ated for the purposes of the above rankings topped the ranking with a score of 3.92, constitute what is commonly referred to as followed by Białystok and Gdańsk (both the quality of life and reflect how positively 3.91). Third on the list of safest cities is Lublin is perceived as a city that is friendly Szczecin (3.85), and the next positions for both its citizens and for the people who were taken by Warsaw (3.84), Gdynia (3.81) visit this largest business and cultural Lublin is also the safest city in Poland – this and Poznań (3.78). centre of Eastern Poland. is the conclusion from the second edition of a nationwide Ranking of Districts 2020 As part of the study, Lublin’s residents were prepared by real estate portal Otodom. asked about their opinions on the safest More information: Authors of the compilation also checked and most dangerous places to live in which neighbourhoods are recommended the city. According to them, the safest for living, and where the overall safety districts are Sławin (4.38 out of 5 points), should be improved.

Szerokie (4.37) and Abramowice (4.33).

Interestingly, these are all peripheral This year’s study was carried out by the IQS districts with quick transport links into Łukasz Goś Director of Investor Relations Office research agency for Otodom among over the city centre, dominated by low-rise Lublin City Hall 120,000 residents of 12 major Polish cities. single-family development. These used to Phone: +48 81 466 25 42 They were ranked from 1 to 5 in various be suburban areas and villages which were e-mail: lukasz.gos@lublin.eu

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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HR NEWS MARTA RÓŻAŃSKA HAS JOINED BPiON BPiON is proud to introduce our new Client Service Director, Marta Różańska who has joined our Polish operation as of 1st July 2020.

BPiON has been in Poland from 2018 but started full speed only 1 year ago, in July 2019, when Rafał Nadolny, Managing Director at BPiON Poland has joined our team. During the past year Rafal and Béla Kakuk, CEO has built up a dynamic operation of BPiON in Warsaw. Our 70 employees provide accounting and payroll services to 120 multinational clients.

Because of the rapidly increasing client portfolio and our strategic development plans, it was time to dedicate a new professional expert to manage the delivery team and support the accounting, payroll & HR, process transformation, trust, and SSC service improvements.

Marta spent 11 years in business process outsourcing at ADP Poland, has a solid professional background in handling multinational BPO services and clients.

THIS IS HOW YOUR SALARY COMPARES TO DIGITAL MARKETERS ACROSS THE WORLD • Japan is the country offering the highest salaries for Digital Marketeers (€63,964).

• The United Kingdom offers the lowest salary for Digital Marketing Managers (€35,920).

• A Digital Marketeer’s salary can increase by approximately €30,000 depending on their years of experience.

• Web Developers, E-Commerce Managers and PR Managers are the highest earners amongst digital careers.

• Abby Chinnery, Managing Director at Reboot Online, reveals what you need to be successful in Digital Marketing.

With that in mind, the marketing experts at Reboot Digital Marketing Agency sought to find out more about the benefits of being a Digital Marketeer across the globe. By searching through job listings from different countries, Reboot Digital Marketing Agency was able to identify the average salary a Digital Marketing Manager can earn.

The best country to be a Digital Marketing Manager has been revealed to be Japan, where the professional can earn €63,964 on average. Next on the list we find China, the country offering a whopping €62,329 Over the past years we have noticed to their digital specialist. USA is third significant leaps in technology which on the list with €61,151. have changed our lives in many ways, including the way with work. Digital Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for skills are needed more than ever and will the United Kingdom, where the average continue to grow in popularity as tech- Digital Marketing Manager is earning nology continues to evolve, making it €35,920, almost half as much as they a great industry to join. would earn in Japan. The European

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country that values Digital Marketing skills the most is Denmark, where you can earn around €60,616 .

Experience pays a great role in how much a person earns, so Reboot Digital Marketing Agency had a look at the salaries a Digital Marketing Manager can expect depending on how many years they’ve worked under that role.

If you are interested in joining the digital world but Digital Marketing is not up your alley, there are many other jobs to explore. Reboot Digital Marketing Agency found out how much you would be able to earn for each one of them once you make it to the managerial level.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

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CAREER & DEVELOPMENT ADVERTORIAL

BODY LEASING: WHAT IS IT, FOR WHOM, AND WHY? It’s quite possible that you have come across the concept of body leasing, but never in practice – you’ve just heard of it. Perhaps you didn’t need it. But this may change any time as body leasing, or outsourcing of specialists, is becoming more and more popular. What is it exactly about?

For whom? Why is it a good idea? All of this is discussed in the article below. Let’s go!

BODY LEASING: WHAT IS IT? As I have already mentioned, it is also referred to as outsourcing of specialists.

Other names are used, too: employee leasing or making employees available to a company for a specific time, as per the contract. Thanks to this arrangement, you can get valuable support literally overnight, which really counts in the case of projects with a very tight deadline.

Depending on the needs, this form of cooperation may last just a few days or even several months. Importantly – and this is true for the entire philosophy of outsourcing – when using body leasing, you make savings both in the economic and the organizational dimension. You acquire an experienced and reliable employee in the given field and you don’t hire him or her, which means you don’t have to carry out the whole painstaking and expensive recruitment process.

Which, as it sometimes happens, is not guaranteed to provide you with a candidate that is perfect for the job. This solution is particularly popular in the IT sector, which is where j-labs operates.

instead of one person, you lease a whole team. You can build it to fit the client’s needs or use a ready one, composed of specialists from various areas. It’s best when team members are well-­ -coordinated and have worked together before. However, as different projects have different requirements, it’s difficult to outsource the same team in each case. In some situations, you need more software developers, in other cases, you will mostly need testers, and sometimes, a cross-functional team is what works best. There are lots of different scenarios, so there is no point in listing all of the possible variants; what’s important is that everything depends on what the project is like.

BODY LEASING: FOR WHOM? WHEN IS IT USEFUL? WHAT IS IT LIKE?

• Richness in synergy, or everyone wins The benefits of body leasing can be illustrated with a number of examples.

This is especially important in the case of software houses, i.e. companies that primarily engage in producing software.

The fluctuations occurring in such organi­ An extended service is also available: zations as to the number of projects team leasing. As the name suggests, may be handled by means of body

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leasing, the assumption being that some of the headcount (0–10%) are employed through outsourcing. This allows for flexibility in terms of the number of employees hired by the company. It’s also beneficial for the employees since, when working through an agent like that, they have access to various projects and organizational cultures. In a body leasing company, everyone can choose from among the available clients and projects. This produces a synergy and cooperation effect: the software house buffers the number of employees through its suppliers and the suppliers are able to ensure stability for their employees.

One example is j-labs, which provides specialists of various expertise and works with a large number of clients (currently, 40+), which guarantees active participation in many interesting projects. Sometimes, there are fears that becoming a part of this 10% of the headcount that is permanently assigned to software houses may end in no employment. There is no such risk. Quite the contrary: the agent (in this case, the employer) guarantees job stability specifically because of the fact that he works with several dozens of employees at the same time.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

Body leasing advantages

OPERATIONS

• Simple accounting – one invoice.

• Only cost of working hours – time & material.

• Awareness in creation of our engineers career paths.

• Standarized engineer’s verification with PDA (Personal Development Assessment) at last once a year.

• Responsibility for the engineer on the j-labs side.

TIME • Proven engineers available in short time.

• Engagement only for the project duration.

• Engineers with declared competences at declared time.

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP • Deep understanding of customer’s project requirements.

• Dedicated account manager for each engineer.

• Long-term relationships with our customers.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

RECRUITMENT

• Fully specialized recruitment team.

• Rich engineer’s CV database.

• Single-face contact (dedicated recruitment specialist to each candidate).

• Standarized enginerr’s technical verification.

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CAREER & DEVELOPMENT ADVERTORIAL

j-labs is a Software Delivery Center from Cracow, Poland.

They provide complete development teams, individual engineers, and the outsourcing of whole projects in an agile model.

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• When a specialist is needed here and now Body leasing guarantees access to specialists in terms of new technologies.

For instance if there’s a company that lacks experts in the given field because it is planning to develop a new project and that entails breaking unknown ground.

In many cases, a new employee is acquired through recruitment. More often, however, this idea is ditched because of too many organizational, financial, and time-related burdens. Body leasing works great here, also if you specialize in one technology, but have acquired a client with respect to another. If you want to continue working with that client, you should act quickly and add to the team a valuable employee that meets project requirements.

company for a time, but as leased, not regular, employees. One of the variations of this situation is the so-called hiring freeze, meaning a prohibition of hiring (e.g. in the given department) for a certain reason. In such a case, body leasing is often the only option for an employee to take part in interesting projects, offering his or her skills and experience.

• Budgeting for projects, not FTEs In many cases, the available budget is planned not for FTEs, but for a specific project. There is not point in going into details as to why things are like that, as there are a number of factors involved.

Imagine a situation where there are plans to develop a new system, but not through FTEs or typical outsourcing since project implementation takes place outside of the company. Body leasing is the solution here: acquiring a specialist or specialists that will help you go ahead, remaining within the structure of your

• No additional costs In body leasing, the client pays for the time actually worked by the employee leased by the supplier. The leasing company covers all of the related costs: not only the remuneration, but other expenses, as well (e.g. the costs of the employee’s development). This can be described as payroll plus, as the body leasing company lifts the main burdens off from the client’s shoulders, which is particularly important if the client develops his business from the scratch or establishes a new branch.

In addition to that, body leasing may

• Try and hire: what is it about?

Try and hire (or try and buy) is a very inte­ res­ting mechanism, both for the client and the employee. In other words: test before you hire. During the recruitment process, there is no chance to get to know someone in detail and see how they actually function. Even if you have selected someone really promising, you cannot rule out the possibility that • How to look for an investor and not go when it comes to real work on a project, there might be disappointment. No one bankrupt?

MVP, or a minimum viable product, is is going to give you back the money an initial version of the product which expended on the recruitment process, includes functions that are sufficient not to mention the time spent on the new for the first clients to see what possibilities employee’s induction. it offers. This prototype will be approved by investors only if they see that it actu- Try and hire solves this problem, since ally works. Developing an MVP consumes the relationship between the employer time and money. If you have a permanent and the employee is flexible and if someteam, you need to maintain it, also when thing goes wrong, it’s easy to termithe software is ready and you are looking nate. The idea is that the client leases an for an investor. employee (or a team) from the supplier and may hire him or her, even as a regular Time goes by, there is no one ready to employee, or send them back if the concluspend money on your project, and this sion is that cooperation should not be means that your company’s financial situ- continued. Someone could, quite legiti­ ation is deteriorating. Morale goes down, mately, ask whether this mutual trying atmosphere is not good. Instead of having each other out could affect the stability to go through this scenario, you could of employment. Definitely not. This consider outsourcing specialists: lease stability is guaranteed by the agent. And a team that will do the job for you. When if there are gaps (stoppage) between they are done, the leased employees will projects, then, as it is the case at j-labs, go back to the supplier and you can start 100% of remuneration is paid. This means looking for an investor without having to that the company accepts full responsibility for its employees. worry about additional costs.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

are talking more than just the costs be a form of a recruitment services that • Technological support is equally important. Nobody is a know-it-all, and having of the salary alone. Anyway, which softcovers finding and hiring an employee.

The benefits are immense, as the supplier meaningful feedback allows the candiware developer, knowing the rates and not only offers the said payroll plus, but date to realize where he or she needs the market situation, would agree to also gua­rantees the possibility of sending to supplement their knowledge, be it work for less money? back the leased employee at any time before an interview at the client’s or right • There are companies that believe there during the agreed period of lease. There before starting work. is no point in using body leasing when is no fixed-time guarantee of 3 or 6 months, • At j-labs, there is always choice between building a team. Naturally, everyone like in the case of a recruitment agency. projects and companies. The informais free to decide how their organization about the place the candidate will tion should develop, but it’s good to remember that from the point of view be sent to is clear and specific. And this What’s equally important is that there are no initial recruitment fees, which signifipattern repeats itself: after work with of the employee, it’s not the most imporcantly improves the client’s cash flow. It’s one organization is done, other options tant thing in the world whether he or she easy to show with an example: we set up pop up. A meeting with a new client is works under an employment contract, a start-up and employ 5 people. In the case not a typical recruitment process. Natuin the B2B model, as a freelancer, or of a recruitment agency, we would have to rally, the candidate should present whether they’ve come from j-labs. There pay for each of the recruitment processes, is a project, there are goals, and that’s himself or herself as best as possible, generating quite substantial costs. Imporwhat matters. but, at the same time, j-labs provides tantly, the client pays only for the work that lots of support, for instance by indi- • Other issues are worth mentioning, is actually done. This means you have no cating where to pay particular attention too, especially those related to copyobligations if the leased employee is sick, in the given situation. rights and similar elements. In all on holiday leave, or absent for another • j-labs always guarantees stability formal matters, an agreement may be of employment; even if the project is over, reached, so that all doubts are cleared, reason. The client pays for work alone, that’s all. He doesn’t have to worry about the supplier is responsible for making e.g. as regards too many people on body insurance or taxes. payments as per the agreement. leasing, which could affect the stability

In body leasing, the client pays for the time actually worked by the employee leased by the supplier. The leasing company covers all of the related costs: not only the remuneration, but other expenses, as well (e.g. the costs of the employee’s development).

BODY LEASING: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYEES? LET’S HAVE A LOOK AT J-LABS AS AN EXAMPLE

• j-labs goes for the professional deve­ lop­ment of its employees. There is a training budget that may be used in a discretionary fashion, e.g. in order There are many various opinions about for the employees to develop through training seminars. Nobody is interfering body leasing, including negative ones: with he employee’s choices. For instance, that employees are, to put it colloquially, thrown around from place to place. if he or she is a Java developer, but wants However, from an employee’s point of view, to improve their knowledge of iOS, things look differently, as thanks to working there’s absolutely no problem. with various companies and on a number of projects, he or she can develop and OBJECTIONS, THINGS UNSAID, acquire valuable experience, which will pay STEREOTYPES: WHICH ARE off in the future. What’s important is that he THE MOST FREQUENT? or she will find himself or herself in many As is any area, with respect to body organizational cultures, getting a broader leasing, there are various objections, perspective on things and and a richer CV. things unsaid, and even unfair opinions that have little in common with reality.

• Thanks to working with start-ups, soft- There are quite a few of them and I’ll ware houses, and corporations, j-labs address the main ones. offers a variety of organizational cultures and projects.

• Some say that candidates should not • At j-labs, you get support already at work with an agent because since the stage of the recruitment process, the company has a fixed budget for since a candidate gets much more infora specialist (for instance a software mation than if he or she applied on their developer), then body leasing will allow own. At j-labs, the recruiters represent it to pay less. This is completely false, as the candidate’s interests, making sure budgets for services (and body leasing that he or she gets valuable feedback. is a service) are usually larger – we

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

of project development. The same applies to dishonorable practices, such as taking over know-how. All of this can be secured.

To sum up, it’s worth remembering that every sector features various companies, better and worse, those that work diligently and those that do not go beyond the stage of promises, offering nothing in return. If you intend to cooperate on the basis of body leasing, always evalu­ate the things offered by the supplier, as these are the things you, as a client, actually pay for. Body leasing works great, which is confirmed by a number of companies. However, to maximize benefits, choose carefully and go for reputable suppliers.  Author:

Piotr Bucki, Vice-President, CTO, j-labs

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CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

Although every major change could be stressful and difficult, at the end of the day, it might prove to be an upgrade.

Of course, you need to prepare well, or like in the case of the pandemic, mobilize quickly and open yourself up to close cooperation with others.

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Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

I'M CLOSER TO PEOPLE NOW Interview with Izabela Urbanelis, HR Director, Lionbridge Polska.

Outsourcing&More: Could you tell us about the current HR Team at the Warsaw office?

Izabela Urbanelis, HR Director, Lionbridge Polska: The Warsaw HR Team consists of 13 members: five emplo­yees work in the Personal Administration Department, five in Recruitment, one HR Business Partner, and one Training and Development Specialist. We’re a relatively small team with big responsibility, and we support over 1,500 Employees and contractors.

The global pandemic brought many challenges to the managers, including HR. Could you tell us about your own experiences in these trying times?

Managers had to face many new challenges, from managing remote teams and introducing new rules of work, monitoring motivation and mental wellbeing of their employees, to ensuring that the productivity stays at the desired level.

Another difficulty is that we are a very diversified organization and we employ persons from many different countries.

The lockdown period spent in Poland, far away from families and loved ones was particularly difficult for this group of global employees, and managers put a special focus on their needs.

Transitioning to a fully remote onboar­­ ding system is one of our major challenges, even more because it was totally unexpected. We have developed new ways of integrating a fresh employee with the company and its values. Another difficulty is integration with the co-workers and

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

the team spirit – it is not easy to achieve it all online. Currently, onboarding of new employees looks completely different and requires more attention and monitoring of all the areas in which a given person could need a helping hand.

being only, confirmed case of COVID-19 at the Warsaw office. Despite the gravity of the situation, we were glad to see that the procedures we had introduced worked as planned. The crisis management team took immediate action. Along with the Administration and BCP Teams, Our managers have learned, and shared we applied procedures that covered all with their teams, is the fact that the com­­­­- key areas. Nobody was left alone with mon safety rides on the responsibility the problem. of an individual – it really depends on each and every one of us.

The departments did an amazing job coope­rating with each other. In no time, we This knowledge has brought results. drew up the action plan for the following The supervisors’ engagement increased. days, and we published the related commuThey are monitoring the COVID-19 situ- nication for the employees. ation and sharing the current news with their employees. They ensure the comfort Both the Warsaw office, as well as the global of work at the home office by giving their leaders, agreed that security is our top teams access to the tools that are neces- priority. We immediately decided to run sary for remote work, all the while deli­ the tests, which gave our employees vering the high level of management, the peace of mind and the sense of security. planning, and ongoing communication We issued a clear and transparent commuwithin the company. nication to our clients and employees, explaining why we have to “go back HR managers also had to face the lack of home” once again, which was received concrete, up to date procedures and very well. Our clients supported us, and our provisions of law tailored to the situa- employees took to heart the new guidetion. Although the global health crisis lines. This flexibility, cooperative spirit, and was equally unexpected to all of us, each the awareness that we are well prepared employer must make their independent for any future circumstance allow us to feel decisions on the right course of action. secure should anything else happen and Luckily, we could see a lot of the basic look forward to the upcoming months. level cooperation between different employers, also in the HR areas.

Could you outline the current recruitment process at Lionbridge?

In the face of the global pandemic, The major challenge that we had to face recently showed how much we have Lionbridge introduced special security already learned about cooperation and measures and precautions early on – both crisis management. Some time ago, in relation to current employees (Lions), we reported the first, and for the time as well as future Lions.

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CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

We moved to a fully remote recruitment model. Job offers contain information on the remote recruitment process and the candidates are also informed of it during the first phone contact.

the coffee machine in the kitchen. Seeing each other exclusively on the screens during various conference calls did not fully meet our need to socialize. We deve­ loped several solutions aimed at keeping the balance between work duties The initial step of our recruitment process and interpersonal relations. We run video is a phone call with the selected candi- conferences on a regular basis, and each dates. Then we set up an online recruit- meeting starts with a little chit chat. We ment meeting – a video conference implemented numerous initiatives that with the use of the latest technologies. help our employees stay in touch and The online calls were very well received ensure ongoing communication, such by both candidates and our managers. as Hyde Park, Virtual Coffee Break, and They enable us to have a call from any various types of challenges and contests.

We noticed that working from home might result in blurring the boundaries between work and family life. On the one hand, it is easy to forget oneself and work longer hours, and on the other, working at home is usually full of distractions, such as home duties, relatives, pets, which we had to learn to manage. Therefore, it was crucial to develop solutions that would help us organize properly our home office patterns. Among other things, it is key to create one’s own working space, as well as to schedule the necessary number of breaks during the day.

We noticed that working from home might result in blurring the boundaries between work and family life. On the one hand, it is easy to forget oneself and work longer hours, and on the other, working at home is usually full of distractions. Therefore, it was crucial to develop solutions that would help us organize properly our home office patterns. part of the world, which is a great advantage for the persons who are currently staying outside of Warsaw. The online contact gives both sides the sense of security. If the recruitment process entails further stages, such as technical tests, these are also done in electronic form.

How many of Lionbridge employees work remotely? Is there any group of employees who cannot work from home?

The majority of Lionbridge employees moved to remote working overnight.

In the period of the strict lockdown, 95% of our employees worked remotely.

As of July 1, approx. 25% of people came back to the office. This was due to the requirements of some of our clients.

What is the greatest challenge, and what is the greatest fun of working from home for your team?

A fully remote working model is brand new to us and it has a number of new challenges. The biggest one was initially staying in current and uninterrupted contact with the team members and the employees from other departments. We suddenly missed the face to face meetings, chats in the hallways or at

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Our weekly Newsletter contains up to date news on the current activities within the company. We are monitoring feedback and interest level shown in each initiative, and we are doing our best to adjust our communication channels accordingly.

Working from home can have some positives, and it totally could be an effective working system. Our employees are telling us that while working from home, they are allowed more flexibility in their daily life and they save plenty of time that normally they would use to commute.

New ways of communication require all of us to adjust our ways and practices, for example, it is advised to turn on the cameras during online meetings. We are getting the hang of it, and the opportunity to see each other through the screens certainly helps a lot!

Although during the quarantine many people missed the live contacts with other team members, the internal survey we ran showed that majority of our employees enjoy working from home and they feel that they are productive and well informed. Interestingly, the productivity has in many cases improved compared to the time before the pandemic.

After the initial period of great mobilization due to the rapid changes we all went through, we started to receive information about various needs related to working from home, such asthe importance of a comfortable working space.

Not everyone has the possibility to create their dedicated working space at home.

We had to act and react quickly. We made the office chairs, extra monitors, and other equipment available to our employees.

We would love to be able to support them even more, but we must keep in mind that, for the time being, the company’s priority is ensuring the continuity of the business and employment.

After two months of remote work, we ran a survey among our employees.

What we found most interesting and motivating at the same time was that majority of our employees feel in touch with what is happening within our organization. Communication in big enterprises is always a great challenge, both for the supervisors and the HR departments, and in order to get the message across, one must meet the needs of various recipient groups. Communication in the time of COVID-19 is a brand new competence that we had to acquire

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

on a very short notice. The survey results prove that we did very well in this field, although we certainly haven’t said the last word yet, and we keep working on improving our communication processes.

We keep monitoring the work related needs and sentiments of our employees and, as the recent survey results have shown us, vast majority of us would like to keep working from home, or both from home and at the office, and only 9% would like to permanently return to the office. It could be said that the COVID-19 induced transitions were in fact an answer to the needs of many of us.

How has your work of the HR Director changed in terms of the relations with the company Management, as well as with the employees?

Surprisingly, I feel closer to the people now than before the pandemic – it has become so much easier to quickly initiate a direct contact through Skype or during the online meetings than back when in order to talk to someone, I often had to walk two floors of the building. The physi­ cal distance from the others made us frequently and proactively seek new forms and tools of contact. I also have an impression that the distance between me and the employees has been reduced, as the online communication makes the exchange more equal. We all had to deal with the same challenges, and we all had to adapt to the new working system, as well as to find the balance between work and the needs of our relatives, while getting to know each other and ourselves much better.

Moreover, the close cooperation with our global Leadership has become more frequent and regular since the beginning of the global health crisis. We are currently in constant contact with our offices all over the world and we share information, plans, and tips daily.

We received a great support from our global Leaders when the first case of the coronavirus was confirmed at the Warsaw office. We could really feel that we are one organization, and our local matters are important to the entire company.

Outsourcing&More | September–October 2020

In hindsight, would you have applied the same approach to managing remote work of the employees, or, with the knowledge of the course of the pandemic that you have today, would you have changed something?

The pandemic removed our doubts as to the productivity of remote work.

It turned out that we would have been ready to make such a transition earlier, there was just not enough incentive to take the leap. We used to think that business requires the traditional model of work organization and that such change would entail a great deal of preparations, but in fact, it turned out that thanks to active cooperation between departments, as well as engagement and support of administration, IT, and business, we managed to go through the transition smoothly and quickly. What is more, our employees keep manifesting producti­ vity and engagement. As you can see, the crisis can be a powerful incentive to make a change and to take a major step forward.

The new reality will involve several changes that we will have to face in the upcoming days. Although every major change could be stressful and difficult, at the end of the day, it might

prove to be an upgrade. Of course, you need to prepare well, or like in the case of the pandemic, mobilize quickly and open yourself up to close cooperation with others. A remote recruitment process, based on objective criteria, might prove to be a much more effective way of sourcing candidates, which could provide the company with the new talents necessary for stable growth and goal achievement. Also working from home could be an advantage by the candidates.

Before we finish, what advice would you give to a person who would like to be an HR Director in an international organization? What is the most important thing to keep in mind on such position?

It seems to me that the recent events showed us that the most important role of HR is to constantly listen to the employees and to cooperate closely with the business units. This is how I see our role in building trust and support across the company, all the while staying in touch with the business. Listening to and understanding the needs of the employees and the business allows us to define common areas, interests, and goals.

Thank you for the interview.

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