“We want to bring more self-confidence into HR, to connect HR professionals with each other and with interesting service providers,” Martina and Ondřej agree. How does content help them do this? And what is their view on the Czech HR scene? We asked them to comment on several statements. HeRe we go.
Czech HR is just a small pond.
Ondřej: I wouldn’t dare call it that, but that’s also why we founded HeRe. We would like to show more interesting faces and opinions, even controversial ones. We wish to open the discussion and expand knowledge and skills in HR. At the same time, we use the platform to present suppliers of services that are relevant for HR. Rather than blindly advertising their products, we prefer to create content with them. They act as both respondents and authors and communicate their service and know-how in this way. HR professionals can then contact them directly. Thanks to the blog, we connect suppliers with customers in a natural way, it’s a win-win situation for both parties. Before launching HeRe, we talked to HRists and described our intentions. They mentioned that a project of this kind was really missing in the Czech Republic.
Martina: We got no reply saying that a similar project already exists. Respondents even started making a list of what they would like to find on HeRe. From the beginning of the project, we have been talking to the target audience and tailoring the content to their liking.
“The HR community itself knows that if it wants to have more rights, it must be seen and heard, its representatives must share experiences with each other,” says the head of Benefit Plus Ondřej Tyl in an interview for Media. Read the full text.
Human Relations rather than Human Resources.
Martina: Absolutely. Words matter. How we name the department determines how people feel about it. The connection “human relations” has a very different context. It talks about connections, relationships. Not about people as resources. HeRe = Human Relations.
Ondřej: Many companies rename their departments and avoid the term Human Resources. Instead, they talk about People&Culture, Employee Experience… But these are often just buzzwords they use to create a brand, the approach doesn’t really change. What stresses me more are the words supervisor and subordinate, I’ve been trying to avoid them for years. Rather, I choose to talk about team members.
Anyone can do HR.
Ondřej: Absolutely not. Someone who doesn’t like people and is a complete introvert cannot do HR. HR professionals need to be able to navigate the entire company, know about everything that happens there, have some understanding of how people feel, and so on. HR should cover those places that the management does not see, draw attention to the essential things. And not everyone can do that.
What are workplaces missing today?
Martina: Often, it’s windows that can be opened, better air conditioning. Greens that make oxygen. Plenty of light, flowers, and pleasant natural materials. Wood, glass. Interiors that blend seamlessly with the exteriors.
Ondřej: In my opinion, the thing that is missing in workplaces is the people. Everyone is working from home and co-workers see each other much less than before. A lot of companies have wonderful green offices, but they are empty. I don’t think that’s good, you can’t create a company culture remotely, via MS Teams. Companies perhaps want more people to come to the office, but employees don’t like it. Sometimes I find it absurd what the whole situation has come to. Although remote work has helped many people balance their personal and professional lives, this situation is not good for the companies. It is more difficult to build strong bonds between people, employees move from one company to another with the snap of a finger because they do not have a relationship with their employer. Here, at Benefit Plus, we are also figuring out how to set everything up. I don’t want employees to go to the office only once a week. On Fridays, only a few people come to the office, which is just bad. Ideas are born when people meet, even if only in the kitchen – when the thoughts come together, not when they are locked at home.
HR consultant Milan Rataj in our interview for HeRe: When HR begins to focus more on people than on spreadsheets and administration, we can also see that as an innovation in the field.
Ondřej: I completely agree. This is how we see modern HR. Quite often, however, HRists focus only on bureaucracy and say that they have no time for anything else. I do have some understanding for it in large corporations, but HR professionals in medium and smaller companies should have a different approach. They should address their bosses and tell them that they can’t do their jobs when they’re lying in spreadsheets. That they need some support. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers, but HR needs to stand up with confidence and say there’s a shortage. And make a strong case for it.
From an interview with recruiter Matěj Matolín: HR professionals are still mostly afraid of artificial intelligence.
Ondřej: Last summer, at our AI in HR conference, attended by just over a hundred HR professionals, we asked if they had ever used Chat GPT. About 10 people raised their hands. Sometimes they don’t have the opportunity to learn about AI because companies see artificial intelligence as a security risk and ban AI tools. HRists can then only try them in their free time. Expertise is moving, but we are still at the beginning, only enthusiasts are dealing with AI in depth.
ChatGPT asks: What to do when an office plant starts complaining about being neglected or overwatered?
Ondřej: If I take it as a metaphor, it would be good to find out if there are any other flowers in a similar situation. And if there is anything we could do about it. Maybe others feel the same way, they just don’t complain out loud.
There are many taboo topics in HR, but everyone deals with them. We just don’t speak of it.
Ondřej: I can confirm. We found out, for example, that the vast majority of HRists are not familiar with employment law. Even for simple actions, they have to turn to an internal or external lawyer, or they recommend inappropriate solutions to their bosses. The recruiter should have a basic knowledge of the law and co-operate with someone who understands the legislation well. New contracts are being signed every day, mistakes that could cost the company hundreds of thousands or millions in the coming years should not happen.
Martina: Many companies and HRists also outwardly pretend that they work well with young people, but the reality is different. When they go off the record, they say that young people are spoiled and don’t want to work. Fortunately, the approach is gradually changing, and companies are beginning to understand that they simply have to set different conditions for young people. However, when we give the youths trust and a chance to develop, the cooperation goes well.
Ondřej Tyl, the CEO of Benefit Plus
He has been working at Benefit Plus since 2006. Back then, he started as an Account Manager. Today, he manages the entire company. He is constantly on the lookout for developments and trends on the employee benefits market. While gym memberships were more popular at the beginning of his career, the coronavirus crisis has taught people to use vouchers at pharmacies. “We see a major shift towards health,” says Ondřej. He also initiated the creation of the HeRe platform, wishing to support and develop Czech HR. And if he had to come up with an alternative name for his profession? “Fifteen-ball juggler,” he laughs.
Martina Skondrojanis, coordinator of the HeRe platform
She now manages the HeRe project, and before that, she helped the visionary Petr Rokůsek with the Free Circle project, which offered elegant clothing for cyclists. Among other things, she also worked as an operations director in a personnel agency and has experience in the back-office area. As she herself jokingly says: “I’m mostly a gray shadow in the background, making sure everything around the project and company is running smoothly. I can lead administrative and reception teams, set up processes, create financial reports and translate accounting language into the human one.”
