Posts by: infoadmin

Her role began in Customer Service and Contact Centre Management. She later headed the Operations Division and is currently the head of Talent and Quality Control. She wanted to move into this role because she loves to see people grow and develop. Why are Emanuela Wasinski and imei, a big Australian communication technology company, so successful? Find out here.

How is imei unique for your clients? What do you offer that other companies do not?

Our niche is Mobile Intelligence, Connectivity, Security and Management, and we have three unique features: proven exceptional customer service, proof we can be trusted by countries’ most security-conscious organisations, and intelligence, connectivity, security and professional management skills.

How many people were working there when you started and how many do you have now?

The company has gone through a period of evolution and change, initially starting from Tim’s second bedroom unit on his own in 2000, to 30 when I started in 2011 and 70 staff in 2019.

Emanuela is going through
a Performia Assessment with
a manager for a candidate
who was interviewed for
the manager‘s team.

Before you started working with Performia, what problems did you encounter regarding personnel?

Whenever we have had issues with performance, we always refer back to their Performia evaluation. When we checked these individuals, we saw that they had never been through the Performia process. They had not done the evaluation and had never gone through the same process. It made sense why they had not worked out.

So it changed after you started to cooperate with Performia?

The Performia evaluation has always been very successful for us. It works very well. The results of the evaluations give us guidance on whether we should progress further with someone, and it also assists with compiling second-interview questions, where we check productivity further. We al

so use the information for our reference checks.

Has measuring productivity in your company changed interactions within the team?

Yes. It holds everyone accountable. Gives everyone goals – especially our customer service team, who receive a monthly bonus based on statistics and productivity. It gives them visibility. We also share statistics with everyone in the company. Everyone sees where we are headed and everyone is on the same page. We are very transparent and that’s why we work so well together.

What is the biggest advantage of using Performance check?

There are multiple advantages. The biggest is that it provides very good insight into how productive they will be in the future, how effective they can be and whether they are the right person for the role you are hiring for.

Can you imagine hiring people without checking productivity or without measuring it?

Definitely not. Now that we use it, it is almost like, “how did we ever hire before?” It is the first thing we think about. It would not make sense to hire without checking this first.

Would you recommend checking and measuring productivity to others? Why?

Yes, definitely, saves you time and money. After all, a company’s productivity and profitability depend on the quality of its workers, so by ensuring we have the right tools to do so, i.e. Performia, I know we can hire top talent.

We can find a lot of articles and reports on production and productivity on the internet, in newspapers and magazines. But how do you connect production with your employees directly? Should their work be measured or not? If yes, will it contribute to the overall production of the company or not? Will it help you to have a better team? We decided to ask our clients in Slovakia how they see it and what helps them.

1. Do you measure individual production in your company? What is the biggest advantage of knowing each
   individual personal production?
2. Did you encounter any situation where you did not measure production, and what was the difference?

© L. Pazderová

Name: Mgr. Ľudmila Pazderová
Position: HR manager
Company: CDCP SR a.s. Slovakia

They measure individual production by statistics, which deflects fulfilment of the determined targets and production of the company. Each employee has within his job a description where the final result of the job is directly defined. Management sets the goals and standards for divisions, as well as for the whole company, and regularly monitors their fulfilment through key indicators in the graphs.

1. The biggest advantage is the ability of management to respond immediately to fluctuations in efficiency and adopt flexible measures. But there are several other advantages:
   ■ clear overview of whether the products of the job and the employee are going up or down. This indicates in advance whether the company is expanding, stagnating or contracting.
   ■ direct connection to a reward system, which considerably influences motivation
   ■ better measurement of the effectivity, i.e. whether the results correspond with the amount of work assignments for the job and whether the workload corresponds with set requirements.
   ■ any sensible person enjoys self-motivation
   ■ visual quantification of results (stats, graph) is like a shield that an employee can use as an argument when discussing his production with his superiors. No assumptions, only facts.
2. Yes, we can see the difference. It is similar to driving a car without the dashboard. It is possible, but you do not know whether the engine is overheated, or you have enough petrol, or are staying within the speed limit or not. Before, we had a problem identifying weak and strong spots in our processes. We could not make decisions quickly and effectively, and we had a problem recovering from long-term losses. After implementing several important decisions, including the measurement of production, we showed more than 5 years of profit and got into a good condition.

© M. Holenda

Name: Ing. Martin Holenda
Position: ED
Company: Proreco, Slovakia

They measure individual production in the company by assigning personal statistics to each employee.

1. The main advantage is that we have factual data on the production of our employees, departments, and the whole company, and we can exactly determine the condition we are currently in. Because of the statistics, we have our company under control. The other advantage is that when we want to motivate and reward our employees, one part of the salary is connected to their personal statistics and thus to real production.
2.  The situation, before we implemented the stats, was a bit unrestrained; we were making decisions based on guessing rather than based on the actual facts. Of course, we had the data about production, but only the overall data, mainly based on our own production, accounting or sales records. Determining the trend was strenuous because we had to obtain the information from various sources, process and evaluate it. Now we have it faster, and the data are easy to get and thus the decisions are made faster.

© L. Antalikova Archive

Name: Lucia Antalikova
Position: Owner
Company: ANT, Slovakia

They are a trading company and thus the production in sales is very easy to measure. If overall production is not following the targets, they immediately see which employee has a problem reaching his target and is causing the whole company to be behind schedule.

1. The biggest advantage of knowing each individual personal production is that I can see whether the employee is managing his job or not. Whether he is contributing or is a burden for the company. Many times, production is the reason why the person was hired for that job, and thus the company should monitor their investment in this person. We monitor investment revenues on capital markets/stock markets, so why would we not do it with employees? On one hand we can see whether the person is an asset and, on the other hand, we can monitor his potential. In our company we have a natural pressure on production, because in a small company one position is closely following another, and people are “chasing” each other when one has a delay with delivering his or her product. We strictly make sure that sales targets are met in our company, which also creates a natural pressure to fulfill individual plans.
2. We have measured individual production for a really long time and I, personally, do not recall a time when we did not. I could imagine that some companies operate without doing this, and I could assume that in bigger companies they do not have enough capacity to measure production for each individual. Such a situation could have two effects – either there is an individual holding the job who is not capable and nobody notices it, or there is a very capable person but because nobody measures his production, he goes by unnoticed whether he is producing a lot or a little. Not measuring production could discourage productive people, and for unproductive people it would be convenient. Our well-trodden path is to already start measuring production with each individual, continue with groups and up to the whole company. Our reward system is based on production as well.

Predicting future impressions, however,
is a key to success in hiring

Some recruiters pay a lot of attention to the first impression they get from a candidate. Sometimes this could be a huge mistake. This does not mean that the first impression never matters, but it is often overrated.

Maybe you met your husband or wife and fell in love right away, and then got married and all worked out fantastically well and you have lived happily ever since. Or you could possibly have met a person many times over time and, one day, you found yourself in love with a person you have known for a long time. Without having done any extensive research on the matter, I have concluded that marriages or relationships that are quickly formed based on a very good first impression seem to be short-lived, more often than not. The same in sales. You might have met a salesman who made a fantastic first impression but, as you encountered him over time, you became slightly less amazed the more times you met him.

This does not mean that the first impression can never be vital. It really can be. In some jobs, you simply don’t get a second chance if you did not make a good enough impression in the first meeting. So yes, first impression can be extremely important in certain jobs and situations. But as a recruiter, you should generally be a lot more concerned with the 5th or even the 50th impression when you want to hire to build a real and productive team. When looking at this, think about a really good friend of yours who was not very outgoing or “PRish” the first time you met, but then started to “win over” or impress more and more, the more times you met. In hiring, you are often better off with this second scenario.

Some people are not good at all at generating an amazing first impression, and they often know it. Thus, they tend to hate situations where the first impression is considered “everything”, and unfortunately hiring is an area where it is often considered “very important” to deliver a great first impression. Now, you need to understand that there are people who deliver a beautiful first impression, and the 10th impression is still as great or even better. There are people who give an awful first impression and, after 10 impressions, you see the same awfulness. But then there are those who cannot easily make a good first impression, but then improve the more times people see or deal with him or her.

This leaves us with a simple idea: In hiring, the first impression is NOT super important unless the actual job requires that ability. Many companies miss out on hiring some amazing people simply because they pay too much attention to the first impression.

In hiring, a good first impression generally does not compensate for a bad 10th, unless it is a person who will almost exclusively deal with brand new people. In some other jobs, the first impression is crucial, such as in a busy reception, in some management positions, in a PR representative, in some sales jobs, etc. So in those jobs we have to consider what people will receive and think about from the first contact. But when it comes to people you will work with over time, and eventually meet hundreds of times, the first impression is rarely a good guide to what hiring decision you should take. That is why meeting a potential candidate several times gives you the chance to observe how the impression changes over time, and with more meetings.

Some quite productive people have problems presenting themselves in a “PR-way”. That is why they might not look so very interested when we ask them to “present themselves” or if we ask them to describe “who you are”.

Candidates who do not care about the first impression

• Some people do not care about the first impression. They are often a bit dispersed, impatient, and they do not care much about “details” such as modern-looking clothes or self-confident behavior.
• If something is really important, then they do it, but they are definitely not precise in details.
• However, sometimes these people can still be productive in certain areas.
• All factors are not equally important. When it comes to evaluating people for hiring, few things are as important as the level at which a person can produce or deliver. And that is why you should always care about production.

The key factor for making people happy at work

Anna Matusova is a co-owner and co-founder of Performia Slovakia. Her professional career in the HR field started in the 1990s as an HR manager at Eurotel (today Telecom) and then at McDonald’s. During her 20 years of work at Performia, she has interviewed thousands of candidates and, at the same time, has trained owners and managers in new perspectives and methods for professionally building a team. Thus, we decided to ask her for her viewpoint on production.

I have been representing Performia in Slovakia for more than 20 years now. We try to inform the current business world about a few basic factors that are part of our technology, and that are important not only when doing hiring but also when building a good team.

One specific, stable type of data that you can always count on when working with personnel is PRODUCTION. In other words, THE RESULTS of any activity. What you need from employees is simply to get the job done. If this takes place, you will avoid a lot of problems. What I say might sound a bit harsh, but you should pay your employees for their actual production.

To understand this better, it is good to look at the origin of the word PRODUCTION. It comes from Latin and consists of two parts: pro and ducere. (Pro-) is a prefix that means forward, to move something forward. (Ducere) means to lead or to carry. In the figurative sense, we could say that a “product” is something that we made somewhere behind the scenes, and only once it was fully complete was it brought forward with pride and put on display. We see this often in restaurants, where what we get on the table is nothing else but a completed product. A product is something for which you do not need to add or improve anything.

I have already mentioned that employees should be paid for their actual production. If an employee is getting paid for something that he is not really producing, the consequences over time would be a decline in willingness, responsibility, respect for the company, respect for managers, worsening quality of his work, etc. Such a person will most probably spread his dissatisfaction to others in the company, and it could then continue to spread like a plague. Eventually, even the people who were once on your side will start to resist and revolt.

A product is something for which you do not need to add or improve anything

The main role of an executive is actually to bring his juniors to the successful creation of a product, in a high quality and an amount that follows the standards of the company. If you want to retain the right people, you have to be able to give them real challenges in the form of achievable results at work, which you then have to be able to verify as well. The best index for measuring results is a statistic. Every type of work can be measured. The results either exist or do not.

Statistics are a very useful index of production and can be used to make conclusions and decisions that improve a company. Although the world is not run by numbers, statistics can show us whether or not it is run well.

So how do you set up a remunerative system then?

One of the possible solutions is to ask yourself, “What do you actually pay your employees for?” The ideal scenario is if the pay truthfully reflects the production of each specific employee.

A reward system based on the precisely calculated, valuable, completed result of work done in good quality and produced by the employee, works the best. This is because production and visible results give a person more desire to improve. It is the basis for the continuous growth of success at work, as well as for having a strong and effective team.

I am convinced that the thing behind high production is the person’s motivation. The employee that does not create and produce anything is struggling and cannot experience long-term happiness. Grant joy from production, and fulfillment from work, to the members of your team.

PhDr. Anna Matusova
ED Performia Slovakia

This issue brings you an inside view of Testing personality. Is it really important to do it? Is it actually possible to measure it? How does it work in reality? Does it help you build a better team? You will find answers in this issue. We hope you will enjoy reading it.

To describe the main problem with hiring in just a few lines is actually not hard. You simply hire someone who made a good impression but who does not produce anything of real value. Even worse, you hire someone who secretly destroyed what was previously functioning. Most executives I learned to know have had that experience.

If you are lucky it costs you a few thousand Euros and some lost time; if you have bad luck it could cost you millions or even the survival of the company.  How bad it can be is quite unreal until you actually see or experience it.

It is quite accepted knowledge that the higher up in an organization you look, the more devastating a hiring mistake can be, BUT, there are many examples of how a wrongly employed “low-level” employees can wreak havoc and become extremely costly, both financially and emotionally, causing major clients to leave, upsetting the most productive and functioning personnel, creating unnecessary expenses or penalties,  etc. That is why professional hiring experts will normally say that there are no unimportant personnel. A real team can be compared to a chain, in which there is simply very little room for weak or unworkable links.

We hope to shed considerable light on this whole area to make hiring in your operation not only safe but also highly effective and profitable. For that to happen, we would like to make sure that you and the people who take care of your personnel and hiring do not have any critical “holes” in their knowledge.

The intention behind this magazine is to bring hiring out of the “gambling zone” and transform it into a rather well-controlled activity. Ideally, the time and attention of you and your colleagues should be on things that enhance productivity and pertinent flows.

Wishing you and your hiring all the best!

Proč vlastně testovat osobnost?

„Není testování osobnosti tak trochu divné?“ napadne každého, kdo někdy přemýšlel o tom, co je to vlastně osobnost a kde se bere. „Divné“ to není, ale jen ve chvíli, kdy měříte tím správným metrem a víte, jak se na výsledek dívat.

© Shutterstock

Osobnost se možná zdá jako trochu komplikovaný „předmět“, ale rozhodně není nepochopitelný.

Asi není tajemstvím, že to, co vidíme u člověka navenek, není vždy to, co je uvnitř. Každý máme určitou představu o tom, jací chceme být, jak bychom rádi zvládali situace, a snažíme se do jisté míry také vyhovět tomu, co se od nás očekává. Za běžných okolností, kdy se cítíme v pohodě, se nám vesměs daří dostát svým představám. Když se ale dostaneme do překvapivé, náročné nebo stresové situace, naše nastavené standardy jsou neudržitelné a nastupují jednoduše reakce. A ne vždy jsou tyto reakce správné a adekvátní.

U druhých toto můžeme pozorovat poměrně snadno – vidíme, kdy ztrácí kontrolu, nejsou v pohodě nebo si někde problémy přidělávají právě ve chvíli, kdy se je snaží vyřešit. U sebe samých je to už trochu složitější, protože máme silný impuls „mít pravdu“, který nám často zkresluje objektivní obraz sebe samého. Není prostě snadné být nezaujatý sám k sobě.

Tou efektivní cestou, jak porozumět něčí osobnosti, je použít test, který je sám o sobě dost nestranný, není ovlivněn specifickým vztahem k testovanému a dokáže prorazit i silnou sociální masku. Já takový test ve své práci používám už více než 16 let, a proto jsem se rozhodla se s vámi podělit o své osobní zkušenosti s ním, hlavně o ty, které dnes vnímám jako velmi přínosné.

Porozumět sám sobě

Nebudu vás tu zatěžovat detaily, ale v době dospívání jsem se pohybovala mezi dvěma stavy. Mezi naprostým nadšením, stoprocentní aktivitou, iniciativou a tvořením a na druhé straně melancholickým přemítáním nad smyslem života a hledáním sebe sama. V té době jsem se zajímala o osobnostní testy v touze porozumět sama sobě, pochopit své talenty a slabá místa. Tehdy jsem narazila jen na hromadu testů, které byly tak „průhledné“, že jsem z názvu testu (například „Jak jste vytrvalí?“) pochopila, jak mám odpovídat, abych dosáhla toho nejlepšího možného výsledku. To však nenaplnilo má očekávání, a tak jsem na nějaký čas testy zavrhla.

Až později v práci jsem se opět s něčím takovým setkala. Ano, už asi tušíte. Poprvé jsem jako uchazeč o místo vyplnila test o 200 otázkách a zajímavé pro mě bylo už to, že nebylo příliš možné stylizovat se do nějakého vzoru, protože většina otázek byla až příliš jednoduchá. O to zvědavější jsem byla na výsledek. Moc mě nepřekvapil, protože prostě odrážel to, co bylo pro mě typické a co jsem pozorovala v životě. Měla jsem k tomu stovky příkladů. Absolvování testu nikoho nezmění, ale to, že se někde černé na bílém objeví to, co tak nějak tuší, je definitivně zásadní okamžik. Nepředloží pouze CO, ale také PROČ, a to je něco, co člověku otevře nové dveře, i když je jen na něm, zda jimi projde, nebo ne.

„Samo absolvování testu nikoho nezmění, ale to, že se někde černé na bílém objeví to, co tak nějak tuší, je definitivně zásadní okamžik.“

I dnes, když předáváme zpětnou vazbu z testů konkrétním osobám, vidíme, jak přichází úleva poté, co se věci ujasní a pojmenují. Nejsou to jen drobnosti v oblasti plánování nebo efektivity práce, často je to praktické nasměrování na řešení, které rozhoduje o celkovém úspěchu, nebo neúspěchu člověka.

Efektivní nástroj pro sestavování týmu

Prosím, nepředstavujte si nic, co by bylo podobné filmu „Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje“. Je nad slunce jasné, že to, co stačí při najímání prozkoumat, není pouze osobnost uchazečů. Nicméně vím, že každá pozice vyžaduje trochu jiné vlastnosti, které přináší stabilní výsledky s lehkostí, jsou-li optimálně využívány, a to je žádoucí. Sama jsem začala testy používat při najímání lidí, a protože jsem člověk, který nejvíce ocení raději vlastní pozorování než teoretické doporučení, natloukla jsem si párkrát nos, abych se přesvědčila o tom, že to opravdu funguje. Znáte to?

Já ano! Kdysi na mě jedna má potenciální asistentka na pohovoru zapůsobila tak schopně, byla příjemná a přitom přímá. Nebála se komunikovat a praktickou zkouškou přímo prokráčela. Test však ukazoval vysokou nepředvídatelnost a výkyvy nálad i energie. „No nic, třeba měla špatnou náladu,“ řekla jsem si a přijala ji. První 3 dny to vypadalo skvěle a já nabyla dojmu, že je vše v pořádku a test se mýlil.

Ale už čtvrtý den místo nové asistentky přišel do práce někdo jiný. Vypadal jako ona, ale byl to jiný člověk. Energie nikde, nálada na bodu mrazu a vše, co po třech dnech měla vědět, jako by se vytratilo. Byla jsem v šoku, byla to katastrofa. Téměř okamžitě jsme se rozloučili. Tato a dalších pár takových zkušeností mě přesvědčily o tom, že mít nestranný nástroj, který mě upozorní na důležité věci, které bych snadno přehlédla, je geniální.

Nespoléhám se jen na test, protože i v tom mám své osobní zkušenosti, ale rozhodně vím, že ignorovat výsledky můžu jen na vlastní nebezpečí.

„Krásné na tom je, že neexistuje jediná ideální osobnost, kterou by měli mít všichni jako přes kopírák.“

Krásné na tom je, že neexistuje jediná ideální osobnost, kterou by měli mít všichni jako přes kopírák. Nejsme výrobky ze šablony a není možné říct, že existuje jediný možný ideál. To by byla mimochodem strašlivá nuda. Ani nelze spočítat, kolik specifických pracovních pozic na světě existuje, které využívají každá jiné silné stránky osob, které je zastávají.

Tým berte jako skupinu jednotlivců

Pracovat na zlepšování týmu se vyplácí, to je nezpochybnitelné. Tým se však skládá z jednotlivců a je tedy jasné, že když se zlepší každý jednotlivec, zlepší se také celý tým. Pokud však neznáte dobře potenciál svého týmu, tedy každého jednotlivce v něm, a spíše odhadujete, co by týmu prospělo, podle několika výrazných jednotlivců, může být taková snaha zlepšit tým velmi neefektivní.

Když do něčeho investujete finance a čas, je vždy namístě velmi dobrá příprava, efekty jsou pak totiž mnohonásobně lepší. Nikdo totiž nechce ve finále řešit nespokojenost půlky týmu s náplní kvalifikačních akcí, protože mají pocit, že ztráceli čas.

Také roční hodnoticí pohovory získávají zcela jinou hloubku, když máte nestranné informace o tom, jaké silné stránky osoba sedící před vámi má, které z nich využívá a které zatím ne. Můžete tak spolu vytvořit plán, jak být úspěšnější a efektivnější díky těmto silným stránkám, ale také jak eliminovat to, co mu práci trochu komplikuje.

© Shutterstock

Pokud tedy využíváte testování osobnosti pro stávající tým, pak je nesmírně důležité dát každému jednotlivci velmi kvalitní zpětnou vazbu (proto je dobré pečlivě se na to kvalifikovat). Přece jen to spadá do roviny velmi osobních věcí a ochota zaměstnance, který dostane hodnotnou zpětnou vazbu, je výrazně vyšší než toho, kdo nedostane téměř nic. Udělejte z celé akce něco výjimečného, něco, co budou pro sebe vnímat jako bonus, a pomozte tak svému týmu být rychlejší, lepší, efektivnější a také sám na sebe o kus víc hrdý.

Osobnost se možná zdá jako trochu komplikovaný „předmět“, ale rozhodně není nepochopitelný. A vůbec není špatný nápad mu více porozumět, protože spolupráce se pak zpravidla výrazně zjednoduší.

Jak vypadá měření osobnosti u nás i v zahraničí

V době, kdy se čím dál výrazněji pracuje na tom, aby šikovní lidé z firmy neodcházeli, ještě mnohem více rezonuje téma testování osobnostního potenciálu. Schopnost porozumět lidem se rázem přesouvá na první kolej zájmu nejen českých firem. Protože jsme známí naším U-testem, který se na osobnost velmi podrobně dívá, rozhodli jsme se tuto rubriku věnovat právě jemu. A věřím, že ač je to trochu jednostranné, dozvíte se velmi zajímavé informace.

Čtrnáct let sledování potvrzuje: Sebedůvěra Čechů roste

Už od roku 2004 máme velmi jedinečnou možnost sledovat vývoj vlastností českého národa, tedy zejména té pracující části. Během uplynulých čtrnácti let jsme pomocí našeho U-testu osobnostního potenciálu zhodnotili více než 120 000 osobností ucházejících se o práci nebo aktuálně pracujících v českých firmách. I když je hodnocení vždy velmi specifické a přizpůsobené požadavkům konkrétní pozice, má také jisté základní rozčlenění podle vlastností a díky tomu se můžeme podívat, jak se během těchto čtrnácti let vyvíjela průměrná osobnost českého zaměstnance. A došli jsme k celkem pozitivním závěrům.

V roce 2004 byla úroveň sebedůvěry českých pracovníků velmi nízká. Velmi často nevěřili ve své schopnosti, nepouštěli se do některých projektů, protože se obávali selhání, i když by na to ve skutečnosti potenciál měli. To se o dost zlepšilo a v roce 2017 se průměrná sebedůvěra Čechů zvýšila o 14 bodů na škále −100 až +100 a pohybuje se celkově spíše v pozitivních číslech.

Dalším pozitivem je to, že se stále více lidí oproti minulosti přiklání k nemateriálním hodnotám. Obecně stoupá zájem o sebezlepšování, týmovost a vztahy obecně. Osmnáctibodový nárůst je také, měřeno touto optikou, výrazný.

A jak U-test vidí české firmy?

Protože jsme už zmínili, že se budeme věnovat hlavně U-testu, rádi bychom vám také ukázali část výsledků našeho nezávislého průzkumu, který se týkal právě tohoto testu.

Ač se na U-test od Performie před lety pečlivě dívali na univerzitě v Oslu a zhodnotili jeho věrohodnost na 89 %, nás zajímalo, jak to vidí naši čeští klienti, kteří s testem pracují denně, ale i ti, kteří ho viděli třeba jen jednou. Aby to bylo co nejpřesnější, zpracovala nám průzkum nezávislá agentura STEM/MARK a podle výsledků průzkumu hodnotí více než dvě stovky dotázaných věrohodnost U-testu průměrně na 80 %. A to je velmi slušné číslo, nemyslíte?

„Když jsem podle něj přijal prvního zaměstnance a ten byl takový, jak ho U-test ukázal, přesvědčil jsem se o kvalitě testu a používáme ho i nadále.“ Pavel Liehman ml., jednatel společnosti ProBovin s.r.o.

Co nás v průzkumu nejvíce potěšilo, je to, že 96 % dotázaných by doporučilo U-test známým či přátelům z jiných firem. Děkujeme všem, kdo nám takhle věří.

Jak je na tom Evropa v plánování

Abychom se nedívali jen na Čechy, podívali jsme se velmi podrobně i na to, jak vypadala průměrná hodnota jednotlivých vlastností testovaných lidí v jedenácti evropských zemích. A za zmínku rozhodně stojí desetiletý vývoj schopnosti lidí plánovat, dívat se do budoucnosti a vůbec mít ambice.

Opět samozřejmě musíme vzít v potaz, že jde o hodnotu průměrnou a že vzorek byl v jednotlivých zemích rozličný, co se týče počtu testovaných, většinou jde ale ročně o tisíce (například Švédsko, Norsko, Slovensko, Maďarsko) až desetitisíce (Rusko a Česko) testovaných.

Netroufáme si dělat žádné závěry o tom, co tyto změny mohlo ovlivnit, všimněte si ale třeba následujících změn:

• V ČR se úroveň plánování zvýšila o celých devět bodů.
• Hodnota této vlastnosti se celkově zvýšila (zatímco v roce 2007 byla nejvýše na 67, deset let poté už byla na 75).
• Zatímco Švédsko se propadlo z prvního až na čtvrté místo, celkově stále v plánování vedou severské státy.
• Velmi zajímavé je, že Řecko se vystřelilo z šestého místa na místo první.
• Nejhůř si v plánování a pohledu do budoucnosti vedou v Rusku.

Rychlost a univerzálnost

Velká většina dotázaných se shodla. To, co nejvíce šetří U-test, je čas, peníze a nervy. Nemůžeme než souhlasit.

„Testy splnily naše očekávání, takovou škálu jiné testy nenabízí.“
Pavlína Pešková Vochalová, personalistka ve společnosti Asko a.s.

Šetří čas, peníze a nervy

Velká většina dotázaných se shodla. To, co nejvíce šetří U-test, je čas, peníze a nervy. Nemůžeme než souhlasit.

„Šetří čas a nervy i zklamání. Před jeho používáním jsem si často říkal, co děláme špatně, že se s uchazečem neumíme dohodnout. Když jsem pak viděl vyhodnocení jeho testu, vše bylo jasné během pár minut.“

Pavel Mudra, spolumajitel společnosti K2 Finance s.r.o.

Chcete o U-testu vědět více? Zeptejte se kohokoli z Performie nebo hledejte na stránkách www.performia.cz.

In the work of Árpád Vas, you can see an example where the love of one’s profession is coupled with a love for people. Together with his son, he has already been running the family business with constant success for 25 years, and their biggest advantage over the competition is the approach of their staff. What is his viewpoint on personality testing?

To start, can you give us a short summary of the FAKTUM BÚTOR Kft. Company, along with its mission.

We are a company that produces furniture for children, and we make it specifically to meet children’s needs. Our products can be used by children, from newborn babies to 10- to 12-year-old kids. Our mission is to help parents get the best possible product for their money, to help children develop well, and to provide them with an ideal home environment. It always includes value for money, aesthetics and practicality. Most parents already realize that children cannot grow up among furniture designed for adults.

Does the job strongly demand that you must have not only people who produce furniture but also those who understand the mission, as it is not only wood and screws?

Yes, absolutely. I design furniture myself too. In addition, designers themselves are actual parents; they know parents’ problems with furniture. One of our slogans is: “We make our furniture with such love because we care about our children.”

Can you briefly describe your current position if you take into consideration your competition? What is the biggest difference between you and your competitors?

We are definitely a market leader in Hungary. We exhibit in every sizeable baby-furniture store (e.g. KIKA, BRENDON) in each of the 19 countries where we do business, in every town with more than 50-60 thousand inhabitants. The quality of our furniture this year was also a total fit for the European market; there is also still a lot to be done in the sales area. When it comes to Europe, our products are already in the frontline. The main difference between us and our competitors is that we look at our products from the customer’s and end-user’s point of view.

We are constantly developing, improving and using the latest technologies. It is a big challenge, but it is necessary to follow the application of modern materials and technology. We are able to grow the furniture as the kids grow, and this is what parents and their children really like.

How many employees do you have at the moment?

We are a smaller company. We have 70 people in total, including 4 staff members who work in our own stores. We have 40-50 people in production and 10 people in higher management.

Your company has grown quite significantly over the last couple of years. What do you think is behind your success?

With continuous development, we are able to adapt very quickly to the changes and needs of the market in all aspects (technology, thinking, attitudes), which you can also see in our products – different generations, different habits. We have a brand name and a good reputation, which has a great effect on customers as they believe in our company. We also really pay attention to complaint management and customer service.

This has a human background as well, hasn’t it?

Yes, absolutely. People have always been really important to me and this has its fruits today, because people are returning this treatment. It is an interesting paradox that if you give trust, and people see that you are open and honest, then people try to gain and maintain that trust. I think that in the current labor market you cannot do it any other way.

How often do you look for new employees?

We are almost always advertising, hiring and searching for people for the production area. There is a stronger fluctuation and people are more likely to go and do seasonal jobs – they get a little bit crazy in the summer, and in fall the number of employees always increases. Every two months we are looking for office and administrative staff (including shops, logistics).

When actively hiring, can you give us an approximate number of the people that go through your hands in a month?

It is an interesting question because the CV’s go to Timi, our HR manager, and this is a terribly big number – it could be 100 or more people depending on the job. Timi filters a lot. I only see the final candidates who pass all the previous steps, which means only 2-3 people every month.

You have a license with unlimited access to the Performia online questionnaires. One of these questionnaires is the EXEC U-TEST. What do you use it for?

When we talk about new hiring, we ask the candidate to fill in this test before the second personal meeting. We look at his strengths and weaknesses, and we use them for our questions throughout the interview. We also use the test on current employees, and we look at their current state and how we can help them.

Why did you decide to use the EXEC U-TEST? And what is its biggest advantage for you?

The biggest advantage for me is that I can get to know the candidate much easier and deeper. I can decide much more quickly what job a particular candidate is suitable for. It has happened that the candidate applied for a certain job, we tested him, and then we found another job he could do for us which was more suitable for him.

In your opinion how can a company benefit from knowing its employees’ personalities?

It is most helpful when I can spend enough time and thoroughly study the personalities of employees, so I can communicate and work with them accordingly. Basically, with seventy people there are a lot of qualities and personalities, and I like all my colleagues for something. This is very important. I understand how they operate, so they are an “open book” for me.

In the case of new hiring, I can see from the test their weaknesses, and I know how to personalize their intern program, post-placement and training. It is like a puzzle. In Hungary, it is a very unusual way of managing people.

When you hire a new person, how do you work with the results of the EXEC U-TEST?

I can clearly follow, help and improve his integration, confirm what he is good at and implement him easily within the team. I have a lot of experience in this, so I figure out exactly what I need to be aware of. I can communicate to him the new information in the right way, so he shows signs of relief and knows his function.

Quote in between the text: “Thanks to the EXEC U-TEST results, I can clearly follow, help and improve his integration, confirm what he is good at and implement him easily within the team.”

In your opinion what is difficult when it comes to personality tests in general?

One has to make sure that the candidates fill in the test on their own and do it honestly, and there are some people who do not understand the importance of this. But even if there are negative effects from media (personal data protection, etc.), there are still 80 percent who fill it in, especially when we offer them the possibility of sharing the results of the test with them at the next interview.

Do you have problems finding skillful or qualified people? What do you do to attract new employees?

Yes, for certain positions. It is difficult to find the right people in the specific area where we need experts. This is clearly connected with the lack of training in Hungary. We resolved this situation within the company with internal training.

We also pay a lot of attention to the company’s image. If we need to fire someone or an employee wants to leave, we do the whole process in a correct and honest way, so the company has no enemies. We strive to provide everything (like tools, and a clean and cultured environment) for people, and they feel comfortable in the workplace. This is the reason why they love to come here and spread the good news about the company. We have an intern-employee program as well, so if we announce a position, we talk to existing employees first, and if they bring in a good candidate (and he stays at the company) we reward them. We don’t pretend to be something other than what we really are, and that is also what we advertise.

Performia has a huge role in our recruitment processes, especially the EXEC U-TEST, because it is very useful and has measurable results instantly

What is the thing that helps you when hiring new employees and keeping existing ones?

In selecting, what we have talked about so far. Keeping existing personnel is much harder. We put a lot of work and energy into it. We have an internal post-installation program, and we try to familiarize them with our entire area of operation. With new employees, we have a contract for a trial period. We evaluate their progress every month. After they have been with us for three months, we check what they are able to do. Most of the time, they stay with us.

Performia has a huge role in our recruitment processes, especially the EXEC U-TEST, because it is very useful and has measurable results instantly. I consider Performia training brilliant. It is one of the most applicable and most important leadership tools that can be learnt, and we as managers constantly experience this.

© Arpad Vas

Árpád Vas

• Árpád graduated university as an agricultural engineer and economist. Before he established Faktum Bútor Kft., he worked as a senior engineer for a company that made wooden toys for kids. Faktum Bútor Kft. was established on the 14th of March, 1994, and operates as a family business today.
• He considers his family to be his greatest success. His children, and the fact that he managed to build a healthy, good workplace.
• In his free time he does a lot of sports, such as squash, yoga, running and swimming. He likes going outdoors, traveling, listening to music and spending time with his family.

Ač nemálo lidí má před jakýmikoliv testy osobnostního potenciálu respekt, můžeme, slovy jedné z našich úspěšných klientek, říci, že ti schopní se testování nebojí. Na konkrétní zkušenosti jsme se pro vás zeptali těch, kteří testování osobnosti používají ve firmě už běžně. A není divu, že je pro ně synonymem pro test osobnosti takzvaný U-test, který pochází z dílny Performie.

1. V čem je podle vás testování osobnosti zaměstnanců pro firmu nejhodnotnější?
2. Uveďte nějaký konkrétní příklad, kdy vám testování osobnosti výrazně v něčem pomohlo či změnilo váš pohled.

Jméno: LUCIE VEVERKOVÁ
Pouice: provozní ředitelka
Firma: PAS, s. r. o., Czech Republic

© Lucie Veverkova

U-test používají na: výběr nových zaměstnanců, stávající zaměstnance, kteří jsou u nich nově, vždy po prvním roce, aby zjistili, zdali je u nich nějaká změna či posun


1. Testujeme z 95 % potenciální zaměstnance a hlavní přínos vidím v tom, že si na pohovor zveme už jen ty kandidáty, jejichž osobnost nám zapadá do pozice, na kterou se hlásí, a hlavně dopředu víme, co od nich zhruba můžeme očekávat. S tím pak následně pracujeme nejprve na osobním pohovoru a pak při přijetí do zaměstnání. Známe tak vlastně dopředu „silné a slabé stránky“ a práce je pak o to snazší. Upřímně si dnes už neumím představit pohovor, aniž bych tento test dopředu znala, neboť lidi na pohovorech umí působit velmi dobře, a realita je pak někde jinde, nebo se naopak neumí „prodat“, ale přitom podle testu a produktivity vypadají velmi dobře. Takže testy osobnosti nám šetří čas tím, že se scházíme jen s těmi vybranými kandidáty. Na druhou stranu někdy ale máme pohovor pouze třeba se dvěma, třemi kandidáty, což pro někoho může působit jako malý vzorek na výběr.

2. Před rokem jsme hledali asistentku vedení společnosti, což je práce, která je hodně různorodá, člověk dotahuje velké množství úkolů a musí často někoho urgovat. Hlásilo se poměrně velké množství kandidátů, ale testy nám prakticky nikdo neprocházel, takže asi po 14 dnech byl naplánovaný pouze jeden pohovor se slečnou, která se na první pohled zdála tichá, neprůbojná a já si ji absolutně na této pozici představit neuměla. Dle testu ale byla hodně aktivní, zodpovědná, komunikativní, dobře organizovaná, s vysokým tahem na branku, zkrátka splňovala naše představy. Podle odpovědí byla i produktivní a reference také dopadly dobře. Vsadili jsme tedy na test a na vše, co Performia učí, a je u nás již přes rok a vše zvládá.