In our series #PeopleOfAccace, we bring you behind the scenes of Accace through interviews. You will learn how new services and solutions are created here, who has been at Accace the longest and what positions they have held over the years, but most importantly, you will get to know our wonderful people. In the current interview, we interviewed the entire team of the Slovak HR heroines.

The HR team is generally essential for the effective functioning of the company. Can you introduce yourselves a bit and explain what your main tasks and responsibilities are at Accace? Are your roles in the team individually divided?

Our internal HR team consists of 2.5 people, which doesn’t mean one member is half-sized but that one works part-time. However, we couldn’t imagine our functioning without her. Our team consists of HR Manager Veronika, HR Generalist Dominika K., and HR Assistant Dominika R. Each of us is different, but we complement each other like puzzle pieces, understand each other perfectly, and form a great team, learning from each other.

Veronika focuses more on key decisions at the management level and the functioning of the human aspect at Accace, payroll, HR reporting, group HR projects, and HR processes. She also lends a helping hand to both Dominikas and acts as an advisory body for process handling of HR requests and legislative questions.

Dominika K., as an HR Generalist, is here for our colleagues, ensuring the recruitment of new team members, their integration into the work environment, handling personnel requests, advising and helping colleagues not only with work-related but also very often personal matters, and she loves creating new projects and connecting people.

Dominika R., the HR Assistant, loves administration and perfect order. She has a great eye for detail when filling out or creating spreadsheets, contracts, and maintaining order in employee files. As a form of relaxation from administration, she takes care of the recruitment portal, advertises job positions, enjoys selecting resumes, and arranging interviews with our potential new colleagues.

Our agendas are very closely interconnected, which helps us create a comprehensive picture of what’s happening at Accace, about HR as such, ensuring substitutability and continuous functioning.

How would you describe the atmosphere in the HR team and what values are most important to you at work?

The atmosphere in our HR team is the most important thing we have, and we are happy that we understand each other on a personal level as well. Even though we can work from home, we spend a lot of time in the office because we enjoy being together. If we are not together in the office, we are in daily contact online. Each of us has a different work orientation, which ultimately helps us bring different perspectives to the issue and find the best solutions for all parties. All three of us agree that mutual respect, esteem, flexibility, and the ability to communicate openly when looking for solutions are important values for us. We support each other and function together as a team.

What are the biggest challenges you face and how do you overcome them? Can you share an interesting fact about yourselves that perhaps no one knows?

The biggest challenge for all of us is time! We definitely have the desire to change things, bring new ideas and changes, and create a pleasant and prosperous working environment. We also try to streamline and improve processes to reduce the number of laborious tasks, allowing us to be here mainly for our colleagues. However, we struggle with a lack of time, so some changes and ongoing or new projects take longer than we would like.

And what does no one know about us? All three of us really care that the decisions being made are the best and most feasible for everyone involved. Often, this involves lengthy discussions and calls with multiple parties and various institutions to find a solution that suits the individual, the team, and the business.

If we are to introduce ourselves a bit outside of work life, Veronika is a passionate athlete who gets up at 5:30 AM to run or exercise and continues with a second workout in the evening. Dominika R. enjoys spoiling us with cakes that she bakes herself – and they are really delicious! Dominika K. is our cheerful sunshine who wandered the world for 10 years and is now happy to be a proud Slovak back home. She actively spreads joy and positivity wherever she goes, especially among younger generations, and brings new ideas from around the world.

How do you contribute to improving working conditions and employee satisfaction at Accace?

We work in a sector where certain above-standard conditions are natural for us, such as stability, a pleasant atmosphere, flexibility, and the possibility to work from home. For many companies, these are unthinkable things or ones that HR has to deal with. We have the gift of being able to focus on improving communication with employees through various tools, working with other teams including reception, creating interesting activities to please and relax our colleagues throughout the year, giving them a reason to come to the office and meet colleagues.

We also see the importance of education, not only professional but also personal growth, mutual understanding, and growth within the company. This is a key role we focus on.

What inspired and motivated you to choose the field of HR? What attracts you the most to this job?

Dominika R.: I got into HR through a love for administration. Although I studied diplomacy, I feel that I still have time for diplomacy as such and don’t want to pursue it yet. However, I am an HR diplomat daily in my work. I knew I wanted to work with people, be there for them, and help them, so when I saw that Accace was looking for an HR & Office assistant, I knew I had to try. I am extremely grateful that Veronika, Dominika, and at the time, Adka and Sima gave me the chance to become part of their teams, to learn, and that I can be beneficial here.

Veronika: The HR field appealed to me already during my studies and motivated me even more in my first job. I wanted to work with people, support them in various work or personal situations, and meet new personalities. I like the HR field also because of its dynamic character, varied agenda, interesting moments, and different types of people. No day is boring or the same; I constantly learn something new, not only in the HR field but also in other areas, often from our colleagues in the law firm.

Dominika K.: For me, it was always about people and for people. I worked in a team with people who didn’t always have the happiest stories, but work was a place where they felt good. So, I decided to study strategic human resources management, where we learned how to create conditions where people can thrive, which goes hand in hand with business prosperity.