Talent Management in European SMEs: case analysis between Slovenia and Poland

Organisations are investing significant efforts and resources into recruiting, developing and retaining key talent with the potential to contribute significantly to performance. However, the talent management (TM) process is difficult and despite all the efforts, many organisations struggle to effectively manage these valuable people. The main objective of this research is to examine the implementation of TM in SMEs in Europe. Our research responds to calls for more evidence of how TM is implemented across different contexts and which approaches are more prevalent. Europe is a dynamic collective of countries with distinctive political, social and economic histories that frame the present context in which SME’s operate. We present the findings from two case organisations in post socialist economies, one in Slovenia and the other in Poland. This research shows that in these post socialist contexts there is a strong need to approach TM from the perspective of SMEs, where their size and contextualised knowledge of their internal and external environment elicits local solutions to TM challenges. Furthermore, this demonstrates the value of foregrounding the individual needs and aspirations of talent when designing and implementing TM practices in SME’s, in order to create a sustainable future for all stakeholders

Human Resource Management in the Countries of the Former Yugoslavia

Human Resource Management (HR/HRM) is closely connected to the social and economic environment in which a given organization or company operates. On this basis it may be interesting for foreign potential investors to understand both the differences and similarities in the application of HRM methods in a group of countries which had lived for a long period of time in a federation which had finally disintegrated. Such investors usually come from different environments and backgrounds and have previous experience in the application of specific forms of HRM practice. In this paper the authors try to present the development and changes in the theories and practice of Human Resource Management in most of the countries established on the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.human resource management; economic environment; practices change; former Yugoslavia.

Migrant Domestic Workers’ Experiences of Sexual Harassment: A Qualitative Study in Four EU Countries

Sexual harassment against female migrant domestic workers is a public health problem, which remains hidden and largely underreported. The current paper presents the results of a qualitative research study on sexually victimized migrant domestic workers in four European countries (Austria, Cyprus, Greece, and Sweden). The study aimed at exploring the profile and experiences of victimised individuals. Data were gathered via 66 semi-structured interviews with victimised female migrant domestic workers. Key findings of the current study indicate that the victims: (a) were usually undocumented and had low local language skills; (b) identified domestic work as the only way into the labour market; (c) suffered primarily psychological, economic, and social consequences; (d) had poor social support networks; (e) were poorly connected to governmental support services. This is the first study to explore this hidden problem via direct contact with victims. Addressing barriers of migrants’ social integration seems important. Better regulation and monitoring of this low-skilled occupation could minimise risks for vulnerable employees

Zaposlovanje pri zasebnih agencijah

Ekonomizacija poslovanja podjetja kot mehanizma prilagajanja zahtevam postmoderne družbe se odraža tudi v ekonomizaciji z delovno silo. Vse bolj pomembno je hitro, učinkovito in ustrezno usklajevanje med potrebami delovnih mest in ponudbo na trgu. Izpolnitev omenjenih zahtev omogoča tudi zaposlovanje pri zasebnih agencijah. V Sloveniji je izvajanje zaposlovanja prizasebnih agencijah omogočil zakon o zaposlovanju in zavarovanju za primer brezposelnosti, natančneje pa je urejeno z novelo zakona o delovnih razmerjih. V prispevku osvetljujemo značilnosti zaposlovanja pri zasebnih agencijah, pravnoformalno ureditev te oblike zaposlitve v Sloveniji in v nekaterih članicah Evropske unije, izsledke raziskav, ki kažejo stanje in trende na področju zasebnih agencij v članicah Evropske unije, ter izpostavljamo prednosti in slabosti, ki jih prinaša podjetjem uporabnikom in zaposlenim.Economisation of the company\u27s business operations as a mechanism to adjust to the demands of the post-modern society is also reflected in the process of economizing in the field of labour force. It is ever more important to quickly, effectively and properly adjust the supply of jobs to the demand of the labour market. Getting an employment in private employment agencies is one way how to carry out these demands. Employment in private employment agencies has been enabled after the ratification of the Employment and Insurance Against Unemployment Act, and more precisely regulated in the novel of the Employment Relationships Act. The article presents the characteristics and the legal-formal regulation of employment in private agencies in Slovenia and in some EU countries. Some research results show the situation and trends in the sphere of private agencies in EU countries, as well as their advantages and disadvantage that companies, the users and employees are facing with

The roles and competencies of HR managers in Slovenian multinational companies

Purpose – The HRM literature provides various typologies of the HR managers’ roles in organizations. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the roles and required competencies of HR managers in Slovenian multinational companies change when these companies enter the international arena. Design/methodology/approach – The authors explored the total population of 25 Slovenian multinational companies (MNCs) operating in Serbia. In these companies the authors conducted interviews with 16 expatriates working in branches in Serbia, sent questionnaires to the CEOs, and conducted a survey of 50 HR managers and interviews with 15 of them. The authors used a triangulation approach and analyzed the results by multivariate methods and content analysis. Findings – The authors found that the complexity of HR managers’ roles, and expectations of their competencies, increases with an increasing level of internationalization of companies. Orientation to people and conflict resolution are seen as elementary competencies needed in all stages of internationalization. The key competence is seen to be strategic thinking that, according to CEOs and expatriates, goes hand in hand with cultural sensitivity, openness to change and a comprehensive understanding of the international environment and business processes. Practical implications – These results can potentially be used for assessing the HRM roles and competencies in different stages of company internationalization, especially MNCs operating in the ex-communist states of Europe, and will help HR managers to support expatriates, CEOs and other employees working in branches abroad more efficiently. Originality/value – This study contributes to the review and evaluation of the quite limited research on HR managers’ roles and competencies in MNCs. It focuses on MNCs and outward internationalization in the Central and Eastern European region. It contributes to studies of the HR managers’ roles and competencies and is the first study to establish a set of roles and competencies for HR managers in Slovenian MNCs

The role of sustainable HRM in sustainable development

Achieving sustainability is becoming a primary agenda for many societies throughout the world. However, we are currently witnessing a surprising stagnation in progress toward this goal. Neoliberal values of individualism, privatization and competitive advantage are proving to be hard to breach. Hence, there is a pressing need for change. Through an extensive literature overview, the present paper identifies existing misconceptions and differences in the comprehension of concepts such as sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and the relationship between strategic human resource management (HRM) and sustainable HRM. It describes and acknowledges the hindrances that sustainable HRM faces in practice, with a particular focus on the predominant schema of strategic HRM and the misconception of corporate social responsibility. The aspiration of the paper is to pose a new model of sustainability by implementing sustainable HRM at the center of sustainable development and corporate accountability. The proposed model is intended as a measurement of the levels of sustainable development in which organizations find themselves and report on, and as a more comprehensive model of sustainable HRM, which has the potential to be applied in practice

Organizational support of working from home

(1) The objective of this study is to analyze working from home (WFH) arrangements implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are focusing on: 1. The main challenges and differences in WFH arrangements, compared to regular work before the pandemic. 2. The scope of WFH workload and its potential negative effects on workers’ well-being and reconciliation of work and family. 3. Organizational support to workers WFH, including communication with co-workers, IT specialists, and leaders, and required competence to perform WFH. 4. Organization support of work process, including data access, provision of IT, and work supervision. (2) The research is based on structured interviews with 102 employees and leaders of WFH in the second wave of COVID-19 in Slovenia. (3) Results strongly confirm previous research and emphasize that the pandemic has suddenly completely changed the WFH by placing a much greater accent on work–family reconciliation, communication among co-workers and leaders, work organization, workload, and organizational support. (4) Identified WFH practices developed during the pandemic will help individuals and businesses to optimize WFH and hybrid work, which is on the rise