THE HR TEAM: STRATEGIC PARTNER IN ANY BUSINESS'S SUCCESS

Before becoming the HR Manager in BOpartners, Realto Group, in 2022, Yulia Ushovska gathered invaluable experience in a number of fields – from the state administration and the NGO sector to the business. Her successful projects are connected to corporate identity building; preparation of human resources management policies; structural and organisational changes along with mergers and business restructuring; change management; wages and benefits; employees training and development; improvement of corporate work environment and corporate social responsibility. Some of these were recognised by some of this country's most prestigious awards. This broad expertise has made Mrs Ushovska an important voice in the Bulgarian HR community.

Your work experience is across a wide field: from state institutions and the NGO sector to private companies. Is there shared ground in effective HR management in such diverse organisations?

I had the opportunity to work in the HR field in different sectors and this indeed gave me a broad view over the used practices and policies. I am grateful for the experience and for the leaders and the people who I met on my journey and who taught me a lot. I started in state administration and continued in the NGO sector and the business and now I can say that in all fields one can find valuable practices that can be used. People are key for the success of any business, regardless of its particular field. Effective management of human capital requires entwining the strategy of a company development with the policies towards the people in order to achieve sustainability.

Each business needs a strong HR team capable of supporting the effective functioning of other teams. The well structured, empowered and supported HR team is an invaluable partner in realisation of different projects connected to human capital management.

In the past couple of years we see a wider variety and many similarities across businesses and organisations such as application of flexible wage and benefits policies; options for attracting disadvantaged or disabled people; various work regimes, exchange programmes, mobility and trainings, programmes promoting care for people and their mental health, and many more.

The organisations realised that if they want to have engaged teams and to attract the right people it is important to work on the reputation of their corporate brand. Shared values and creating a unique team culture are becoming increasingly important for both sides in the process. Openly sharing inside and outside the organisation internal projects, initiatives and policies and turning the employees into their strongest ambassadors is also crucial.

An important condition for success is the leadership team, the personal example, the transparent, clear, timely and consistent communication that helps to build a climate of trust, tranquillity and cooperation.

And what are the specifics in contemporary HR when building and retaining teams?

Finding people with specific professional skills is getting increasingly difficult, in some industries we now even have disappearing professions. Each company needs a clear strategy for talent attraction and retention. This includes establishing channels for selection, budget for attraction, identifying the target groups and tools, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, onboarding programmes, career plans, motivational programmes and packages for the employees. Building sustainable partnerships with institutions and universities is crucial for this process.

In all of these the different generations in the work environment should also be considered; baby boomers, X, Y and Z generations require different approaches. The aware teamwork of the company's management and managers is important for the successful realisation of this strategy. In this respect the organisation's brand and its added value for the employees are also key.

In business, different selection techniques are applied depending on the field and the position: virtual reality, psychological tests, gamification, logic puzzles, tasks for time and orientation, evaluation centres, interviews, etc. The development of leadership and managerial skills in people and team management helps for having an improved awareness of the importance of the managerial role in retaining people in the organisation.

The individual approach and the care for the needs of the people from different generations is important for their retention in the organisation and for building the feeling that they are seen, valued and recognised. The analyses and metrics in the field of HR provide important information for making informed managerial decisions.

I believe that the potential for the success of an organisation lies hidden in its people, and that employers should invest more time, effort and resources in development programmes, improving the work environment and establishing the right organisational culture. People usually leave an organisation not because they dislike their job, but because of bad organisational culture and lack of leadership and managerial skills.

What is the most interesting part of your work as HR Manager at BОpartners, Realto Group?

I accepted to start at BОpartners, Realto Group as a new challenge that would give me an opportunity to learn and master new practices and work models in service and real estate business.

I build and work on projects connected to expanding the programme for care for the people, improving and development of the organisational culture, a leadership academy and development of the role and impact of the HR function in the company.

The main priority at the moment is the digitalisation of the HR management processes – a project that is crucial for the business.

On a daily basis I also meet different cases that also enriches and grows further my expertise.

In our dynamic and digitalised everyday life the strategies for human management inevitably transform, too. The profession of the HR specialist changes with the changes on the labour market, but regardless of the speeding digitalisation, AI cannot entirely replace working with people. Today the job of the HR team is getting even more strategic for the successful management of any organisation.

Linkedin: Yulia Ushovska