Company dm: “Together for Each Other” Even When We're Not Next to One Another

Coronavirus – the most frequent word this year, no doubt. In the business community, it's the phrase – “the new normal”. This “new normal” quickly forced companies worldwide to respond to the change, to reorganize their business, to keep the jobs and to respond to the changed demands in the market. How has a successful company, which has been fostering the quality proactive of human resources for years now, provided support to its employees during the biggest crisis of the 21st century? We talked to HM development sector managers at dm, one of the most popular employers in Serbia.

Since 1973, when it was founded, dm drogerie markt has had one principle: “People in the Focus of the Business”. This has remained the company's principle to this day, and in challenging times, employee support is a given, dm says.

– Our motto “Together for Each Other” gained a new meaning in 2020. In addition to the fact that we continued developing the employees' potentials on a daily basis, our list of priorities has expanded to include several other tasks. The leading imperative in the field of human resources is now the health protection of the staff and securing safe working conditions, as well as constant support to the management and all the company's employees. The other goal is reflected in our efforts to thank them for their additional dedication, hard work and enthusiasm in this period. Another token of gratitude for all the hard work and effort in these challenging times is the extraordinary bonus of RSD 18,000 for over 1,100 employees at the company, which was paid to their bank accounts as a surprise. With this, a total of RSD 33.5 million was invested in additional support to the employees in Serbia, whereas a similar initiative was also carried out in other countries that our company operates in – points out Maja Petrovic Kolakovic, HR Manager at dm.

Priority number 1: Maintaining employees' health

– The wave of the spreading of coronavirus in our country was an alarm for us to take preventive measures even before the state of emergency was declared. Wherever it was possible, we soon enabled people to work from home, and as the majority of our large team is “on the front line”, each day we implemented measures that kept our colleagues, but also customers, safe – she says.

To that end, all protection measures, including the provision of protective masks and visors to the employees, disinfection barriers and disinfectants, a weekly ozonization of the stores, as well as gift packages with supplements, vitamins, organic immunity-boosting drinks, home cleaning products and other suppliers. Furthermore, all the employees were provided with free systematic medical examinations.

What happens when remote work is not so simple?

As Jelisaveta Obradovic, also an HR Manager at dm, explains, companies which foster a strong team spirit have had to make numerous changes related to working from home, with everyone adapting as fast as they could.

– It is clear that, in these new times, it is necessary to make a balance between business and family obligations and maintain the physical and the psychological health of the employees in the conditions of personal distancing. Considering what kinds of changes have taken place globally, we have directed additional attention to the employees' mental and physical health, providing support to our colleagues through a range of online workshops with a psychologist. Furthermore, unusual sitting positions while working at home have led to a range of health problems, so we've implemented exercises that are supposed to strengthen and stretch the spine – Jelisaveta emphasizes.

We're here to listen

Truly listening to the employees and paying attention to their needs is what success is based on, not just in the HR sector, but in the company as a whole – because each company consists of people. This is especially apparent in challenging circumstances when it is crucial for us to listen to each other and establish a regular and transparent flow of information.

– In order to ensure the quality of communication and maintain the recognizable spirit of togetherness, we have formed various aspects of online support, such as thematic groups on internal channels, for all questions, dilemmas, useful advice and informal socializing. The HR development sector is the organizer and coordinator of the groups, but is also a sector that is available for all questions and consultations – Jelisaveta says.

Together again soon, but at a big tree-planting event

Although it is likely that dm employees will not all be able to gather again physically for a while longer, due to the precautionary measures, the first opportunity for a substantial number of them to meet will be at the upcoming “Plant a Tree” event. The company dm launched this initiative last year in cooperation with Adria Media Group, and the campaign, to which, among all others, numerous employees have contributed, has made history. In a single day, over 51,000 saplings were planted in several locations in Serbia. The new goal for the upcoming autumn planting campaign is the forestation of 100 locations throughout Serbia, which the dm staff is eagerly awaiting.

In addition to the overall contribution to preserving the ecosystem, with this project, the company continues motivating its employees to become socially active through volunteering and become a part of the team that makes our community a better place.

dm drogerie

Adria Media Group

Maja Petrović Kolaković

Jelisaveta Obradović

coronavirus

new normal

development of human resources

Together for Each Other