Milena Karailieva is HR Director at Kaufland Bulgaria. She has nearly 15 years of experience in HR. In an interview with the Trust for Social Achievement (TSA) Foundation, she talks about the Kaufland Bulgaria team, its diversity and how cultural differences contribute to the success of the leading retail company in Bulgaria.
Kaufland Bulgaria is a partner of TSA under the Earning by Learning project.
Why is it important for every company to look for diversity in its team and strive to have no prejudice based on ethnic or other grounds?
Employers are increasingly open to diversity in teams and are looking to integrate as many people as possible into it. The culture of any large international company, such as Kaufland, provides opportunities for people of all religions and races, ages and genders, as well as people with different abilities, to express themselves and develop. Dividing by any means would only take us further away from the idea of attracting the best talent and maintaining high employee satisfaction in our team, which in turn would also affect the efficiency of our work processes.
Kaufland operates in several countries in Europe, so diversity for us is part of our corporate culture, it is part of our DNA, which contributes to our rich internal climate. Internationally, the company employs people from 100 nationalities in 8 countries and in human resource management cultural diversity is seen as an opportunity to communicate on the same level, with the necessary respect and tolerance.
In Bulgaria, Kaufland offers an extremely wide range of job opportunities in its three main structures: store network, logistics centre, administrative office. In them people from almost every field of activity find employment – trade, sales, marketing, human resources, information technology, construction, finance and accounting, logistics and many others. According to our equal opportunities policy, every candidate has equal opportunities and the selection process is focused entirely on the personal and professional qualities of the candidates.
What are employers most afraid of, what stops them from being more “open” to differences between people and cultures?
I wouldn’t call it “fear”, but an awareness of the need to take the time and effort to include people with different education, values, work habits. Usually there is also a need for more extensive induction training, which also means additional investment in time and resources.
Another reason could be intolerance towards diversity. Here, I believe that the leadership team has a leading role to play in overcoming it, as they can create an atmosphere of understanding, mutual support and trust. When forming teams at Kaufland, we try to ensure greater diversity because we believe that this is how we can achieve greater efficiency and realise our goals. We are all different and that is our greatest strength.
Should seeking diversity in the team become a top business priority for most Bulgarian companies and what are the benefits?
I think companies that support diversity in their teams would only benefit. Developing policies for a diverse and inclusive work environment could, for example, help Bulgarian companies to hire staff more easily and quickly.
At Kaufland, we encourage our employees to be socially responsible and open to embracing differences. Often, people who did not have an equal start earlier in life because of their social situation, education or poverty prove to be extremely loyal employees. company. These are usually hard-working and dedicated people who value highly the opportunity to work and develop. They are aware that they are valued and placed on a par with everyone else, and this further motivates them to achieve professional development. At Kaufland, we can boast many examples of colleagues who have started from an entry-level position and progressed to various managerial levels.
How does your company approach diversity in teams – what difficulties do you encounter and how much of your team is of a different ethnicity, for example?
As I mentioned earlier, diversity is everywhere with us. Besides ethnic Bulgarians, our colleagues in different positions are Armenians, Ukrainians, Russians, Roma, Turks. And in terms of religion, we also have a great diversity. When necessary, talks are held in the teams in order to achieve greater tolerance. For us as an employer, the most important thing is that every employee is equally welcomed into the team, feels comfortable, is motivated and willing to perform their tasks.
Do you encounter any difficulties when recruiting?
We invite everyone to join our vacancies. Challenges may arise in the process for our recruitment team colleagues, but with their professional expertise we are able to get to the heart of what matters most, which is the candidate’s intrinsic motivation and skills.
Furthermore, the company is socially committed and provides the mandatory workwear, daily refreshments for all shifts, a hot lunch and transport within a radius of about 50 km to and from our logistics centre. Colleagues from the branches can use taxis in the early and late hours without public transport. These benefits are highly valued and are very often a key factor in wanting to start working for us, especially for candidates with limited financial means. In addition to social benefits, we also provide professional ones. In partnership with external organisations such as the Social Alternative Trust Foundation, we provide free online courses in basic computer literacy and English.
Does your management team undergo training with the aim of being less prejudiced?
Yes, the topic of prejudice and discrimination is covered extensively in our internal employment regulations. At Kaufland, we strive for behaviours of tolerance, equality, giving equal start and opportunities to all colleagues. And when necessary, managers conduct training sessions with their teams on the subject.
Already in the selection of new employees, we strive to assess candidates as objectively as possible. Colleagues in the Recruitment Department receive extensive training in this respect. It is a good practice to always interview candidates on the “four eyes principle”, i.e. – to go two by two in an interview. This also ensures a transparent selection process.
Experts from the Human Resources department have recently received training dedicated to “Diversity and Social Responsibility”, and they in turn are training the rest of our team. New trainings on the topic are also coming in several modules, for different management structures from the service office, branches and logistics, which will be held with external partners such as the Trust for Social Achievement Foundation.
Do you think you and other companies should advocate for there to be more diversity in companies? What are the valuable lessons, tips and best practices from your work in this direction?
Diversity in teams is an asset to a company. I believe it is an essential success factor and Kaufland is an example of this. As one of the largest employers on the Bulgarian market, our employees have always been at the centre of our interest and care. Inclusive managers, with their personal example of fair, tolerant and non-discriminatory behaviour, play a key role in creating an environment of tolerance and understanding.
A good practice I would like to share that we have had since the beginning of 2018 is the position of Trustee or what I call “HR (human resources) on four wheels”. These are our employees with many years of experience in the company whose main task is to explore the work environment, foster effective communication and, as an impartial trusted partner, be available to colleagues on a daily basis – assisting them personally or referring them to the appropriate colleagues in the organization. In recent months, it was often the Trusted Persons who assisted in solving personal problems and housing difficulties, in seeking solutions to financial or health problems. The pandemic of COVID-19 has posed great challenges for some of our colleagues, especially parents with children. The need has arisen for many of them to provide flexible working hours as well as technical means for the distance learning introduced for students. Empathy and teamwork were very much in evidence. Through our Trustees, items and financial donations were organised and provided, and colleagues volunteered their time. We also established an internal “Psychological Support Program.” All these internal initiatives were united under the motto “From our family to yours!”