Global systems with their standards, processes and continuous improvement of working methods help us to successfully control and maintain the highest level in our operations and to implement all the initiatives and innovations that ultimately bring us success. However, all this would not have been possible without the exceptional efforts of the employees of Pivara Skopje. “Pivarci”, as we call each other are like a large family that lives the values ​​of the company and continuously works in the direction of achieving our long-term strategy. That is why investing in employee development is one of our highest priorities. Every “Pivarec” makes a personal contribution to the success and sustainability of the company.

Q: Pivara Skopje produces beverages for all generations of consumers and it is a part of the planetary known Groups Coca-Cola and HEINEKEN. This means a great advantage over competition, but at the same time it represents a huge responsibility and obligation. What is the challenge of being part of these global systems?

ARGIR: As part of the two leading global groups Coca – Cola HBC and HEINEKEN, Pivara Skopje has the unique opportunity and privilege always to keep up with the latest world trends, standards and principles of work and apply them in all areas of its activity. This, of course, gives us an absolute advantage and enables us to maintain and strengthen our competitiveness continuously. Moreover, the beverages we produce and offer to consumers are already proven locally and worldwide high-quality brands, produced with highest standards. But this, besides giving added value, simultaneously increases our responsibility towards investors as well as towards employees, consumers and the community as a whole. We are constantly striving for more and better. And when I say we, I mean the management and the employees of Pivara Skopje who are committed to continuous improvements in all areas of operation. Innovation in the part of brands is of primary importance for the sustainability and for the continued growth of our company and for the promotion of our competitiveness on the market. But innovation and constant improvements are our focus inside the company too. Each employee is committed to improving the processes, the way of work, the approach to consumers, customers, interpersonal relationships (employee to employee). I would like to emphasize that global systems with their standards, processes and continuous improvement of working methods help us to successfully control and maintain the highest level in our operations and to implement all the initiatives and innovations that ultimately bring us success. However, all this would not have been possible without the exceptional efforts of the employees of Pivara Skopje. “Pivarci”, as we call each other are like a large family that lives the values ​​of the company and continuously works in the direction of achieving our long-term strategy. That is why investing in employee development is one of our highest priorities. The employees of Pivara Skopje daily acquire new knowledge and skills through their work, attend trainings, work on international projects initiated by the two groups we belong to, work on innovations, mentoring in the Educational Center of Pivara Skopje, etc. With this, every “Pivarec” makes a personal contribution to the success and sustainability of the company.

Q: Recently, the company presented the first Study – “The socio – economic impact of Pivara Skopje in Macedonia”. What does this Study shows, what is the significance of the company for the domestic economy?

ARGIR: The purpose of the Study “The socio – economic Impact of Pivara Skopje in Macedonia” is to present in a transparent, independent and objective way the overall influence and significance that Pivara Skopje has on the development of the domestic economy and the prosperity of the society as a whole. The study, which is made according to the scientific methodology of a renowned international consulting agency, clearly quantifies the values ​​that Pivara Skopje has on the Macedonian economy, referring to several key parameters. With its operations Pivara Skopje annually generates 44.6 million euros gross value added for the Macedonian economy. About 6,000 people in the country depend entirely or partially on generated personal income in the entire value chain of Pivara Skopje, which annually provides 13.7 million euros personal income for its employees, as well as for the employees in the companies with which it cooperates, which is equal of the average monthly salary of 25,000 people in the country. The company’s total annual contribution to the country’s budget exceeds 21 million euros, representing 12% of the country’s total income tax for 2016, and capital investments over the last 10 years exceed 40 million euros.

Q: You said that Pivara Skopje annually provides 13.7 million euros of personal income (salaries, contributions and payroll taxes) for its employees and for the employees in companies that are somehow connected with Pivara Skopje. How many direct jobs provides Pivara Skopje, more precisely, how many employees does Pivara Skopje have?

ARGIR: That’s right. The total annual personal income realized in Macedonia through the activity of Pivara Skopje is 13.7 million euros. It is an impressive figure that we all in Pivara Skopje are extremely proud of, especially because the funds provide stability for a total of 1,747 jobs in the country. In particular, Pivara Skopje directly employs 377 people, with all its business operations, our company indirectly provides 875 jobs in the companies that are engaged in our value chain, as suppliers, subcontractors or outsourcing companies. Also, as a consequence of the additional impulse created by Pivara Skopje in the domestic economy through the so-called induced influence, a further 495 jobs are provided. In other words, every work place in Pivara Skopje contributes to 3.6 additional jobs in Macedonia.

Q: How many companies in Macedonia provide work based on the cooperation with Pivara Skopje?

ARGIR: Within the entire value chain, Pivara Skopje has agreements with over 1,000 domestic suppliers of various goods and services, and we provide work for more than 13,000 clients and associates, which contributes to our influence in as many as 21 sectors of the domestic economy, including those of vital importance, such as agriculture, sectors for professional, scientific and technical services, wholesale and retail trade, catering and tourism, and others. In this way, a total of nearly 6,000 jobs in the mentioned sectors of the domestic economy depend entirely or partly on the business operations and realized income of Pivara Skopje, which is certainly another respectable indicator of our socio – economic impact.

Q: Pivara Skopje is a socially responsible company, which shows that the company does not limit its influence and interest only to the economic benefits. What effect does the reputation of the company have on the employees?

ARGIR: The employees of Pivara Skopje are our most valuable capital. Pivara Skopje is proud of its employees, and “Pivarci” are proud of their company. We are aware that the reputation of the company is largely built and maintained by its employees, through their dedication, loyalty, diligence, determination, humanity, as well as their willingness to share their knowledge and to devote time to socially responsible actions, which is an essential segment of the corporate culture. The management of the company is aware that this kind of activity can only be expected from satisfied employees and therefore every year the company conducts a survey of employee satisfaction, where one of the main indicators is the willingness of every employee to be an ambassador of the company values ​​in the society. I am pleased to say that from year to year this indicator has seen continuous growth. This survey shows that over 99% of our employees are proud to be part of Pivara Skopje, which clearly shows the high level of satisfaction and sense of belonging. But the pride of the employees and their belonging to the company are not measured by a survey only. The employees show this through their personal involvement and volunteer engagement in many socially responsible initiatives of Pivara Skopje, such as the education of children on topics related to health and safety in school environments, which has been implemented for five years throughout the country, such as participation in training and education of young people through mentoring within the Educational Center of Pivara Skopje, which has been in continuity for more than 20 years. Our employees actively participate in numerous actions for collecting packaging waste from public areas, as well as providing solidarity assistance in disasters, as was the case with the floods in Skopje in 2016 when our employees spent over 200 volunteering hours to relief the consequences of the residents in the flooded areas.

Q: The largest investment of Pivara Skopje are the employees themselves, and the success of the company is a success for all employees. What is the human resources model in the company; teamwork, people’s faith, or something else? What is your focus, how do you motivate employees?

ARGIR: With great certainty, I can say that Pivara Skopje is what it is, currently thanks to its employees, all of us. Therefore, we are proud to say that the biggest investment of Pivara Skopje are the employees. In order to validate this, we developed a functional human resource management model in Pivara Skopje: (1) employee satisfaction, (2) talent management and development and  (3) development of competencies and leadership abilities, to which we upgrade our standards in this important area. Additionally, in the center of our actions and behavior, we have the values of Pivara Skopje that are clearly defined, and are based on behaviors that reflect authenticity, acting as one team, caring for one another, excellence in everything we do, learning and caring for our customers. The strategy for human resources development of Pivara Skopje is in correlation with the strategic goals of the company that relate to brand development, sales, production, and the development of human resources in the direction of creating inspired, motivated and dedicated staff. All these factors together contribute to the achievement and improvement of the company’s results from year to year, satisfying the needs of customers, the needs of shareholders, the market and, of course, the consumers. In order to monitor the achievement of its strategic goals in the area of ​​human resource management, Pivara Skopje uses the overall knowledge and experience based on Performance Management and employee development implemented in both global groups Coca-Cola HBC and HENEKEN, where we belong. These systems enable us to establish clear and specific goals for the realization of each employee, consistency in the assessment of employee performance and their potential, mechanisms for assessing and developing the company’s talents, and professional development programs at the individual level. This approach enables us to identify talents and potential successors in managerial positions for which we further determine which training programs will be implemented, how long it will take to develop employees to the extent that we can say that they are fully prepared to take on additional responsibilities and challenges in new job positions. For that purpose, we are developing individual development plans which imply a combination of classroom training, workplace training, work-by-project training. The speed of advancement depends to a large extent on the employee, how much he personally a manages to upgrade his knowledge, experience and skills, how quickly he can fit in new ways of working, adapt to a different kind of communication, cooperation and similar. Within this performance management and employees’ development process, there is a system of awarding, known by all the employees in the company involved in this process, even when setting the annual goals for work. Although the remuneration system is basically based on the achieved results, however, our practice shows that motivation of employees is not always related solely to cash prizes. Experience shows that the motivation of employees depends greatly on how employees are directed, on the type of support and training they provide for easier performing the goals set, from the opportunities for professional advancement. In other words, the very important segment in the motivation of employees is precisely the leadership. Additionally, we are constantly striving to introduce new tools for motivating employees. Such as “Employee of the Year” project, which is nominated by the employees themselves, in cycles of monthly and quarterly nominations of employees who believe that they live the values ​​of Pivara Skopje and contribute to improving the company’s performance. In this section are the awards for the best innovations and improvements, the awards for the final project and a number of other tools.

Q: You are a Human Resources Manager at Pivara Skopje. Is it hard to be a woman manager who manages such a significant portfolio in such a big company? What challenges do you face every day?

ARGIR: Human Resource Management is an area that is my life commitment and a profession I work with a lot of desire, energy, dedication and emotions and in which I give my maximum. Love for this profession is a substance that makes me feel fulfilled, happily and successfully. Today the speed of living is what is the challenge, whether you are a female or a male. It’s not hard to be a woman manager if you are a respectable person, possessing values ​​that make it easier to deal with the challenges of everyday life and a person who knows how to motivate herself and others. The aspiration for continual improvement and my own learning is something that has helped me to go forward and walk all the steps to the goal in my life. Care for people is extremely important in managing. This is something I invest most every day, in addition to the continuous learning that I deeply believe in. The employees of Pivara Skopje and, of course, the team I manage are my focus and my great pride. Working with people requires great dedication, a desire to help, respect, you really need to love people so you can achieve the goal. We face many initiatives, tasks, etc. on a daily basis, and the greatest challenge is to realize them in the best possible way, through good cooperation and communication, understanding, respect and support.

Q: How important is it for a woman manager to have work-life balance? How do you manage it and where do you draw the energy? Can you describe what are the accomplishments that satisfies you in your private, everyday life?

ARGIR: The biggest challenge is always the struggle between the professionality you want for yourself and your family. But the secret is to find a balance between these two things. Daily successes largely depend on the ability to create new values for yourself, for the family and the environment in which you work. I personally love challenges and I am not running away from changes. What drives me and keeps me is my family. Without the support I receive immensely from my family, I think my professional development would not be possible. I take the biggest energy from the successful work, as well as from the hours spent with my family and my friends. I love books and I try to find time to read. I would not forget the friendship, going out with friends and colleagues. At work, we sometimes try to finish the day earlier and to go somewhere for a beer, but only under one condition: responsible consumption. I restore energy on vacations, especially when I go skiing with my family and my friends. I like to prepare dinner or lunch for friends, to spend time with them, to share some good jokes, to chat and to cheer for the successes in our life.

Q: What leads you forward as a manager and what is the future portfolio of Pivara Skopje ?

ARGIR: I want results, I love new things through which I study constantly, I want to see happy and smiling people, I want to be able to plan the future in a long – term. I feel happy when I see that colleagues around me achieve successes and when they are happy for that. What is also important to me are the good interpersonal relationships between the people, the way they live  the values and show them in action. These are the main driving forces that push me forward, and at the same time I believe that I share many of them with the people I’m surrounded with in my company. As for the future of Pivara Skopje, I am sure that it will continue its continuous growth and sustainable development, based on extensive investments in all segments, great dedication and commitment of employees, constant maintenance of high quality and innovations in our portfolio, made up of the most famous and most beloved international brands of soft drinks and beers and, of course, the nurturing and support of the lasting values of the community we belong to.