This year, METRO Bulgaria is celebrating 25 years in the Bulgarian market, and this is not only a good occasion for a celebration, but also an opportunity to talk about the best practices from an employer’s point of view.
Over the years, METRO has established itself as a company with a successful approach to the introduction of new employees, the provision of additional educational opportunities, as well as the development of diversity, equality and inclusion strategies.
Currently, the company employs about 2,000 people, of whom 64% are women. Thanks to the diverse strategy for personnel development and opportunities for training and growth, 100% of the director positions are occupied by people who have grown up in the company. And the best statistic on the occasion of METRO’s 25th anniversary – 5% of employees have been working at METRO for 25 years.
We talk to Maria Angelova, Director of “People and Culture” at METRO Bulgaria, about METRO’s employer culture and what it means to be a Top Employer.
For the seventh year in a row, METRO Bulgaria has been awarded “Best Employer” by the prestigious Top Employer Institute in the Netherlands – what does this mean for you?
The Top Employer certification gives us the opportunity to compare ourselves and see good practices from the best employers in the world. Every year we analyze the results and work on improvements to excel our practices.
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Maria Angelova is the Director of “People and Culture” and has been part of METRO Bulgaria since February 2020. Maria has over 20 years of experience in the field of human resources in various multinational companies in the field of manufacturing, retail and FMCG. She took the position at METRO in rather difficult times, but never gave up on her main goal – to develop people in the company and take care of their health and happiness.
Maria graduated in Political Science from Sofia University and has two sons.
We consider it our responsibility, together with other certified companies in the country, to annually improve working conditions and to continuously improve employer practices in Bulgaria.
This year, we have the biggest growth in indicators compared to the previous year in seven categories, among which “People Management Strategy”, “Leadership”, “Talent Attraction”, “Working Environment and Career Development”, where the company covers 100% of the requirements of the Top Employer Institute.
You also recently introduced the new sCore strategic framework – how will this affect the team and company culture?
Our business is a business of relationships, and that’s why for 25 years people are the most important thing for us. The focus is on developing the competencies of our people because they need to feel confident in the new digital environment we are implementing and comfortable in all the changes that drive the business forward. A big transformation also requires a big change in culture, so we talk a lot about it to ensure a common understanding and a sense of security for everyone. The team is one of the main pillars in our strategy and we follow a comprehensive plan related to remuneration, competences, development and culture.
What is METRO’s approach to recruiting?
We face the same challenges that all employers face in the labor market. We recently introduced our new employer brand, and there we focus on communicating who we are as an employer and what our employees value most – cohesion and a strong team spirit. We believe this is what sets us apart and we really want to showcase it as our asset.
Trust is at the heart of our business, this is what we try to embed in the culture of the entire organization – because trust is hard to build, but easy to lose, and the responsibility lies with all of us, regardless of what position and function we work in.
Can you tell us more about the overall process of starting and working at METRO?
We create opportunities for professional and personal development, because in this way we support the construction of a fulfilling environment and improve the conditions in which we grow together. We know how important it is for each new person, and for the team, to go through each step of the process, so it all starts with induction. Our new colleagues go through an induction program and have a platform to further familiarize themselves with the company so that they have all the important information in one place. They have access to online resources for introduction to the work environment, company principles and of course a huge selection of trainings.
What are the training opportunities at METRO?
We continuously invest in different programs – providing not only training but also unique coaching opportunities for individual employees and teams. Currently, there are over 400 trainings on our electronic platform – various courses, possibility of exchange with other METRO stores outside Bulgaria, we have options to participate in international programs together with colleagues from other countries. But the most important thing is that we are constantly learning from each other and supporting each other as a close-knit team.
Do you have programs dedicated to young people?
We offer work opportunities to students and many of our colleagues complete their university education while working for us. In 2015, METRO became a partner of the dual training program coordinated by the Austrian Chamber.
Photo: Students from METRO’s dual education program
We offer professional and practical training to students from 6 schools in Bulgaria. This year we are training 35 students as part of the program. And the result is in one important number – 20% of the program participants remain in the METRO team every year.
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