Employee engagement has dropped and significant fluctuation has emerged due to the pandemic

According to the latest survey by Kincentric, the overall level of employee engagement dropped globally in the second quarter of 2021, after just the opposite process taking place over the first wave of the pandemic – most likely due to the high degree of uncertainty. The predominant need for stability has now been replaced by the need for the greatest possible degree of flexibility, both globally and in Hungary. The pandemic has accustomed employees to more flexible frameworks than usual in terms of location and work schedule, therefore employers who can provide sufficient level of flexibility are preferred – as it was highlighted at HR Fest conference in Budapest organized with WHC Group as the main sponsor.

At the event, Kincentric experts presented the results of their latest international survey. Based on their findings, the level of employee engagement fell significantly over the second quarter of 2021, reaching an average of 65%, the lowest rate since 2017. Another important finding is that 93% of employees would like to work on a flexible schedule and 56% would change jobs to be able to work in a more flexible way.

At the conference, the current role of HR within a company and how this may change in the future was also discussed.

 Kornél Németh, Managing Director of Rossmann Magyarország Kft. explained that in his opinion the role of HR within the company is essential and it is worth managing the area at a strategic level. The coronavirus pandemic has also shown that HR is of key importance in change management, and this also applies to the management, integration and communication of continuous change due to digitalisation. In the same panel discussion, András Sávos, Vice President, Head of Digitization and Process Optimization at Knorr-Bremse drew attention to the fact that companies currently face two key human resources challenges globally – one is the gigantic fluctuation that has started as a result of the pandemic, and the other one is the question of how a company finds and retains talents (talent management). 

According to the executive, HR has a key role to play in tackling both challenges. László Sabjányi, Managing Director of Wolt spoke about the fact that in their case the satisfaction of the company’s various interest groups- customers, catering partners, food couriers or employees – is the focal point. 

Regarding the latter, the support provided by the HR department is of great importance. According to the executive, many areas of HR can be digitalised and automated, while strategy and favourable corporate culture should be based on people.

Recruitment and employment of workers arriving from a third country

HR Fest also focused on the recruitment and employment of foreign workers from non-EU countries.

This is a current topic right now since the government has taken steps to promote the employment of foreign labour within a strictly regulated framework as long as pandemic emergency measures are in force. Regulation 407/2021 (VII. 8.) about this entered into force on 1 September, which makes the employment of third-country workers subject to a strict qualification, among other things.

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During the roundtable discussion on the topic, Alexandra Kitta, Head of the Recruitment Team of Samsung SDI Magyarország Zrt. explained that in their case three different cultures are mixed within the company – extremely successfully –, as besides Hungarian and Korean colleagues, the also employ Ukrainians. As far as the latter are concerned, they were typically hired to simpler assembly jobs in the past, but because the company provides every colleague with equal promotion opportunities, many of them are constantly advancing in the ranks as well, even into various management positions. Krisztina Nagy, Senior HR Manager and Site HR Business Partner of Flextronics International Kft. drew attention to the fact that in the case of Flextronics, a complex integration program has been implemented, helps the integration and proper performance of third-country workers not only through the transfer of key knowledge, but also with language courses, translators, awareness-raising and bilingualism. 

Szilvia Gyarmati, Head of Manual Workforce Temporary Employment and Placement Services at WHC Group added that the company has gained significant experience in recruiting and placing third-country workers over the past five years – the company currently has a temporary workforce of nearly 4,000.

Based on this, it seems that foreigners coming to Hungary from non-EU countries are very ambitious, eager to work and sometimes even have a higher work ethic than Hungarian workers, and in general, Hungarian employers can rely on them in the long run.

Within the frameworks of HR Fest, the participants could attend a number of other exciting professional presentations and panel discussions on the domestic and international issues of human resources, such as recruitment, digitisation, fluctuation challenges, and well-being at work.

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