Employees Need Only Opportunity

Employee engagement significantly impacts a company's business results by encouraging improvements in individual and team work, and it helps retain top talent. However, achieving this level of engagement demands constant effort, involving employees in processes and fostering authentic relationships between staff and management. Properly trained leaders are central to this endeavor, according to Dr. Igor Novak, head of human resources at Alpacem Slovenia, part of the Wietersdorf group.

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Employee engagement is a crucial factor that strongly influences a company's business results, as it encourages the search for improvements in individual and team work and helps retain the best cadres in the company.

A global talent study in the cement industry revealed that 80 percent of companies face talent shortages, with 17 percent already experiencing direct operational impacts. Novak observes similar trends in Slovenia, though they do not critically affect current operations. Long-term, however, these shortages pose a challenge to development ambitions, succession planning, and key roles within the company. He emphasizes that working with existing talent, successors, and high-performing individuals is a long-term solution and a primary goal. Simultaneously, companies must adapt their strategies for attracting new employees, exploring new avenues for recruitment, and rethinking the types of work arrangements offered, especially considering the new criteria set by Generation Z.

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We observe similar trends here, although this does not critically affect current operations. It's different if we look at the long term, from the perspective of our development ambitions, i.e., succession and key roles in the company.

Novak views educational and research institutions as key partners. Alpacem Slovenia engages with secondary and primary schools in the northern Primorska region, offering students, parents, and teachers insights into production processes and the skills required by employees. In return, these institutions help identify potential career paths for students. Scholarships, particularly for science and technical fields, are a well-established practice, with over 40 current scholarship holders forming a potential future workforce. The company also collaborates on various projects with universities, institutes, and secondary schools to build its future talent pipeline.

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We see faculties, secondary and primary schools in the northern Primorska region as our key partners, but this is a two-way process.

Describing the specifics of the cement industry's HR landscape, Novak notes a unique combination of job stability and the demand for deep technical knowledge and adaptability. The industry places significant emphasis on environmental aspects and workplace safety. Compared to other sectors, it has long investment cycles, yet technologies evolve rapidly. The sustainable transition further necessitates specialized approaches. Transferring knowledge between generations is vital for motivating new employees and ensuring those nearing retirement feel valued.

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Here, it is a unique combination of stability that the company provides, and it requires a huge amount of technical depth and flexibility.