Geis cares about its employees, supports the employment of women and the education of students

"We try to take care of our colleagues in such a way that they are satisfied and feel good," says Monika Švecová, HR manager at Geis SK. Despite the fact that Geis has grown considerably during its history on the Slovak market, it is still a family-type company that emphasizes core values and interpersonal relationships. Švecová adds: "Even though we are a big company, no one is just a number to us. We are pleased to be able to offer our colleagues a stable and friendly environment. Although this may be perceived by some as an afterthought, in today's uncertain times certainty and stability are becoming more important again."

And it's no exception that people in the company work happily and for a really long time. In fact, they can often grow and advance in their positions. A shining example is Zuzana Knošková, for example, who has gradually worked her way up from dispatcher to director of the Žilina branch, and has been with Geis for over 20 years. Marián Vaculčiak has also worked his way up from the position of night stevedore manager to Operations Director/Proxy Manager, and this year marks 21 years of his tenure with our company.

Geis selects the company benefits it provides based on employee suggestions and interests. Employees of the logistics provider can further their education and development, for example by means of online training courses, which have gained great popularity in the pandemic era. The Seduo platform offers hundreds of professional video courses, and Geis people can also take them during working hours. In addition, there are special development plans for some positions. Some employees also benefit from individual tuition in foreign languages that they need for their profession and want to improve.

The company also focuses on rest, relaxation and a healthy lifestyle. It offers its employees the possibility of a discounted Multisport card for active leisure time. Together, families can enjoy annual days of rest, fun and healthy exercise. A day of activities and good food for adults and children is spent in beautiful surroundings near Zvolen. The employees hope to reunite after the Covida break for a Christmas party for all employees from Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Lovely gifts are given to employees in the form of gift baskets on life and work anniversaries. Significant work anniversaries are additionally financially rewarded. The company contributes to people's supplementary pension savings and, thanks to the cooperation with the bank, they also enjoy other benefits.

Geis welcomes women into its ranks and employs them in a variety of positions from support to management. And more and more of them are coming. This is helped by the fact that technical and technological advances have made working in the industry less physically demanding.

Logistics is no longer just about general numbers and hard physical work. It is a modern industry in which complex information systems are interconnected and huge amounts of data flow, which need to be used optimally. The development of process automation, digitalisation and intelligent solutions - all along the logistics chain - is helping to make people's jobs easier. The field is therefore becoming increasingly accessible to women. As Švecová says: "The proportion of women in our company has gradually increased and now accounts for more than 30% of all employees. They are well placed in positions across the spectrum from the lowest to the top."

Previously, there was a heavy reliance on men, especially for warehouse work. Today, thanks to technological advances, picking and sorting machines and warehouse robots, women can handle tasks that used to be the preserve of men. Thus, at Geis today we also find women as forklift operators, parcel pickers, handlers, but they also work as warehouse managers.

The logistics provider also has female drivers in its ranks. Although the profession is still heavily dominated by men, there are also a number of women who love driving and are extremely happy in their jobs. Yveta Kolská, an interior designer by profession, was helping a friend who had a transport company in the control room three years ago. She became fascinated with the field, soon secured her first tractor and started driving a large truck. She likes to reminisce about her beginnings, "When I came here as a beginner driver at the Geis branch, my colleagues took me in and helped me back up to the gates of the logistics hall. And that's one of the things I enjoy about this profession. Since women behind the wheel of a truck are still rather the exception, male drivers do their best to help us women with everything. I really enjoy working for Geis and would definitely recommend it to women." She herself says she prefers driving a tractor-trailer to driving a car - the cab is spacious, the controls are clear, many things are automatic, you can see everywhere clearly. In her words, the cab of the vehicle is such a comfortable living room.

The logistics provider also takes care to improve the quality of training of young people in schools just for work in logistics and transport companies. It works very actively with students, is part of the link between theory and practice, and tries to ensure that school students from primary school to university have enough relevant information about the field. It offers them work experience in its plants, excursions to its branches and projects, and cooperates with a number of student organisations and youth centres.

Geis Sales Director Dušan Vilhan also lectures to students at the University of Žilina, and other colleagues consult and assist students with their bachelor's and master's theses. Upon successful completion of their studies, if they show interest, Geis tries to secure suitable jobs for these students. Involving students in the field from the very beginning of their education, supporting schools and working with them significantly helps to raise the level of education and training of small logisticians.