Of course, human health and safety are paramount, but it is equally important to provide these same people with jobs once the current crisis subsides
Zoran Djurić, General Manager of Miele Serbia, told us about Miele Serbia activities during the state of emergency: The current situation, I believe, has stopped us all in carrying out our planned activities, so after the state of emergency is cancelled, we will have a lot to make up for. The biggest project we are currently working on, which has been put on hold due to these circumstances, is the opening of our third outlet in Belgrade.
How did you organize your business activities?
We were all hit by a situation that hardly anyone could be prepared for. Almost overnight, we had to reorganize and adapt to the new circumstances, with two key priorities in mind – provide work for our employees and minimize the possibility of exposure to the virus as a health risk, as well as create a strategy for preserving business and safe overcoming of this new crisis.
Of course, human health and safety are paramount, but it is equally important to provide these same people with jobs once the current crisis subsides. To this end, we have made sure that the majority of our staff can work from home and have implemented all the prescribed and recommended measures for the protection of employees in retail stores. We are also constantly monitoring the situation and adjusting to it on the go. At the same time, we are regularly communicating with the headquarters and our colleagues in other countries. We share information and experiences, support and learn from one another.
How do you spend your private time during the pandemic?
Although most of our employees work from home, I am not one of them. Of course, I postponed all the planned business trips, moved the meetings to the available online platforms and minimized the need for direct contact. Still, I am in my office every day. My work continues when I come home when I devote myself to my family. We have three-year-old twins, a girl and a boy. They are currently in the most interesting period of their growing up, but also in the most demanding given the current situation. We live in a flat, kids need a lot of space and it is definitely a very big challenge to keep them entertained in a situation where you have very limited space and very few options. I really try to spend every spare moment in this situation with them. When they finally go to sleep, I mostly read news and prepare for the next day at work.
What will you do first after the state of emergency is cancelled?
The current situation, I believe, has stopped us all in carrying out our planned activities, so after the state of emergency is cancelled, we will have a lot to make up for. The biggest project we are currently working on, which has been put on hold due to these circumstances, is the opening of our third outlet in Belgrade. The continuation of this project will be our first priority as soon as the necessary conditions are met. This situation kind of physically separated us all, or to use the popular phrase, we are socially distancing, so I think the first thing I will do is to assemble my entire team, go somewhere together for dinner, have a nice chat and make up for what we have missed out on. After that, I will arrange a short trip for myself and my family, definitely somewhere in Serbia. I think that this crisis has not discriminated against anyone and hit us all the same, but it seems that tourism is definitely the most affected industry so I will make my modest contribution to its quick recovery.