Background information of NE
Name and Surname: Magdalena Rędziniak
Country: Poland
Sector: Human Resources
What is your business? Recruitment
Background information of HE
Name & Surname: Torcuato Luca de Tena
Country: Spain
Sector: Research, digital transformation
Business / website: Ozein / www.ozein.es
Period of Relationship: 25/02/2020 – 31/07/2020
Duration of Relationship: 5 months
How have Torcuato Luca de Tena and Magdalena Rędziniak managed to continue their successful relationship in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Our host Torcuato Luca de Tena has a company, Ozein, focused on the digital transformation in Seville, where he is currently hosting a Polish girl, Magdalena, thanks to the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme.
Due to the pandemic crisis we are going through worldwide, they are working remotely although, as Torcuato indicates, this situation has not had a negative impact on them since, in general, they work online. From the first day they have established a routine, as they meet through video calls with most of the employees in the morning and then in the afternoon. According to the employer, “the performance is very good”.
Magdalena arrived at Ozein at the end of February, “I heard about the programme many months ago thanks to my friend who has just finished her cooperation. Her fascination and positive feedback encouraged me to send my application and see what will happen”.
“Unfortunately, after three weeks we were not able to continue our cooperation in the office. Because of the Corona virus situation we were forced to start our work from home. Despite all fears, our cooperation is very successful. Thanks to everyday calls and online meetings we update each other with new ideas and tasks, moreover it does not stop me to learn new things about running a company. Even we work in Spanish, the team has been very helpful since the first day I have started my exchange”, says Magdalena showing her joy to participate in the programme.
Magdalena explains to us how her day-to-day life is due to the health crisis “When Coronavirus arrived to Spain, it goes without saying that if affects my everyday life. Because of the lockdown for a couple of weeks were not able to leave our houses, only if necessary. The situation is getting better every day and with the phases we are entering, the rules are getting less strict. Right now, we can go for a walk or do sports. Even we are not sure when exactly we will come back to our office, we have already decided to extend our cooperation for another 2 months”.
For his part, Torcuato has only good words for the young entrepreneur, because even though they did not need a person to fill the position, this type of exchange always “brings value”. As he says, Magdalena is in charge of marketing, image and HR issues, but, above all, he highlights the entrepreneur’s attitude, since she is a very proactive person. He also adds that “she is adding a lot to the company” and that “she has adapted quickly”.
In spite of not working in a face-to-face way, they meet for mentoring sessions. Torcuato explains to her how the management system of an SME works, how budgets are calculated, how to follow up on the business plan, how to analyze the company’s KPIs to see what is going well and what is going not so well. All in all, fundamental aspects for improving Magdalena’s business plan.
Another aspect that caught Torcuato’s attention was her level of Spanish since, as he indicates, the first interview was in English but from then on, all communication has been in Spanish.
However, Torcuato says that the programme falls short and that it should last at least a year to get to know the full cycle of a company better.
Regarding the benefits of the programme, Magdalena highlights the great experience she is having in working with a successful and experienced entrepreneur who helps her acquire practical knowledge about the main aspects of managing her own business.
As far as returning to the office is concerned, they have no plans at the moment, since, as the employer indicates, “if the employees were not performing, the return would be expected, but the people are performing”. In addition, he stresses that thanks to working remotely “people have gained in quality of life. There are people who need an hour to get to the office and then lose another hour to go home. There are also those who have small children. With remote work they can stop, take care of their children and continue working later. Telework is here to stay, maybe there will be a mixed format.”
