Author: obc_adm

On September 27^Th, 2017 in Olivia Business Centre, a meeting took place organised by HR ABSL Club addressed to the representatives of Human Resources sector, which has been recently facing bigger and bigger challenges connected, among other things, with proceeding digital revolution and changes occurring in economy, society and, obviously, in business. Managers have to create new models of organisations – organisations of the future, in which flexibility of acting and ability to create dynamic, specialist teams, are beginning to play a superior role. Not only recruiting, but also keeping talents in companies, understanding workers’ experience and ensuring them a good environment for development, which aids enhancing their skills, are becoming more and more important. It is also important to recruit bosses-leaders, who can and will be able to lead teams, departments or the whole companies in the era of “digital” methods of running the business.

The event of HR Club organised by ABSL in Olivia served, most of all, the exchange of experiences, discussion on good market practices and mutual inspiration for the representatives of HR sector. The mission of HR Club is to integrate the sector of business services in the scope of the exchange of good practices, refer to legal barriers and stimulate the environment to actions, which will help companies develop and will help Poland become the first choice of location for BPO/SSC operations.

The following persons, among other guests, participated in the meeting in Olivia Sky Club in OBC: Wojciech Tyborowski, Head of Invest in Pomerania who opened the meeting and Ryszard Piskorz, Head of BNP Paribas International Operations Service Centre who took care of “breaking the ice” and showed participants how to initiate the first contact and build relations.

Next, Jolanta Jaworska, VP ABSL and Paweł Panczyj, Managing Director ABSL, paid attention of gathered guests to the need of their active participation in the processes concerning legislative changes, which significantly influence companies’ employment policy (for example the act on changes in personal data).

Sylwia Królikowska, Business Trainer from Van Dahlen Group, shared her experience within the scope of effective ways of integrating new workers in an organisation. Nowadays, employers are obliged to look from a much broader perspective at employee’s experience, which consists of actually all actions connected with place of work. Loyal worker is very precious. But how to build this loyalty though? By creating and maintaining relation, what is not an easy task… During the event, the representatives of DNV GL company – Magdalena Łukasiewicz, HR & People Development Manager and Jakub Olik, Head of GSS HR Service Delivery Management, talked about the fact that it can and should be done already on the stage of on-boarding.

The second part of the meeting included, among other things, the presentation of a report on business applications, in the scope of HR, the newest technologies: artificial intelligence. Krzysztof Sobczak and Arkadiusz Talun, the creators of Emplocity, talked about this advanced solution, which integrates labour market on the level of an employee and an employer and at the same time raises competitiveness of the above-mentioned segments. Emplocity, by introducing the technique of reversed recruitment, offers effective HR tools and creates an attractive alternative for obsolete techniques, at the same time being an innovation in the scope of costly headhunting processes.

Małgorzata Ciarka, Business Leader for Poland and EE from Mercer and Olga Obłoza, Senior Consultant from Mercer paid attention to the benefits from current market trends in shared services sector. While presenting the newest trends in labour market in BPO SSE sector, they pointed out, among other things, that labour market is currently, above all, employee’s market, who can executively decide about wages and working conditions. The role and meaning of benefits for employees is increasing. Their very existence is not a standard anymore, but the fact that there is a choice of high-quality benefits. During presentation, speakers highlighted the importance of recruiting employees from abroad who could fill personnel gaps, as well as the gaps in companies’ needs. This includes employees from further the countries than our closest neighbours, for example from Italy or Spain. The speakers also discussed the issue of remunerations, which are becoming an essential criterion for choosing a company by a worker. The subject of the analysis was also a so called “500+ effect”, which influences the possibilities of an enterprise to recruit fewer employees because they choose this kind of benefits as the main source of income. We shouldn’t also forget about ageing society of Poland. That is why, the main challenge, which HR departments have to face, is the issue:zenia “How to attract workers who want to run away from labour market?”. For a broader context of the structure of remunerations, speakers presented the analysis of revenues in labour market in Warsaw, where workers are paid 10-15% more than in other big centres.

–/–

^{Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL) is a leading organisation which represents modern services for business in Poland. We set standards and directions of sector’s development, which is now the most dynamic branch of Polish economy, provides employment for nearly 250 thousand people and records increase of 15-20% per year.}

^{ABSL associates Shared Service Centers (SSC), the centres of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO), Research & Development, (R&D) and companies which support sector’s development. ABSL initiates many projects which aim to promote Poland as an attractive country, open to foreign investors.}

<sup>HR ABSL


Club.

The mission of HR Club is to integrate the sector of business services in the scope of the exchange of good practices, refer to legal barriers and stimulate the environment to actions, which will help companies develop and will help Poland become the first choice of location for BPO/SSC operations and desirable place to work.</sup>

During the conference in Olivia Business Centre, Bayer announced plans for further development of Service Center Gdańsk and summed up 5 years of its operations in Gdańsk. Markus Baltzer, President of Bayer CEE and Remigiusz Wojciechowski, Director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk, emphasized that the Tri-City is one of the most popular locations for modern business services today, while also drawing attention to the fact that it is here that more and more advanced processes, competence centers and R&D centers are located.

The director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk (SGC) also indicated that the company has further plans related to increasing the scope of the processes it handles. The SGC currently has approx. With about 400 employees, although it was originally planned to employ 200, it serves Bayer branches from more than 20 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Europe, m.in. from Germany, Russia, the Scandinavian and Balkan countries. In addition to accounting, teams of specialists from the Gdańsk Centre, located in Olivia Business Centre from the very beginning, are also involved in project management, graphic design and transparency support.

“Within 5 years, the number of jobs offered by the business services sector has doubled, both in the Tri-City and in Poland. Bayer Service Center Gdańsk has also developed dynamically – we have created several hundred jobs, invested over PLN 1.5 million in the education and development of employees, and 20 people have learned how to manage a team or department with us. But we’re not going to stop there. By 2020, we plan to increase the number of employees to over 500 people. Our team will additionally support key business processes in new areas of m.in. purchasing, customer service, controlling or services for employees. Just like today, employees will have the chance to pursue a career with virtually no limits – said Remigiusz Wojciechowski, Director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk.

In Gdansk, Bayer has found everything it needs for long-term development, i.e. well-educated employees, support from public institutions and access to the highest quality office space and transport infrastructure. Piotr Grzelak, Deputy Mayor of the City of Gdansk, who was present at the event, congratulated Bayer on the anniversary, emphasizing that he was happy with every stage of the company’s development in Olivia and the Tri-City.

– Bayer’s achievements are also extremely important to us. Bayer is not only an investor that hires, but also an investor that helps us tell the world that Gdansk is a great place to be and a conducive environment for established international brands and companies – said Piotr Grzelak.

– Bayer’s strategic goal is to centralize financial services, business support, IT and project management in order to make processes more flexible, increase efficiency and increase competitiveness, while maintaining the current high level of quality. That is why shared service centers are an important part of the company’s structure, both regionally and globally – said Marcus Baltzer, President of Bayer CEE, during the conference.

Tri-City like a magnet

Bayer is not the only company that has appreciated the business potential of Pomerania. According to the 2016 ABSL report. The Tri-City is the second best location for modern business services in Poland, and at this year’s CEE Shared Services and Outsourcing Awards, the Tri-City agglomeration received the title of the most dynamically developing center, among others thanks to 10 investment projects completed in 2016. with the participation of Invest in Pomerania.

“Investments in the modern business services sector support the development of the Tri-City market. We are one of the most dynamically developing Polish agglomerations, and the Tri-City is at the top of rankings of friendly places to live in Poland – emphasized Wojciech Tyborowski, Director of Invest in Pomerania.

The Tri-City is a great place to live, which is confirmed by the Social Diagnosis research, according to which the inhabitants of Gdynia and Gdańsk are the most satisfied with the place where they live. It is also a place for business development, especially in the face of the rapid increase in demand for handling increasingly complex business processes. The development of the shared services sector is the result of building the most effective models of corporate operation, in which the use of internal resources brings an increase in efficiency. Modern business services offer highly advanced processes based on knowledge and experience. Such processes are handled by approx. 120 Tri-City centres of modern business services, which employ approx. 21,000 employees. The projected employment growth rate is 20% per year, which will allow Pomeranian centres to reach 20% by 2025. result of almost 60 thousand. Employees.

Numerous incentives for business

The Tri-City is very well prepared for cooperation with investors in terms of office infrastructure. It offers almost 633,000 sqm. modern offices, and another 150,000 sq m. is under construction. Such resources allow a new investor or an already established company to open an office within two to three months.

“We are proud to observe the dynamic development of Bayer in Olivia Business Centre. For the past five years, the company has been intensively and with commitment contributing to the economic and personal potential of Gdańsk, significantly contributing to the growth of the market competitiveness of our entire region,” he said Maciej Grabski, President of Olivia Business Centre. – We wish its employees the best and co-workers with inexhaustible energy and further measurable successes. I am deeply convinced that these will be shared by the entire company.

The development of the modern business services sector is also facilitated by the cooperation of Pomeranian universities with investors present in the region. They are used to create specialized curricula that respond to the needs of individual companies. The students here are also distinguished by their excellent knowledge of foreign languages, including those less known, such as Scandinavian or Balkan.

Valued Employee Market

Increasing specialization, innovative technologies and advanced business processes are changing the job market. Between 2013 and 2016, employment in the Tri-City business services sector increased by 100%. Over the past few years, many corporations have moved here, and the range of companies with a similar business profile is growing, so companies are struggling to attract and retain employees. There is a growing consensus that we are now dealing with the so-called ’employee’s market’.

“Bayer offers SCG employees the opportunity to develop and pursue a career in an international environment, improving their qualifications through participation in projects and training. Relations with them are based on mutual trust, which is why m. among others. We offer flexible working hours and remote work. We also employ students in their final years of studies and university graduates. It is an opportunity to start a career in a global company with a recognized brand, a training package, internships, access to the latest technologies and opportunities for professional development thanks to participation in interesting projects – said Remigiusz Wojciechowski from Bayer SCG.

During the conference, Dorota Stawicka from the Project Management Team , who started her career at SCG right after graduation, talked about her career path in the company, development opportunities, international cooperation and support offered by the organization.

Companies operating in the business services sector are aware that salaries and non-wage benefits are only one of the parameters determining the attractiveness of their offer for future employees. Almost equally important are job security, a friendly atmosphere at work, and a stable financial situation of the company.

– Increasing specialization and modern business technologies are changing the job market. Companies are implementing newer and newer methods and tools to attract and retain employees. Searching for a job through social media has become popular, and many companies have a program that recommends candidates by already hired employees –Spoke Agata Witczak, Branch Director and Chief Operating Officer Thomson Reuters in Gdynia.

Poland is the leader of the European business services market

Poland is one of the most important locations for business services in the world. Investors, especially European ones, take into account important factors, such as the level of education of employees and their knowledge of languages, the state of infrastructure and legal security, the availability of office space, as well as the work culture, innovation, and even the relatively small time difference between the headquarters offices and the service center. The rapid evolution of the business services market in Poland is evidenced by the data indicating that approx. 85 percent. Today, the centres handle more complex processes than a year ago and the growing employment in the so-called competence centres and R&D centres.

^{Data sources:
Business Services Sector in Poland 2016, Report prepared by the Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL) in cooperation with Baker & McKenzie, JLL and Randstad
Social Diagnosis 2015, Conditions and quality of life of Poles – Report, edited by Janusz Czapiński and Tomasz Panek
Data from Invest in Pomerania
Business Services Sector in Poland 2016, ABSL Report}

During a conference in Olivia Business Centre, Bayer announced its plans for further development of Service Center Gdańsk and summed up 5 years of its business activity in Gdańsk. Markus Baltzer, CEO of Bayer CEE and Remigiusz Wojciechowski, director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk emphasised that Tricity is one of the most popular locations for modern business services and at the same time pointed out that more and more advanced processes, competence centres and R&D centres are located here.

The director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk (SGC) also pointed out that the company has further plans connected with improving the scope of operated processes. Currently, SGC employs about 400 workers, however originally it was expected that it would employ 200 workers, and serves Bayer’s departments from more than 20 countries of Central-Eastern and Central Europe, for example from Germany, Russia, Scandinavian and Balkan countries. Apart from accounting, specialist teams from the Centre in Gdańsk, localised from the very beginning of its business activity at Olivia Business Centre, are today also engaged in project management, graphic design or support in the scope of transparency.

– Within 5 years the number of jobs offered by business services sector has doubled both in Tricity and in Poland. Bayer Service Center Gdańsk has also developed dynamically – we have created several hundred jobs, invested more than 1.5 million zlotys in training and development of workers and 20 persons have learnt in our company how to manage a team or department. But we are not going to stop here. Till 2020, we plan to increase the number of workers to 500 people. Additionally, our team will be supporting key business processes from new areas, for example shopping, customer service, controlling or services for workers. Just like today, workers will have a chance to develop their careers without limitation – said Remigiusz Wojciechowski, director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk.

In Gdańsk, Bayer company found everything that is needed for long-term development, that is highly qualified employees, support from public institutions and access to top-quality office space and transport infrastructure. Piotr Grzelak, Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk, who was present at the event, congratulated Bayer on its anniversary and emphasised that he is happy with every stage of company’s development in Olivia and Tricity.

– Bayer’s achievements are extremely important for us. Bayer is not only an investor which employs, but also the one which helps us tell the world that Gdańsk is a perfect place and hospitable environment for respected international brands and enterprises – said Piotr Grzelak.

– Bayer’s strategic aim is to centralise financial services and support of business, IT and project management in order to make processes flexible, improve efficiency and increase competitiveness, while maintaining the current, high level of quality. That is why, shared services centres are an essential element of company’s structure both in regional and global scale – said Marcus Baltzer, CEO of Bayer CEE, during the conference.

Tricity just like a magnet

Not only Bayer appreciated business potential of Pomerania region. According to ABSL report from 2016, Tricity is the second best location for modern business services in Poland. At this year’s CEE Shared Services and Outsourcing Awards ceremony, Tricity agglomeration got the title of the most dynamically developing centre, for example thanks to 10 investment projects carried out in 2016 with the participation of Invest in Pomerania.

– Investments in the sector of modern business services support the development of Tricity market. We are one of the most dynamically developing Polish agglomerations and Tricity is in a leading position in rankings concerning friendly places to live in Poland – emphasised Wojciech Tyborowski, director of Invest in Pomerania.

Tricity is a perfect place to live, what is confirmed by studies conducted by Social Diagnosis, according to which Gdynia and Gdańsk residents are the most satisfied with their place of living. This is also a good place for business development, especially in the face of rapid rise in the need for managing more and more complicated business processes. The development of shared services sector is the result of creating the most effective models of corporation’s functioning, within which using external resources causes the increase in effectiveness. Modern business services offer highly advanced processes based on knowledge and experience. Such processes are managed by about 120 Tricity centres of modern business services, which employ about 21000 workers. Predicted employment growth amounts to 20% per year, what will make it possible for Pomeranian centres to reach the result of 60000 workers till 2025.

Numerous incentives for business

Tricity is very well prepared for cooperation with investors in terms of office infrastructure. It offers nearly 633000 square metres of modern offices and another 150000 square metres is under construction. Such resources make it possible for new investors or companies already present in the market to open a new office within two to three months.

– We are proudly observing the development of Bayer company at Olivia Business Centre. For five years, the company has been creating economic and human potential of Gdańsk intensively and with involvement and at the same time makes an important contribution to the growth of market competitiveness of our whole region – said Maciej Grabski, CEO of Olivia Business Centre. – We wish its employees and co-workers indefatigable energy and further measurable successes. I deeply believe that the whole company will contribute to them.

The development of modern business services sector is fostered also by the cooperation of Pomeranian universities with investors who are present in the region. The specialised curricula emerge at universities and they respond to the needs of individual companies. Local students are distinguished also by great command of foreign languages, also those less famous like for example Scandinavian or Balkan.

The market of a valued employee

Growing specialisation, innovative technologies and advanced business processes change the labour market. In the years 2013-2016 employment in Tricity business services sector increased by 100%. Over the past few years, many corporations moved here and the range of companies with similar business profiles is getting bigger and bigger. That is why, companies fight to attract and keep employees. There is even stronger consensus concerning the fact that currently we are experiencing a so called “employee’s market”.

– Bayer offers SCG workers chances for development and career in international environment and improving qualifications by participating in projects and trainings. Our relations with them are based on mutual trust, that is why we offer, among other things, flexible working hours and remote work. We also employ final year students and university graduates. This a chance to start your career in a global company with recognised brand, training package, internships, access to the newest technologies and opportunities for career development thanks to participation in interesting projects – said Remigiusz Wojciechowski from Bayer SCG.

During the conference, Dorota Stawicka from Project Management Team, who started her career in SCG directly after her studies, talked about her career path in the company, opportunities for development, international cooperation and support offered by the organisation.

Companies, which are active in business services sector, are aware that remunerations and non-cash benefits are only one of many parameters which make their offer attractive for future employees. It turns out that employment security, friendly atmosphere at work and the company’s stable financial situation are almost equally important.

– Growing specialisation and modern business technologies change labour market. Companies are implementing newer and newer methods and tools which attract and keep employees. Looking for a job via social media has become popular and in many companies there is a programme, in which existing employees recommend candidates – said Agata Witczak, branch director and human resources director at Thomson Reuters in Gdynia.

Poland is the leader in European business services market

Poland is one of the most important locations for business services around the world. Investors, especially European ones, take into account relevant factors, for example employees’ level of education and their command of foreign languages, condition of infrastructure and legal security, availability of office space, as well as work culture, innovativeness and even relatively small time zone difference between central offices and services centre. Growing employment in so called competence centres and R&D centres, as well as the following data are indicative of a fast evolution of business services market in Poland: about 85% of centres serves today more complex processes than a year ago.

^{Sources of data:
Modern business services sector in Poland 2016, a report prepared by the Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL) in cooperation with Baker & McKenzie, JLL and Randstad
Social Diagnosis 2015, Living conditions and quality of life of Polish people – Report, edited by Janusz Czapiński and Tomasz Panek
Invest in Pomerania data
Modern business services sector in Poland 2016, ABSL Report}

 

In the grand final, the defending champions, Omida, met the PwC team, which was “only” in sixth place after the regular season. After a fierce and even match, Omida’s players turned out to be better, winning 11:7, ending their perfect season in a big way. Three goals each in the final were scored by Paweł Friszkemut, Maciej Daniluk and Dmitry Kachnar, another two goals were added by the top scorer of the entire competition, Patryk Ziarko. As many as four goals, to which he added 3 assists, were scored by Carro Ramirez for the PwC team.

In the match for the third place, HK Finance turned out to be marginally better than Bayer, winning 7:5. Jakub Piotrowski and Bartosz Fila (both HK Finance) scored hat-tricks. Rafał Górski responded with two goals for Bayer.

The fair play award went to the Dream Team Indestructibles Energa, who in a very important match with HK Finance, which ended in a draw, resigned from a favourable decision of the referee, noticing an injured player of the opposing team. That’s the point, bravo! 🙂

The next season is coming soon! More information and registration: sport@oliviacentre.com

author: Pawel Pinker

 

From today, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation will have its headquarters in Olivia Business Centre. The foundation has joined other social organisations which reside in Olivia CONNECT, shortly after Marek Kamiński Foundation and Institute. In a meeting, which inaugurated foundation’s presence in Olivia’s CONNECT space, there took part, among other guests, Adam Mandziara, Lechia Gdańsk CEO, Janusz Biesiada, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation CEO, Tomasz Motyka, Executive Director of Lechia Gdańsk and Maciej Grabski, Olivia Business Centre CEO.

While greeting guests, Lechia Gdańsk and Olivia Business Centre traditionally swapped pennants and football shirts.

Lechia Gdańsk Foundation was established in May 2017 and is based on four pillars: brotherhood, help, education and sport. One of its goals is supporting the development of children and youth by promoting active and healthy lifestyle. The foundation is also engaged in improving the conditions and quality of life of people in difficult health and financial situation. It concentrates, for example, on social care, helping educational and care institutions, as well as activating associations and local communities.

– Olivia CONNECT created comfortable working conditions for Lechia Gdańsk Foundation. Headquarters in one of the most modern office centres in Gdańsk enables us to achieve our statutory objectives in a more effective way. We have our office in direct neighbourhood of many foundations and institutions, which are engaged in charity activities. Thanks to that, we will be able to establish cooperation, extend the spectrum of our activities and get engaged in new projects “round the corner” – says Janusz Biesiada, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation CEO.

Many non-governmental organisations have their headquarters in Olivia CONNECT, for example associations and foundations, as well as business support institutions. Among CONNECT’s residents there are infoShare Foundation, Marek Kamiński Foundation, Marek Kamiński Institute, Inspiring Examples Foundation, as well as Pomeranian Regional Chamber of Commerce, Pomeranian Association of Entrepreneurs Lewiatan, GUP Job Office, ICT Interizon Cluster and BPO Education Centre – Sopot University of Applied Sciences.

– We are proud that such prominent residents are joining us. We are doing our best, this is our main aim, to create for them optimal conditions to cooperate, develop, as well as to exchange knowledge and experiences. We want to motivate them to cooperate and implement projects, which are beneficial for the whole Pomerania region – highlights Agnieszka Zglinicka, SME Director at Olivia Business Centre. – For many years, Lechia has been actively participating in Tricity social life. Now, thanks to the foundation, it will have a chance to intensify actions, which aim to help people in need. I am convinced that both Olivia Business Centre and our business hub’s residents will actively engage in foundation’s projects.

Lechia Gdańsk
Foundation’s website

Olivia Business

Centre’s website

 

Together with the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation, we are helping children from towns affected by the August storm in Pomerania:) Thirty students of grades III-VII from schools in Silo and Pawłów met with Lechia Gdańsk footballers, visited the Energa Gdańsk Stadium and our Olivia business center.

We have another edition of our campaign to help the victims of storms in Pomerania “Together we can do more” – this time we are cooperating with our new resident, the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation. Together, we invited children from schools in Silo and Pawłów to Gdańsk. Thirty students from grades III-VII took part in the m.in on Thursday. in the training of Lechia’s players at the stadium at ul. Traugutta, met there not only with the players, but also with the coaching staff.

“This is an extremely exciting event for our pupils. Olivia Business Centre has been in touch with us from the very beginning, helping us in every situation we have signalled. Employees Recently, for example, the Centre’s companies have donated school starter kits. Now, the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation, which cooperates with Olivia, has proposed that children from the most affected families take part in a meeting with athletes – says Bernadeta Zimnicka, Director of the Municipal Education Complex in the Municipality of Chojnice. – I am very impressed by the openness of the Club and the Lechia Foundation, which invited our pupils to the training of the players and organized a visit to the Energa Gdańsk Stadium. There was a lot of joy. It’s a wonderful gesture. –Adds.

The children’s visit to the Energa Gdańsk Stadium was possible thanks to the cooperation of the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation with Arena Gdańsk Operator Sp. Ltd.

– The Lechia Gdańsk Foundation was established to provide help. Sometimes it is material support, other times it is financial. Sometimes, however, it is also necessary to focus on, it would seem, a smaller form of support, but in a very important aspect of life; In this case, the idea was to bring smiles to the faces of children who experienced the very unpleasant consequences of the August storms. Together with Olivia Business Centre, we wanted this time spent on the pitch with the footballers to charge these children with energy, encourage and inspire them. The joy on the faces of these young people makes me aware that what we do is of great value. – said Janusz Biesiada, President of the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation.

Thursday’s meeting with the White-Greens – the children were welcomed by m.in. Sebastian Mila, Milos Krasic and Dusan Kuciak – these were only some of the attractions. From Traugutt, the children went to the Energa stadium, where, under the care of a guide, they visited all the nooks and crannies of the facility where Lechia’s players play their home matches. Then the participants of the tour visited Olivia, where refreshments awaited them.

See the report on Lechia Gdańsk’s profile:)

– No change can be made without the direct involvement of specific people. At Olivia, we try to motivate the companies or organizations present in our company, but also the people who create them, to work together – summed up Monika Bogdanowicz from Olivia Business Centre, responsible m.in for CSR projects in Olivia. – We are committed to ideas and initiatives that go beyond business and serve m.in. supporting local communities. So far, m.in have joined in helping the victims in Pomerania. employees of Energi, Fujifilm and Staples. Now we are partnered by the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation. We believe that this first of our joint actions will give us all an impulse to build even closer relations –Adds.

Photo gallery on Lechia Gdańsk profile

 

Together with Lechia Gdańsk Foundation, we help children from towns, which were affected by August storm in Pomerania region:) Thirty pupils (from classes 1-7) from schools in Silno and Pawłowo met footballers from Lechia Gdańsk, visited Energa Gdańsk Stadium and our Olivia Business Centre.

There is another part of our aid campaign for people affected by storms in Pomerania region called “Together we can do more” – this time, we are cooperating with our new resident, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation. Together, we invited to Gdańsk children from schools in Silno and Pawłowo. On Thursday, thirty pupils from classes 1-7 participated, among othes, in training of footballers from Lechia club at Traugutta street. There, they met not only the footballers, but also coaching staff.

– It was a very emotional event for the children. From the very beginning, Olivia Business Centre has kept in touch with us and helped us in every signalised situation. Companies’ workers have given us recently, for example, school starters. Now, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation, which cooperates with Olivia, suggested that children from the most affected families take part in the meeting with sportsmen – says Bernadeta Zimnicka, Director of Municipal Educational Complex in Chojnice Borough. – I am hugely impressed by the openness of Lechia Club and Foundation, which invited our children to the training and organised their visit to Energa Gdańsk Stadium. Children had so much fun. It was an admirable gesture. – she added.

Children’s visit to Energa Gdańsk Stadium was possible thanks to the cooperation of Lechia Gdańsk Foundation and Arena Gdańsk Operator Sp. Ltd.

– Lechia Gdańsk Foundation was established to help others. Sometimes it is a material and sometimes financial support. At times, we need to focus on a form of support, which may seem minor, but is needed in a very essential aspect of life; in this case, it was all about bringing smiles to the faces of children, who experienced very distressing consequences of August storms. Together with Olivia Business Centre we wanted the time spent on the pitch with footballers to give children a lot of energy, cheer them up and inspire. Joy on the faces of these young people makes me realise that our actions have great value. – said Janusz Biesiada, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation CEO.

Thursday meeting with Lechia team – children were greeted, among other guests, by Sebastian Mila, Milos Krasic and Dusan Kuciak – was only a part of prepared attractions. From Traugutta street children went to Energa stadium, where, under the custody of a guide, they visited all recesses of the facility, where national matches are played by Lechia’s footballers. Next, participants visited Olivia, where snacks were waiting for them.

– No change can be introduced without a direct engagement of certain people. In Olivia, we try to motivate to joint activities not only companies and organisations residing here, but most of all people, who create them – summed up Monika Bogdanowicz from Olivia Business Centre, who is responsible, for example, for CSR projects in Olivia. –We get engaged in ideas and initiatives, which go beyond business and are designed to, for example, support local communities. So far, the workers of such companies as Energa, Fujifilm and Staples have decided to help affected people from Pomerania region. Now, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation has become our partner. We believe that our first joint action will give us momentum to build even closer relations – she added.

Photo gallery on the profile of Lechia Gdańsk

Gdańsk with the ISO 37120 certificate, awarded to cities with an exceptionally high quality of life.

How many new residents have arrived in Gdansk? How many bicycle paths are there in the city? How many kilometers is the public transport system? How many trees are planted per year? How many firefighters per 100,000? Residents? This and many other indicators were checked by external auditors from the Polish Register of Shipping, after which they awarded Gdańsk the ISO 37120 certificate; as one of the first cities in Poland!

During a press conference on Thursday, 21 September, Deputy Mayor of Gdansk Aleksandra Dulkiewicz stressed that Gdansk is the first city in Poland to receive the ISO 37120 certificate based on all basic indicators. She also pointed out that this standard makes it possible to compare, for example, the quality of life in Gdańsk and in other cities.

Deputy Director of the Economic Policy Department, Katarzyna Drozd-Wiśniewska pointed out that ISO 37120 certificate, the so-called “smart city”, First of all, it means that the city monitors the quality of life of its residents, the quality of urban services in the indicated several areas. “This helps build trust in the city,” she added.

The standard was published in 2014. by the International Organization for Standardization, in Poland, last year by the Polish Committee for Standardization under the title “Social Sustainability. Indicators of urban services and quality of life”. In order to obtain a certificate of compliance with the ISO 37120 standard, the values of 100 indicators of urban services (according to 17 thematic areas) must be provided, including 46 basic (mandatory) and 54 auxiliary (optional). Gdańsk provided values for as many as 87 indicators.

The thematic areas concern all major areas of the city’s functioning, m.in health, education, communication, environment, civic activity, energy. The certificate makes it possible to compare Gdańsk with other cities in the world that have this document, because they all calculate indicators based on the same guidelines. In terms of transport, the length of bicycle paths or the public transport system is given, for example.

^{Fig. Monika Bogdanowicz, Olivia Business Centre}

Drozd-Wiśniewska pointed out that in comparison with more than 40 other cities, Gdańsk ranks sixth in terms of the length of the public transport system with 236 km per 100,000 km. Residents. In terms of the number of trees planted per 100,000 per year. Gdańsk ranks 12th (over 1.5 thousand trees). In terms of per capita household water consumption, the city ranks 9th (104 liters per day) out of 45 cities.

The Lead Auditor of the Polish Register of Shipping S.A., Michał Gałecki, explained that “the standard tries to give cities a chance to compare themselves”. “Until today, there have been various methodologies for counting the city’s successes, e.g. in environmental protection, transport and other areas, and each of them has counted in such a way as to show its best effect” – he added.

Since the ISO 37120 standard was published relatively recently, there is no global entity that collects information on how many cities are interested in it. However, it is known that about 40 cities have taken up the challenge and published results authorized by external entities. Michał Gałecki informed m.in that there are 15 cities in Europe that have implemented the certificate, m.in London, Paris and Berlin.

In Gdansk, 13 (optional) indicators were not calculated, e.g. the indicator concerning the area of recreational, public and commercial areas per capita or the average number of hours of interruptions in water supply per household. “We will try to reach one hundred indicators and successively examine each of them” – declared Drozd-Wiśniewska.

Check the indicators of the ISO 37120 standard in Gdansk

See the presentation of the City of Gdansk

 

^{PAP/ PR/ Wirtualnemedia.pl/ gdansk.pl}

Gdańsk with ISO 37120 certificate, which is granted to the cities with exceptionally high quality of life.

How many new residents came to Gdańsk? How many cycling routes are there in the city? How many kilometres does the system of municipal transportation have? How many trees are planted annually? How many firemen fall for 100 thousand residents? This and many other indicators were checked by external auditors from the Polish Register of Shipping and then Gdańsk was granted ISO 37120 certificate; as one of the first cities in Poland!

Deputy President of Gdańsk – Aleksandra Dulkiewicz – during a press conference on Thursday, September 21, emphasised that Gdańsk is the first city in Poland, which was granted ISO 37120 certificate in accordance with all basic indicators. She also pointed out that this norm makes it possible to compare, for example, quality of life in Gdańsk and other cities.

Deputy Director of the Economic Policy Unit – Katarzyna Drozd-Wiśniewska – pointed out that ISO 37120 certificate, so called “smart city”, means primarily that the city monitors residents’ quality of life and the quality of urban services in several indicated areas. “It allows us to build confidence in the city” – she added.

The norm was published in 2014 by the International Organisation for Standardisation in Poland, last year it was issued by the Polish Committee for Standardisation under the title “Sustainable social development. Urban services indicators and the quality of life”. To be granted a certificate of compliance with ISO 37120 norm you need to give values of 100 of urban services indicators (according to 17 thematic areas), including 46 basic (mandatory) and 54 auxiliary (facultative). Gdańsk gave the values of as many as 87 indicators.

Thematic areas concern all major fields of city’s functioning, for example health, education, communication, environment, active citizenship, energy. The certificate gives the opportunity to compare Gdańsk with other awarded cities in the world because all of them calculate indicators on the basis of the same guidelines. In the scope of transport, you should indicate, for example, the length of cycling routes or the system of municipal transportation.

Drozd-Wiśniewska indicated that in comparison with more than 40 cities, Gdańsk occupies the sixth place in terms of the length of urban transport system, with its 236 kilometres per 100 thousand residents. In terms of the number of trees planted every year per 100 thousand inhabitants Gdańsk occupies 12th place (more than one and a half thousand trees). In terms of water consumption per person in a household, the city occupies the 9^th place (104 litres per day) out of 45 cities.

Lead Auditor of the Polish Register of Shipping – Michał Gałecki – explained that “the norm tries to make it possible for cities to compare themselves”. “Until today, different methodologies of counting successes of cities functioned, for example in the scope of environmental protection, transport and other areas. Every city counted them in such a way, to show that their result is the best” – he added.

Due to the fact that ISO 37120 norm was published relatively recently, there is no global unit, which would gather information on how many cities are interested in it. However, we know that about 40 cities took up this challenge and published the results authorised by external units. Michał Gałecki informed, for example, about the fact that in Europe there are 15 cities which implemented the certificate, like London, Paris and Berlin.

In Gdańsk, 13 indicators were not calculated (non-mandatory ones), for example an indicator concerning recreational, public and commercial areas per one resident or the average number of hours of breaks in water delivery per a household. “We will be trying to reach one hundred indicators and we will be studying them successively” – declared Drozd-Wiśniewska.

Check ISO 37120 norm’s indicators in Gdańsk

See the presentation of the City of Gdańsk

Olivia Business Centre patronises Gdańsk edition of European Mobility Week (Sustainable Development). This periodic initiative, which is held in September, promotes sustainable transport and ecological ways of moving around the city. The motto of this year’s edition is “Let’s share mobility”. The idea is very dear to Olivia – over the last few months Olivia Business Centre has developed many projects concerning ecology, promoting the change of habits connected with moving around the city, as well as improving the comfort of people who commute to the city centre.

Two wheels faster than four wheels?

The time needed to commute to work is one of the most important factors which influence the attractiveness of employer’s offer. An office in a well commuted place like city centre makes access not only shorter, but also faster, easier and cheaper.

More and more often we choose a… bike as a means of transport, especially taking into account the fact that in Gdańsk only there are currently 671 kilometres of cycling tracks. More and more people use this means of transport to commute to Olivia Business Centre, especially those who live in surrounding districts: Oliwa, Wrzeszcz, Zaspa, Przymorze, Jelitkowo or Morena.

– Cyclists benefit from a continually expanded infrastructure in the city centre. In Olivia Business Centre there are now more than 500 parking spots for cyclists, 5 big changing rooms with showers, separate lockers in changing rooms and repair stations for bikes. During European Mobility Week we want to serve healthy snacks to cyclists, for example fresh fruit – says Katarzyna Halicka from marketing department in Olivia Business Centre.

OBC supported also a cycling project called European Cycling Challenge, Spin kilometres for Gdańsk. Throughout the whole May, people who commute to Olivia by bike could help themselves with healthy snacks at a special Young City BioBazar stand or swiftly service their two-wheeled vehicle at mobile repair station.

It is nearer if you go by bus

According to the results of surveys carried out among Olivia’s workers, Ujeścisko in Gdańsk was a district, from which it was the most difficult to get directly to the business centre. That is why, very often the only choice left was a car… However, it is not the only option anymore because since May you can get to and from OBC by Olivia’s bus – comfortably, with Wi-Fi and without additional stops. The service covers two morning and two afternoon rides. Stops are located at Piotrkowska Street, near Łostowice-Świętokrzyska tram terminus (new) and opposite Hala Olivia. Monthly fee is only 10 zlotys. You can register via e-mail bus@oliviacentre.com.

Joint commuting by car

In June, Olivia implemented another workers-friendly solution, which helps integrate them – carpooling. Every person who decides to make a seat available in their car and commutes to work together with other centre’s workers has a chance to win, for example, free parking spots in Olivia. Workers have an access to a platform dedicated to this solution: cp.oliviacentre.com. Now, carpooling community has registered more than 70 driving routes.

Electric cars to hire and charge

From this year on, there has been a carsharing service in Olivia, that is a short-term car rental. The solution is addressed to business clients who occasionally use cars. It was introduced by Enspirion

1. z o.o. (ENERGA Group) together with Olivia Business Centre. All vehicles from the fleet are environment-friendly electric cars. It is worth mentioning that in Olivia Business Centre there are two charging points for electric cars.

Over the last few months, Olivia Business Centre has also invested in the construction of new junction in Grunwaldzka Street and development of extensive parking infrastructure. Information on current events in Olivia Business Centre can be found on www.oliviacentre.com and on Facebook: www.facebook.comoliviabusinesscentre