FOCUS on a colleague Petr Odložilík: No time for a slow pace
Since the beginning of this year, Petr Odložilík has been the director of AUFEER JOB. What professional goals does he have in his new role? We asked him in a short interview.
You’ve been a coordinator at AUFEER JOB for several years. What made you accept the offer to become the company director?
I spent about a month weighing all the pros and cons – this kind of job offer doesn’t come around every day (smiles). I like challenges and I don’t shy away from them – so I admit I was tempted from the very beginning. On top of that, I felt strong support both from my family and from management, so I decided to accept. And I’ve basically been non-stop busy ever since (smiles). But that was one of the things I expected. The labor market is very dynamic right now – there’s no time for a slow pace.
You must’ve had a pretty clear idea of what you were getting into, right?
Yes, I did. I’ve got eleven years of experience in the staffing industry – you could say it’s familiar territory for me. I worked as a coordinator for many years. And I still do, by the way. In addition to my role as company director, I’m also a coordinator at three operations for our major client ŠKODA AUTO. I’m looking forward to the day when we strengthen the team and I can hand off those responsibilities to a new colleague, so I can focus more on the strategic development of the company. We’re not there yet, but I believe we’ll get there.
What’s currently shaping the labor market in the temporary staffing industry and what trends do you expect for 2025?
It’s no secret that the industry we get most of our orders from – automotive – is going through a pretty demanding period full of changes. On the other hand, I want to say that relying only on what you see in the media can make people unnecessarily alarmed. There are tons of rumors floating around that often turn out to be false. We rely on other sources – expert studies, our industry knowledge, and we closely monitor legislation – both current and upcoming – and try to respond flexibly. It’s definitely important to also look beyond automotive, and we’re doing that. It’s part of our approved long-term strategy. One example is Ontex, a leading international manufacturer of hygiene solutions. That partnership is developing to everyone’s satisfaction, and I believe it has great potential.
Any other current developments in the job market?
One interesting new trend is that Ukrainian workers are now less willing to accept jobs in automotive manufacturing than before. When the war started, they would take just about anything to provide for their families and get started somewhere. These days, they’re more aware of their options and tend to avoid positions that are physically very demanding. And honestly, nobody really rushes to take on those jobs – let’s face it, we’re talking about extremely tough physical work.
In recent years there’s also been talk about a shortage of skilled tradespeople. Do you think the famous “golden Czech hands” are in danger of fading?
The shortage of skilled tradespeople has been a long-standing issue – the job market could support far more than we have. We’ll see what the future brings – interest in vocational programs is rising again… Anyone who’s skilled won’t get lost, even if they have to learn everything from scratch. We’ve got people like that, and they’ve made it. I’d say younger generations face different challenges in the job market. You can’t generalize, everyone’s different, but we’re seeing more cases where young people struggle to accept authority. For so long they were asked for their opinion – from parents to teachers – that now they often think they can debate everything, even when it’s not appropriate. Hopefully that passes (smiles), but it doesn’t really look like it yet.
Mladá Boleslav is known for its dense network of competing staffing agencies. How did AUFEER JOB manage to succeed in that environment? What reputation do we have?
AUFEER JOB is known as an agency that sticks to the law and treats people fairly. I’m not naive – if someone leaves on a bad note, they might go air their dirty laundry in public. You know the saying – if someone wants to beat a dog, they’ll find a stick… But we know we’ve built a reputation as a solid partner who doesn’t step into the grey illegal zone just to make a profit – like using multiple payroll schedules, for example. Those things will come back to bite you eventually, and that’s not a path we want to take. Maybe that’s why a lot of candidates come back to us after spending a few months with family and looking for work again. It definitely shows in their willingness to do overtime. They know that when they help us out, they’ll get the reward they deserve.
Was there ever a crisis so bad that you had to put on overalls yourself?
I’d rather not do that, and here’s why: not because I’m afraid of manual labor, but because I know from experience that clients don’t view that kind of step positively. We’ve seen it happen before. Instead of giving you a pat on the back for being helpful and hands-on, the client sees you as someone who couldn’t handle things professionally. These situations should be solved by the coordinators – for example, through organizing overtime.
How has your workday changed?
It’s gotten faster and definitely filled with more meetings and spreadsheets. (smiles)
What do you value most about your closest colleagues?
We’re a small team that sticks together and we can really count on each other. Plus, we know each other really well.
What do you see as your biggest personal weakness?
I need to learn to delegate more with trust. My biggest bad habit is that I’ll assign a task and then start working on it myself just in case the result doesn’t match my very detailed and exact expectations. But I’m learning – otherwise my head would probably explode one day (smiles).
Bonus question: What would most people be surprised to learn about you?
I’m not sure… (smiles). Probably that I used to play football and street hockey pretty actively. These days, riding my motorcycle works best to clear my head.